Stress in children: identify the causes, symptoms, and how to deal with it

Children don't eat enough of the life-salt acids, but that doesn't mean they can't be stressed. Stress can occur in children, especially because they do not understand how to effectively solve problems.

So, what are the causes of stress in children, their characteristics, and how to deal with this stress? Find more information in the following review, yes, ma'am!

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What causes stress in children?

Most parents are generally not aware of the characteristics of stress in children. This could be due to the misconception that only adults can get stressed.

Stress in children can arise from demands from the surrounding environment such as parents, school, or the social environment.

In addition, stress can also arise from within yourself when there is a difference between what you want to achieve and your own abilities.

A source of stress that can adversely affect a child is a type of stress that can cause discomfort, injury, or pain that is beyond their ability to cope with.

Common sources of stress experienced by a child's age include:

• Excess anxiety about schoolwork and academic rankings
• Difficulty feeling relaxed because of busy schedules or responsibilities
• Frequently moving homes or schools
• Experiencing abandoned life
• Experience bullying or peer pressure or social circles
• Having bad thoughts about himself
• Going through puberty with emotional and physical changes
• Facing divorce or separation from both parents
• Dealing with a problematic family environment
• Living in a family that is experiencing financial difficulties
• Living in an unsafe home environment

Besides the examples above, some things can indirectly make children anxious and feel depressed.

This is for example hearing about parents' quarrels, violence against children, or being exposed to information such as social problems that are not yet appropriate for their age.

What are the characteristics of stress in children?

Children, including those at 6-9 years of development, are generally unable to understand and express what they feel.

They themselves do not even realize that what they are experiencing is stress.

Therefore, it is your duty as a parent to help identify the symptoms or characteristics of stress in children.

The following are characteristics of children experiencing stress that need to be recognized immediately:

1. The emergence of negative behavior

Note that the child has recently shown changes in behavior that are not good. Does the child become irritable, irritated, complain, argue, or cry?

The child's habit of being honest, which he used to do, may slowly change to often lie and violate the rules at home.

For example, children are not honest with the grades they get at school and refuse to do household chores that are their responsibility.

2. Stress in children makes him feel afraid

One of the symptoms or characteristics of a stressed child is suddenly becoming scared easily.

Such fears, for example, do not dare to be alone, afraid of a dark room, afraid of being left by their parents, or afraid to face strangers.

If previously the child was someone who was brave enough, this change could be a sign that the child is experiencing stress.

3. Withdrawing from family or associations

When under stress, your child may choose to avoid interacting with family or friends.

Notice if your child always shies away when you ask questions, refuses to eat or go out together, or spends more time alone in the room.

Likewise, changes when children rarely play with their friends.

These traits can be signs that he is experiencing or thinking about something that stresses the child.

4. Pain without an obvious cause

Quoting from the American Psychological Association, if the stress that appears is so serious, children usually experience physical symptoms such as stomach pain, headaches, or dizziness.

However, when examined by a doctor, the child was declared not to have a certain disease. These symptoms or characteristics are the child's body's reaction to stress.

5. Changes in appetite

A child's appetite can increase or decrease dramatically due to stress.

If the child has difficulty eating because he has no appetite, he may reason that the food is not good or he is not hungry.

Meanwhile, if the appetite increases, the child may snack more often and get hungry faster even though they have eaten.

6. Difficulty sleeping

Not only adults who are stressed have trouble sleeping, children who are stressed too.

Apart from having difficulty sleeping, stress in children usually makes them wake up in the middle of the night due to nightmares.

This of course makes the quality of the child's sleep decreases because the hours of sleep are reduced.

7. Bedwetting

Be careful if a child who has stopped bedwetting suddenly returns to this habit.

Usually children who are stressed do return to the various habits they had when they were little.

In addition to bedwetting, your child may also suck his fingers again after the habit has been long gone.

8. Difficulty concentrating

Because they feel overwhelmed by the burden they are carrying, children find it difficult to concentrate.

He experienced difficulty in concentrating while studying at school, listening to orders from parents, or even watching television.

Note that the child tends to stare blankly ahead or look down while doing activities as usual.

It can be a sign that the child is no longer concentrating on what is being done.

What is the impact of stress on children?

When the child has shown various symptoms of stress, it is best not to ignore it.

