One of mine had a lot of anxiety at 8. He has really overcome it. There is hope that it all gets better over time with support. We found stuff to help him cope and tried to discourage him from avoiding activities. We always encouraged him to try things and if he just could not manage that he would be allowed to leave. He usually made it through a day at camp or other activities. For him knowing he had an escape plan help reduce his anxiety a lot. I just that with caution. Some kids might use the escape plan everyday. He really wanted to be able to go and participate in activities and tried hard not to use his out. He also respond very well to knowing what to expect for the day. We would go in and speak with his camp couselors about reassuring him about the days schedule. They did a good job of understanding a 5 minute conversation with him in the morning would make everyone's day go smoother. He also found chewing gum to be a great help. I know it sounds silly but he kind of channeled his restless energy into the chewing.
At school, he had a teacher that would allow him just to go get a drink of water when he felt the anxiety coming on. He learned different breathing technics and self talk. He had a bag of books and activities with him all the time. A busy mind alleviated his ablility to hyperfocus on his worries. The trick with anxiety is often handling it before it snowballs into a full blown panic attack. We had those times of full blown panic. He became acutely award of the early signs of his own anxiety and learned how to manage it before it snowballed. The positive side of his experience is he has amazing self awareness of his emotions now. He hasn't had anxiety issues in years. It did take a solid year of kid gloves and support to help him learn and implement management skills.
I know it is heart breaking to watch them feel such intense anxiety. Good Luck and you are definitely not alone here with this issue.
Jtooit
