"Why Does My Stomach Hurt All the Time?" – A Kid’s Story About Anxiety

Lately, my stomach hurts almost every morning before school. At first, my mom thought I was getting sick, but I never actually got a fever or a cold. It happens on test days, when I have to talk in front of the class, or even when I just think about something scary, like forgetting my homework or messing up in soccer practice. Sometimes, it even happens at night when I’m supposed to be sleeping. My heart beats really fast, my hands get sweaty, and I feel like I need to run away, even when nothing bad is actually happening.

At first, I didn’t know what was wrong. My parents took me to the doctor, but everything came back normal. Then my therapist explained that anxiety doesn’t just happen in my head—it shows up in my body, too. She said that my stomachaches, racing heart, and shaky hands were my body’s way of responding to stress, even when there wasn’t real danger. That made so much sense to me because sometimes I felt scared for no reason, and I didn’t know how to make it stop.

With my therapist’s help, I started learning ways to calm my body and my mind. Now, when my stomach starts hurting before school, I take slow breaths and remind myself, “I’ve felt this way before, and I got through it.” If my heart is racing, I do something called "grounding," where I look around and name five things I can see, four things I can touch, three things I can hear, two things I can smell, and one thing I can taste. It helps bring me back to the present instead of getting stuck in my worries.

Anxiety still shows up sometimes, but now I know it doesn’t have to control me. If you ever feel like your body is reacting to stress in a way that doesn’t make sense, you’re not alone. There are people who can help, and there are things you can do to feel better. I’m still learning, but every day, I remind myself that I am stronger than my worries.