Are your children’s vaccines up to date?

Set a reminder

Please or to access all these features

Parenting

For free parenting resources please check out the Early Years Alliance's Family Corner.

10 year old anxiety issues

4 replies

purplejeanie · 24/11/2024 21:30

My ten year old has over the last month developed severe anxiety. She used to be super independent and a great sleeper. Now she's terrified to be alone in a room in the house, she follows me around and can't get to sleep without me in the room. She wakes in the night and will come into my bed. This is entirely new behaviour. This is linked to a sudden fear of being kidnapped. She saw a newspaper report about a month ago about a girl being kidnapped and thinks that it might happen to her. She thinks people might be hiding in the house. I've talked to her at length about the unlikelihood of this happening but she thinks that there's a possibility and therefore her anxiety is warranted. She is utterly exhausted all the time. It's now 9:30 and she's been in bed since 8, unable to sleep and periodically crying/listening to audio books. I've repeatedly been in and out the room. I'm not sure where to go from here other than seek child therapy?

OP posts:
Are your children’s vaccines up to date?
Kaleidoscopic101 · 24/11/2024 22:01

I was like this at 10..but I had an intense fear of getting appendicitis and was utterly obsessed with it. It came about because one of my friends had it...I thought about it all the time and it was worse at night. Then one day we went on holiday to Spain and it broke the cycle of obsession, I came home and whilst I still thought about it, I saw it for what it was...not coming in here with very helpful solution I realise, going to Spain for a week in the hope it breaks this cycle is hardly helpful but just to say that it's not uncommon and doesn't mean she won't grow to become a well adjusted teen and adult. She may just need a lot of reassurance and cuddles at the moment and that's all you can really imo. She can't and won't hold onto this forever and it's at that point she can reflect and see the boogie-man for what it is and that will be really valuable in redirecting future intrusive thoughts and anxieties.

purplejeanie · 25/11/2024 21:28

Thanks that's helpful. I need to find something to break the cycle !

OP posts:
Yellowtulips1 · 11/02/2025 13:37

Hi did you find anything that helped? My 10 year old has developed some irrational fear anxiety too and behaving similarly.

Interested in this thread?

Then you might like threads about these subjects:

mikado1 · 11/02/2025 13:39

It is so important to air the anxiety and discuss it. Reflect back your child's fears and empathise.

New posts on this thread. Refresh page
Swipe left for the next trending thread