Symptoms of stress in toddlers
Stressed out kids? Signs and strategies
Speaking of Health
Topics in this Post
- Pediatric Medicine
- Children's Health (Pediatrics)
- Behavioral Health
- Stress Management
- Balance your mental and emotional health
Life is full of unpredictable changes. Some can be exciting and motivating, while others can lead to increased stress, poor health and anxious feelings.
Stress is an automatic physical, mental and emotional response to challenging events. It's a normal part of everyone's life, including the lives of children.
Children have faced many new and potentially stressful situations during the COVID-19 pandemic. For some, there have been changes in school and activity routines, family changes with moves or a parent's career disruption, and concerns over their health or the loss of a loved one.
Children, especially teenagers, aren't likely to ask their parents to help them manage their stress. Sometimes, they don't even recognize that they are feeling stressed out.
As a caregiver, you might notice something is off before they do. Helping your children manage their stress can lead to more balanced and healthier lives.
Signs of stress in children
Children aren't miniature adults, and they may express stress in different ways than you might expect.
Here are a few signs that your children may be stressed out or could use some extra support:
- Emotional outbursts or increased irritability
Stress leads to stronger feelings of anger and irritability. Your children may have emotional outbursts that are inconsistent with their previous behavior or the current situation. - Trouble sleeping
Worries and fears seem to come out during bedtime. Children who are stressed may have trouble falling or staying asleep, or start having nightmares.
- Withdrawing from others
Children who are stressed may want to spend more time alone and not interact with friends or family. - Struggles with school
Significant changes in your children's school performance can be a sign of stress. Stress makes it harder for children to focus during the school day or when doing homework. Emotional outbursts and anger at school can cause trouble with friends and classmates. - Frequent headaches or stomachaches
When children are stressed or anxious, their bodies release the hormone cortisol into the blood. This can trigger abdominal cramps and headaches. - Increased defiance
Children under stress may feel angry or overwhelmed. They are seeking ways to get out of the situation that is causing them to feel uncomfortable. This can lead to defiant and stubborn behaviors.
Remember that children's signs of stress can vary based on age, personality and coping skills.
The key is to watch for drastic or sudden changes from your children's previous behaviors.
Managing defiance
Usually, children don't have a lot of power or control in their lives. They are told when to eat, when to sleep, how to act, what is appropriate to wear, what is appropriate to say and what they should learn. The list goes on.. Children know how to get a reaction out of and manipulate their parents. And sometimes saying no is the only control they feel they have that day.
Sometimes there is a purpose for their misbehavior, such as to gain attention or get something they want. Other times, they might just be on autopilot because they are exhausted and their brains simply aren't able to regulate their emotions or actions anymore. They are exposed to different experiences throughout the day that parents might not even know about.
Their brains are not developed until they are about 25 years old, and they might just not know how to process the day's experiences.
Because of this, children's ability to respond relationally differs from adults, and they tend to respond emotionally and impulsively.
As a parent or caregiver, it can feel exhausting when your children act defiantly.
Here are a few tips for managing children's defiant behaviors:
- Set expectations.
Children thrive on routines and set expectations. Outline examples of behaviors you will and will not tolerate. When correcting children, tell them what you want them to do rather than what not to do. For example, instead of saying, "Stop chewing with your mouth open," try saying, "Please chew with your mouth closed." - Act, don't react.
When children act defiant, the instinct to react is human. The expression of emotion also is human. Take a deep breath and calmly correct behavior. Don't mirror their anger level. Maintain calm and set clear expectations. Maintain consistency. For example, don't say yes to something just because you want the behavior to end.
Rather, validate their emotion and follow through with your set expectation. Remind yourself that your children are impressionable, and your words matter. They need to know it's OK to express their emotions respectfully. - Pick your battles.
If their behavior is simply irritating but not dangerous or illegal, try to ignore it. The moment they do something positive, complement them. Sometimes children simply want a reaction, so try to react to the positive behaviors instead of the negative. - Focus on two or three behaviors only.
