Stress attacks both adults and children, although children live it differently. They also encounter difficulties in their day-to-day life that can lead to stress. Detecting the symptoms is very important to be able to help them. We leave you some tips for how to know if your child has stress and how to help him manage it.
Stress in children
Stress in children is a matter of concern, since If left untreated, it can lead to very serious problems. They respond differently than adults to stress, depending on how old they are and their coping skills.
There are many reasons why a child may feel stress. Let's see the different causes why a child can suffer it:
- You can be big changes like changing house, school, parents divorce, the birth of a brother ... something that disrupts their routine. They are usually temporary situations, but if they are prolonged it can have serious consequences.
- As well what they hear and see at home it can be a source of stress. Arguments at home, family financial problems, listening to the news ... can generate great fear and stress. We must analyze what type of information we are sending you for your age.
- The endless schedules with extracurricular activities They can stress children by overloading them. Children need to play, have free time, and even get bored.
- Read or watch scary movies they can generate stress and anxiety. You have to know how to choose according to their age which books and movies they can see.
- La self-demand it is also a source of stress. Wanting to be getting the best grades or being the best in class can be exhausting for them.
- El bullying or bullying causes very serious problems in bullied children. You can read our article how to teach your children to face bullying if this were the case of stress.
As we can see, the causes can be several, so you have to be alert to the symptoms to know how to identify them.
How do you know if your child has stress?
The most common symptoms are:
- Sleeping problems.
- Lack of appetite.
- Excessive tiredness
- Headaches.
- Difficult to focus.
- Apathy for things he used to love.
- Poor school performance.
- Not wanting to go to school.
- Suffer frequent diarrhea.
- Frequent mood swings
- Problems interacting with other people.
Be careful if the child shows any or more of these symptoms.
How to help them manage stress?
It is necessary to be clear first of all that not all stress is bad. In an adequate amount it is a way of learning about life and about themselves. To interact with its environment and grow. We cannot avoid all the problems for our children, they must learn to handle challenges so that in the future they know how to act in the face of their problems and feel empowered to do so.
The problem comes when stress becomes too intense and prolonged in time, they can cause serious illness. The most important thing first is to identify the cause of your stress so that you can treat it. Sometimes the solution can be simple, how to get rid of extracurricular classes and others can be more complicated.
Tips for managing stress
- Establish routines and good habits hygiene, sleep and meals.
- Put yourself in place. What may be silly to you may be a world for them. Don't downplay it, listen to their fears and concerns without judging or minimizing. This way we will make children feel comfortable talking to us about it and feel loved and listened to. Just talking about it can relieve your stress.
- Depending on their age and character, it will be easier or more difficult for them to talk about it. They may not even be aware of your stress. Help him express his emotions in words or in pictures, and show him how that stress is expressed (anger, sadness, fear ...).
- Do some sport it can help relieve tension.
- Let's not be so picky about them. We must be tolerant and flexible, our demands can be a great source of stress.
- Create a good climate at home. Their home where they have to feel safe. It is not necessary to lie to them or hide anything from them, you can briefly inform them according to their age what is happening without giving too much information. Children find out about everything and not including them in what happens in the family makes them feel displaced.
- Spend time with them. Children demand attention, not toys. What they will remember when they grow up is not what they had but the memories they have of being with you. Play with them, enjoy their company.
- All the activities like yoga with a way to relieve stress. You can see the article 6 poses to do yoga with your children.
If the situation is out of your control, see a professional.
Why remember… helping them manage stress will make them more competent adults.