Calm my anxious heart

Our 7 year old has anxiety. It is so difficult to watch him be so anxious all the time. It exhausts me; I can only imagine how he feels. We have no official diagnosis - but after talking with his teachers, his doctors, and just plain watching him, I am quite sure. How sad.

Homework is a complete nightmare every night. Crying hysterically - "I'll never do it, it is too hard. It is too much homework!" and then once he gets self control and calms down (after WAY too much time has gone by), he completes it in 5 minutes flat.

Worrying about whether he will get all his toys put away in time to get a snack and a story at bedtime. As he sits there crying about it instead of just putting the toys away.

Worrying about what the kids at school think about him. Worrying about what his teachers think about him. Worrying if he will ever read chapter books. Worry worry worry.

Part of me wonders how a 7 year old could have so much to worry about. I mean, he doesn't have to worry about paying bills, what's going on in the world, or being a parent! Aren't those things really worry-able???

And part of me wonders what's really going on inside his head. How much of this is attributed to his background? Does he have Post Traumatic Stress Disorder? Is he worried that he didn't have anyone - or anything - for the first 3 years of his life? Is he anxious because his needs weren't met for so long before we adopted him? I'm not sure he remembers much about being in the orphanage but surely, that will stay with him for the rest of his life - even if it is subconscious.

I really don't know how much to attribute to his past, or how much is just the way he was created, or how much is being 7.

If only I could get into his head and then I would know exactly how to help him. What is he really thinking? What is he really feeling? What help does he really need?

I ask alot of people for their opinions - professional or otherwise. We encourage him alot. But at the end of the day, all I really have is prayer. And I know that is more than enough. And so I cover him in prayer. Every day.

Update: We used a timer for homework tonight. It worked! We set it for 5 minute intervals and he didn't cry and wasn't anxious! Yahooey!!