When Anxiety Shows Up in the Body First

Physical symptoms of anxiety in children

A common conversation I have with parents and teachers often starts like this:

“They keep saying their tummy hurts, but there’s nothing wrong.” “She feels sick every morning before school.”

At first, it makes sense to look for a physical cause. But over time, patterns often emerge and these body sensations tend to show up at certain times, in certain places, or around specific expectations.

This is often where we begin to consider anxiety in children as a possible explanation.

For many children, anxiety doesn’t begin as a thought like “I’m worried.”It begins as a physical sensation in the body.

A tight chest. A fluttery or sore tummy. A racing heart.

These are common body signs of anxiety and are part of the body’s natural alarm system preparing for something uncertain or challenging.

The difficulty is that children don’t always have the language or awareness to connect these sensations to emotions.

So instead of saying:

“I feel anxious”

They say:

“I feel sick” “My tummy hurts” “I don’t want to go”

This is particularly common with school anxiety, where physical symptoms can appear before a child can explain what feels difficult.

Supporting Emotional Awareness

Rather than focusing only on behaviour (such as avoidance or physical complaints), it can be helpful to support children in building emotional awareness and body awareness.

Simple, open prompts can help:

• “Where do you feel that in your body?”

• “What does it feel like — fast, tight, or wobbly?”

Even if your child/ student cannot identify it or names something that is different to what you are seeing, that is fine. The goal is to build curiosity and connection, or as I like to call it "planting seeds" and exposing them to this new language and way of connecting to their body.

Over time, children begin to recognise patterns in their anxiety, which supports both understanding and emotional regulation.

Supporting the Conversation

For some children, internal experiences can be difficult to describe. This is where external supports can be helpful.

• Social stories about anxiety available in bookshops, (Kmart has many) and online can help children understand worry in a simple, relatable way. This introduces emotions without the direct focus on your child's experience.

• Visual resources and structured activities can support children to identify body signals and build emotional language

Many parents and teachers find that using structured resources, card games or visual tools can make these conversations easier, particularly when introducing concepts like anxiety, body signals, and regulation strategies.

When children learn to recognise these early signs of anxiety, they are better able to:

• understand what they are feeling

• communicate their needs

• access support and regulation strategies

  
  

Looking for Practical Ways to Support Your Child?

If you’re looking for ways to support anxiety and emotional regulation at home or in the classroom, you can explore a range of resources designed to build children’s awareness, confidence, and understanding over time.

These are available on our resources page and can be used flexibly across home, school, and therapy settings.

Have a specific enquiry and not sure where to start? Reach out info@thrivingyoungminds.com.au

Rachel

Psychologist

Thriving Young Minds