This therapist and mom posted a viral video about the different ways kids express anxiety—and it is SPOT ON

How does your child express their nervousness? If they’re experiencing first day of school jitters, they might tell you how scared they are to be going to school. But, what if your child doesn’t express themselves in a clear way? Well, there might be a way to read between the lines.

A therapist’s TikTok video is going viral for all of the ways she says that parents can spot anxiety in their kids. Melissa Griffing is the mom and child therapist behind the TikTok account, @momtherapist. Her video points out 15 things kids say that can point to anxiety and PEOPLE FEEL SEEN. From adults who remember saying all of these in their childhood to parents who are hearing it from their kids now—there’s a reason the video has racked up more than a million views!

Griffing is a mom to three boys. She starts the video by saying, “Did you know kids talk about anxiety in a whole heck of a bunch of different ways that parents often don’t pick up on? Here are 15 different ways that kids say, ‘I’m feeling worried.'”

The first one is something I’m sure every parent has heard. You might have even heard it today—”My tummy hurts.”

Yes, kids complain about tummy aches all of the time. Especially if you’ve got a picky eater on your hands that’s trying to wriggle themselves out of dinner! Because a lot of the phrases Griffing mentions in her list are common, everyday sentences most kids might use, the mother of three makes it clear in the comments that you should always check with your child’s doctor.

Other ways your kids might be expressing anxiety include: “What if…,” “I need to pee again” and “I just want to stay with you.”

Over the in comments, people are sharing how much this video resonated with them.

“Damn my daughter has said every single one of these. Especially the sick thing”

“‘My stomach hurts’ was my son. On those days I kept him home from school and I called off work. When he was older I told him I knew it was anxiety so”

“My baby every day, and as a mom with anxiety, I was so worried that I would pass this to her”

“by the time you hit number 9 I was in tears.”

“As a kid I definitely had anxiety & didn’t understand it. So I always try to help my son cope when I can tell he’s anxious. Hoping it helps him later”

Griffing also posted follow-up videos with tips on how to help your child manage their anxiety where she points out, “The first step in helping your kids to manage their anxiety is to help them understand what they’re feeling when they’re feeling it—which means you have to recognize that they’re anxious.”

A version of this post was published in July 2023. It has been updated.