Children may feel overwhelmed or inadequate if you try to correct every concerning behavior. A focused approach will get better and quicker results in improved behaviors.
Coping with stress
While all stress cannot be eliminated, you can prevent excess stress from affecting your children's lives by:
- Establishing and keeping routines
With many simultaneous changes, children need to be able to count on something that's going to be the same most of the time.
That's why routines are so important. If your family wasn't routine-orientated before, now is a good time to implement daily routines to provide structure and support. You could start a new bedtime habit or strive to have supper together a few nights a week to provide consistency at home for your children. - Finding times to talk
Children tend to have a difficult time starting a difficult or uncomfortable conversation. Find times to talk to your children when you are doing something together. This could include when you are making meals. Invite them to join you in the kitchen. Find time to sit at the table to eat together. If you are driving somewhere, that is also a good time. Children tend to share more when they do not have to look straight at you or feel pressured to talk about their feelings or experiences. - Encouraging a return to previous activities
During the pandemic, many children's activities were delayed or canceled.
After going a long time with little social contact, some kids have anxiety about returning to activities they previously enjoyed. Depending on your local health recommendations, encourage your children to try a new or previous favorite activity or sport again. If your children resist, set a timeline to reevaluate their feelings. For example, ask your children to try the activity for two weeks before making any final decision. It's good for them, and most will find they enjoy it once they get going again. - Allowing choices
Children have few choices. Allow them to have some choices when appropriate. This might include what to eat for supper, what to watch on TV, what game to play and so on. - Finding humor in daily life
A good laugh doesn't just lighten a mood, it also activates and relieves the body's stress response. Find ways to laugh with your kids by watching comedies, reading comics or jokes, playing games, and helping each other find the humor in daily life.
- Playing as a family
Get physically active with your kids and find ways to play as a family. Put on music and dance in the kitchen, go for a bike ride after dinner, or play games as a family. These activities can reduce how stress affects you and your children. - Encouraging healthy diet and sleep habits
Tired or hungry kids are rarely happy. Make sure that your children's diet includes a mix of fruits and vegetables, whole grains and lean proteins to keep them full and focused. A lack of sleep can trigger overreaction or emotional outbursts, so follow a bedtime routine to make sure your children get enough sleep each night. Encourage good sleeping habits of shutting of the TV, turning off the phones and putting away electronics. Allow time to transition from the activity of the day to becoming ready for bed. The body naturally creates melatonin, but the body needs to know that it is nighttime. Try dimming the lights and having them do something that does not stimulate their mind.
This could include reading a book, writing in a journal or doing something that does not have a light on it. - Practicing deep breathing together
Deep breathing is a great way to reduce stress levels. Help your children practice by taking deep breaths in for a count of five seconds, hold for two seconds and release to a count of five seconds. If your children feel anxious, try this simple exercise to unstick the mind from the worry setting. - Enlisting help of children's teachers
With kids back in classrooms, take the opportunity to check in with their teachers. Ask how your children are doing, if they are making friends, or if the teacher is noticing any problems between your children and other students. Often, children won't tell their parents about issues they have at school, as they may feel embarrassed. Sometimes parents are surprised to learn their children are being bullied at school. Teachers and school staff can be your eyes and ears when your children are not with you.
- Managing your mental health
It's hard to be an effective parent if you struggle with your mental health. Take steps to keep burnout and stress at bay in your life.
Tonia LaCore is a licensed social worker in Psychiatry & Psychology in Fairmont, Minnesota.
For the safety of our patients, staff and visitors, Mayo Clinic has strict masking policies in place. Anyone shown without a mask was either recorded prior to COVID-19 or recorded in a non-patient care area where social distancing and other safety protocols were followed.
Topics in this Post
- Pediatric Medicine
- Children's Health (Pediatrics)
- Behavioral Health
- Stress Management
- Balance your mental and emotional health
Related Posts
Blow the pain away: Breathing tips to help children relax
5 things you need to know about mental health and girls
Breaking the adverse childhood experiences cycle
Stress in Children: Signs, Symptoms and Strategies
We are all living in a time of increased stress these days.
