Stress is experienced by everyone; it is a mechanism established by the body to handle and adapt to difficult situations. While little amounts of stress can be helpful, too much negative stress can cause long-term psychological damage in children. Therefore, stress relief for kids is of the utmost importance. This article will help you understand the sources of stress in children, its effects and methods you can employ to help your child cope with stress.
Children suffer from stress even more than adults do, as they are exposed to new and confusing environments constantly. Their sense of self-worth is intimately tied to the expectations posed by the adults around them, such as parents and teachers, but can also be influenced by their peers. If your child’s esteem takes a hit, they will find it challenging to cope with the situation.
Studies are emerging showing that stress levels in children have been increasing over the past several decades. This is mainly due to the vast amount of accomplishments expected from them to successfully compete with other kids. Being unsuccessful has become a taboo, generating a deep-set feeling of inadequacy in Indian kids, so much so that our teens and youths have one of the highest suicide rates in the world.
There are two main kinds of stress experienced in early childhood.
Good stress or positive pressure is important as it helps children handle obstacles and overcome them. For example, athletes and students perform better when they experience small quantities of stress from their parents and coaches, which motivates them to work harder.
Overwhelming stress can surmount the child’s ability to cope. Serious events such as physical and emotional violence, inability to perform as expected, illness, neglectful parents, among others, can harm the child irreparably, by affecting mental development, raising blood pressure, causing sleeplessness, nightmares, lethargy, depression and so on.
There are various stressors children could face in their daily lives. Some of them are:
Kids spend half their waking hours at school, where they have to juggle scholastic responsibilities with sports, extracurricular activities and tuitions, leaving them exhausted. In addition, they might feel stress from trying to fit in a friends circle.
Children look at their parents for guidance and support. Stress can be caused by problems at home such as spousal fights and separation, economic issues, corporal punishment, dealing with mental disorders in the caretakers and so on.
It is very common for children to get anxious about the things they see on TV, such as news of disasters, terrorist attacks and so on. Very young kids might even react to extreme violence, gore and horror in films, which can inflict an irrational fear of strange people, darkness or scary monsters. Having online lives could lead to cyberbullying by peers or strangers, which can cause severe emotional distress.
Children can also get stressed when people around them worry for any reason, be it death, sickness, or finances. Children are very sensitive to their parents’ emotional levels, so if you are anxious they will certainly pick up on it.
There are several factors that can set off stress responses in children, both external and internal:
It is nearly impossible for young children to express their emotional states to their parents, so it is up to you to identify the signs and symptoms:
The younger the child, the greater the negative effects of stress on them. Here some ways how stress affects children:
Schools and parents are best equipped to identify and provide stress management for children who experience stress.
In many cases, good parenting can help relieve your child’s stress, but sometimes the stressors are too large to be countered at home or school. Consult with your child’s paediatrician if they are:
Also learn the different stressors that affect children, as the kinds of stress vary with age. Realising that events we adults brush off as insignificant can cause severe stress in children is the first step to recognizing stress. The most important thing you can do to help them cope is to let them know you understand how they are feeling without dismissing their emotions as exaggerated or unnecessary.