Stress in children who are continued to be allowed to have a negative impact in the long run.

Here are some of the possible effects of stress on children:

• Stressed children are also more susceptible to mental disorders such as depression.
• Children are at risk of experiencing malnutrition or being overweight due to changes in appetite due to stress.
• Performance at school has decreased because it is difficult to concentrate while studying.

Besides having an impact on mental health during childhood, stress also affects children's emotional development.

Not only that, children's cognitive development and children's social development can also be affected by stress.

Changes in appetite experienced by children due to stress can also have an impact on children's physical development.

How to deal with stress in children?

Given the impact that stress can have on children, make sure you know how to deal with the right way when this happens to your little one.

Various ways that can be done to deal with stress in children are as follows:

1. Help the child recognize that he is under stress

If a child is already showing symptoms of stress, it is not necessarily that he himself realizes that these symptoms are a form of stress.

Parents must help make children aware. You can say, "Are you stressed when you come home from school you still have to tutor again until evening?"

Then continue with, “I know you are stressed, but you are not know the reason. You want to tell me, not?"

Ask light questions that help the child realize what he is currently feeling

2. Listen to the complaints

When the child begins to calm down and is willing to open up, listen carefully to his complaints without the intention of blaming, judgmental, or patronizing.

Just let the child talk at length and don't interrupt it unless you want to make sure when you don't understand what the child is conveying.

According to the Medline Plus page, make children feel understood and loved, but not by scolding or criticizing them.

Let your child know that you don't get upset when they chew their nails or wet their beds to feel safe.

Conversely, if scolded, the child will not stop the behavior, it can even make the child even more afraid.

3. Help children understand their feelings

After your child talks about what makes him stressful, make sure that you understand and really understand his feelings.

Say softly, "No wonder you feel so annoyed," or, "You must be very disappointed, son?".

Then explain carefully if what he feels and experiences is part of the life process.

Sometimes parents forget that their children experience failures or difficulties.

You may also expect your child to be successful in school, have lots of friends, always be cheerful, and never encounter difficulties in his life.

So, make this opportunity an opportunity for your little one to recognize negative emotions and understand them as a normal part of life.

4. Explain to the child that stress is normal

Make your child understand that it's okay to feel scared, sad, or angry.

Also tell them how to deal with these situations.

This method makes them feel less alone in scary situations and makes children more courageous to talk about how they feel too.

5. Teach children to manage emotions

When you understand that negative emotions are normal, help your children manage their emotions well.

Remember, every child is different, so the way they manage emotions in each child is not the same.

Some children feel better after exercising or being active. There are also those who will be more relieved and calm when they cry.

That is why you must be sensitive to see and be willing to try various methods that are most effective.

6. Find solutions to stress in children together

The next step is to find a solution together.

First ask the child what he wants and find a middle way.

Take for example a child who is stressed because he has to change schools and he is not willing to be separated from his friends.

You can suggest that your child invite his old friends to come over to the house for the weekend.

If this is not possible, communicate with friends over the phone.

7. Build a calm and safe home atmosphere

The way to deal with stress in other children is to make sure the atmosphere at home is calm enough so that he feels safe with his family.

If it turns out that every morning you wake up being rushed and yelled at or if your parents keep fighting, your child will become even more stressed.

8. Make time for children

In addition to building a comfortable atmosphere at home, you should also spend quality time with your children.

Taking time for children can only accompany them to eat or listen to their complaints every day.

Show your child that you will always be there when he needs it.

If every day you work at the office, try calling your child more often, for example when the child has come home from school.

Also try to go straight home when work at the office is over.

9. Support the child with positive things

So that children can reduce stress, stay with them and provide positive support.

Praise him if he made it through the day without crying if this was done frequently enough by the previous child.

Also, don't forget to encourage your child with a hug, kiss, or words of encouragement every day.

10. Make sure the child gets enough sleep and food

Children who are stressed may lack sleep and eat less.

It's your job to monitor and make sure your child is getting enough sleep and getting enough food.

Encourage children to live a healthy lifestyle, for example, by exercising regularly so that they can sleep better and increase their appetite.

Provide a variety of healthy foods for children in the daily diet, school supplies, and healthy snacks for children.

If stress in children does not get better, you can consult a child psychologist as another solution.