Our world as we know it has undergone a drastic shift. As a result, our children are not immune to the impact. Like adults, many kids are struggling right now. It reflects the current state of the world, not parenting skills.
Children are remarkable “noticers.” Have you ever experienced your child parroting back something you may have said, thinking they didn’t catch it? Been surprised by them mentioning a topic you thought they didn’t know anything about? They pick up on these verbal exchanges. Even more so, they absorb feelings going on around them. And today, there are a whole lot of feelings going on. Children notice when their parents or caregivers are stressed and may react to our emotional states.
However, children don’t always have the emotional intelligence or vocabulary to express themselves. They also lack an understanding of what is truly happening. To them, it just feels different, uncomfortable, unpredictable, and downright scary.
The best we can do is to become “noticers” of them.
Tune into their emotional or behavioral cues to provide support and guidance in these turbulent times.
Stress in children can manifest as changes in their typical behavior. Each age/stage may show this differently. Common changes can include:
- Being moody or irritable
- Withdrawing from activities they once enjoyed
- Routinely expressing worry
- Complaining about school
- Crying
- Showing fearful reactions
- Becoming overly clingy
- Changing eating and sleeping patterns.
Stress in Children Ages 4-7 Years Old
This age group under stress might show signs of regression. For instance, children that have been successfully potty-trained may wet the bed again or have toileting accidents. A child may start sucking his or her thumb again. Children may have trouble paying attention to you. They may have temper tantrums and separation anxiety. Battles about eating and bedtime may be reoccurring.
Toddlers and young school-age children often show their emotional stress in physical ways.
Complaints of their tummies hurting is a common reaction. This has some truth to it. When we are stressed, our bodies make chemicals that have physical effects. We call this the fight or flight reaction, a surge of hormones such as adrenaline and cortisol. Our guts also have their own nervous system called the enteric nervous system. These nerves react to the same to stress hormones and neurotransmitters that our brains do. Those hormones can make a stomach feel funny or hurt. Additionally, stress lowers the pain threshold. A hypersensitive nervous system sends signals up the spine and relays pain signals to the brain when a child is stressed.
Stress in Children ages 7-10 Years Old
This age group may be more aware of the unusual times we find ourselves in right now. They may have fears for their own health. They may also fear for their families because developmentally they are gaining the ability to consider another’s perspective. It could present as worries about their grandparents.
For example, they may release their fears as anger or irritability. This state of being on edge is part of our hard-wired fight or flight response.
Stress is often not a familiar term for children. It could be that they express distress with words like worried, confused, annoyed, or angry. Sometimes, it comes across in what they say about themselves or the situation. This can include negative self-talk such as “I’m dumb,” or “nothing is fun anymore.” They may alter their behaviors based upon the setting, seeming fine at home but acting out at school or in their sports activities.
Stress in Tweens Ages 10-13
This age group is in that uniquely tenuous stage of late elementary school and middle school, which are considered stressful without a worldwide pandemic. Adding to this stress are challenges of virtual learning. Homework expectations, less access and guidance from teachers, and requirement to be self-directed can be overwhelming.
Parents and schools are seeing an increase in:
- Avoidance
- Decreasing grades
- Resistance to log in or complete their work
Children in this age group may also be less likely to talk about their worries and fears.
This doesn’t mean they aren’t there.
Stress in Teenagers
Teenagers struggle with multiple issues. For example, due to the pandemic, they have lost important rites of passage – prom, graduation, college visits, their last years of sports or other extracurricular activities. High school is a time when peers and their support are often more important than family.
As a result, the sense of isolation is leading to:
- Irritability
- Sleeping all day and up all night
- Breaking curfew and social distancing rules
- Depression
- A sense of helplessness and hopelessness
- Increased anxiety
In some ways, teens are feeling trapped by spending more time with the family. Developmentally, they are ready to gain independence to move on.
Many teens are reporting a loss of energy, apathy, losing interest in previously enjoyed activities, and overall low mood. Parents may notice their child withdrawing from the family. Also, they may want to isolate more.
Stress may also take the form of abandoning friendships or hostility towards family members.
How Adults Can Address Stress in Children
Caring adults can make a significant difference by providing safety, empathy, structure, age-appropriate information, comfort, and guidance.
Be sure to “notice out loud.” If you see that something seems to be bothering a child, say so and name the feeling you think your child may be having in that moment. Make it in the form of an observation rather than an accusation. Consider the difference between “It seems like you’re still mad about what happened at the park today,” vs. “What happened now? Are you still upset about that?” The observation suggests that you want to hear more about your child’s concern. Also, it allows you the opportunity to show that you care and want to understand.
Use active listening. Ask what is wrong and be patient and open. Avoid the urge to judge, lecture, or advise them of what they should be doing. The goal is to let the child express their concerns and feelings, and be heard.
Ask questions to get the big picture such as “And then what happened?” Repeat back what you think your child may have been feeling. “That must have been frustrating,” or “Gosh, that sounds really scary.” Feeling heard and understood helps the child to feel supported, especially crucial when times are stressful.
For younger children without a broad emotional vocabulary, teach them to label what they might be feeling. That will allow them to learn better how to communicate with you. This emotional awareness can be key to avoiding behavioral meltdowns where feelings are expressed as behaviors rather than with words.
Tips to Help Children Manage Stress
In an excerpt from an article on stress management for kids and teens, the American Psychological Association provides the following tips for managing stress:
- Sleep well. Sleep is essential for physical and emotional well-being. Experts recommend nine to 12 hours of sleep a night for 6- to 12-year-olds. Teens need eight to 10 hours a night.
Sleep needs to be a priority to keep stress in check. To protect shut-eye, limit screen use at night and avoid keeping digital devices in the bedroom. - Exercise. Physical activity is an essential stress reliever for people of all ages. The U.S. Department of Health and Human Services recommends at least 60 minutes a day of activity for children ages 6 to 17.
- Talk it out. Talking about stressful situations with a trusted adult can help kids and teens put things in perspective and find solutions.
- Make time for fun — and quiet. Just like adults, kids and teens need time to do what brings them joy. That can be unstructured time to play with building blocks or uninterrupted hours to practice music or art. Also, while some children thrive bouncing from one activity to the next, others need more down time. Find a healthy balance between favorite activities and free time.
- Get outside. Spending time in nature is an effective way to relieve stress and improve overall well-being.
Researchers have found that people who live in areas with more green space have less depression, anxiety, and stress. - Write about it. Studies find that expressing oneself in writing can help reduce mental distress and improve well-being. For example, writing about positive feelings — such as the things you are grateful for or proud of — can ease symptoms of anxiety and depression.
- Learn mindfulness. In a study of a five-week mindfulness training program for 13- to 18-year-olds, researchers found that teens who learned mindfulness experienced significantly less mental distress than teens who did not.
Promoting Healthy Habits
Parents and other caregivers have an important part to play by adopting their own healthy habits and helping children and teens find stress-managing strategies.
It’s important to model healthy coping. Caregivers can talk with children about how they’ve thought about and dealt with their own stressful situations.
Let kids be problem-solvers.
It’s natural to want to fix your child’s problems. But when parents swoop in to solve every little glitch, their children don’t have a chance to learn healthy coping skills. Let your children try to solve their low-stakes problems on their own, and they’ll gain confidence that they can deal with stressors and setbacks.
Promote media literacy. Today’s kids spend a lot of time online, where they can run into questionable content, cyberbullying, or the peer pressures of social media. Parents can help by teaching their children to be savvy digital consumers and by limiting screen time.
Combat negative thinking. “I’m terrible at math.” “I hate my hair.” “I’ll never make the team. Why try out?” Children and teens can easily fall into the trap of negative thinking. When children use negative self-talk, though, don’t just disagree. Ask them to really think about whether what they say is true or remind them of times they worked hard and improved. Learning to frame things positively will help them develop resilience to stress.
Coping Specifically with COVID-19 Stress
The Centers for Disease Control has some specific COVID-19 suggestions as well. For example, it is important to talk with your child about the pandemic. Answer questions and share facts about COVID-19 in a way that your child can understand.
Reassure them that they are safe. Let them know it is okay if they feel upset. Share with them how you deal with your own stress so they can learn from you how to cope with stress.
Limit your family’s exposure to news coverage, including social media. Children may misinterpret what they hear and can be frightened about something they do not understand.
Try to keep up with regular routines. If schools are closed, create a schedule for learning activities and relaxing or fun activities. Be a role model for them. Take breaks, get plenty of sleep, exercise, and eat well. Connect with your friends and family members. Spend time with your child in meaningful activities, such as reading together, exercising, and playing board games.
When to Seek Help
Be the “noticer.” The emotional or behavioral cues your child exhibits are important in ascertaining information about potential problems. It’s important to be able to work with them, guide them, and support them to successfully work through their stress and difficult times. Spend time and be available to answer their questions. Keep expectations reasonable. Validate how hard things can seem right now.
Know how to reach out for help if needed. Some kids might be stressed and struggling with anxiety or depression that seems “too big” to manage on their own. Parents may be overwhelmed as well. Nobody gave out an instructional booklet on parenting during a pandemic. It’s OK to not feel like the expert on children’s mental health. Therapy is an option many families find helpful. Kids are being seen both via telehealth and in person with safety protocols in place. Sometimes having a professional provide the space to discuss what they’re feeling may be the lifeline they need right now.
Lee Health has a team of dedicated professionals at our Pediatric Behavioral Health clinic happy to help kids navigate their stress and develop tools and coping skills to feel better. We can be reached at (239) 343-6050 to make an appointment.
About the Author
Sandra Mills is a pediatric psychologist for Lee Physician Group Pediatric Behavioral Health.
10 signs of stress in a child
School or kindergarten, circles and sections, streams of information and new experiences, and even streams of demands from parents and teachers ... It is not surprising that many modern children, even very young ones, are under constant stress . How to recognize its signs?
The word "stress" of English origin, in translation it means "pressure, load, tension." It arises as a result of intellectual and emotional overload.
If an adult can recognize the symptoms of stress and seek help, children have a much harder time. The child does not understand what exactly is happening to him, does not know how to get rid of a bad mood.
Therefore, parents should be able to see the signs of stress in time and help the baby cope with the situation.
How does stress manifest itself and how can you help your child?
1. Regression
This means a return to the forms of early childhood behavior: the child begins to suck his thumb, cries when his mother leaves, urinates in bed, hangs on adults, constantly requires attention.
What to do? Don't interfere with the child's "regression". All he needs is to be caressed at this moment and calmed down. Wait out the regression - it will pass.
2. Fears
If you suddenly start to be afraid, ask why he got it, what is scary. Give the example of children who are not afraid. Well, buy a night light with stars.
If an ordinary child suddenly turns into a desperate coward, it means that he is clearly under stress. Parents should be alerted if the child closes the doors everywhere, checks all the time whether the lock is locked, turns on the light everywhere.
He is already afraid not only of a dark room, but also of pictures on the wall, and noise on the stairs, and silence.
What to do? Actively involve the child in the game, drawing - both of these activities are well discharged. With their help, try to understand the origins of fear, or quietly eavesdrop on the conversations of a child with toys.
3. Aggressiveness
If you notice that your baby, previously so accommodating and friendly, for no reason at all began to be rude, respond sharply, fight, throw toys and books at the wall, swing at others, know that these are signs stress.
What to do? Aggression cannot be banned, it is better to try to translate it into other forms: to teach to defend one's innocence, to analyze the situation together. Look for a constructive way out for the accumulated energy of the child: active sports, outdoor games with other children, arrange a puppet fight.
4. Mood swings
The child is sometimes touchy for no reason, can easily burst into tears on an insignificant occasion, then, on the contrary, becomes too aggressive.
Older children have frequent tantrums or a depressed, depressive mood that lasts for days, weeks - all this should also alert parents.
What to do? Talk heart to heart with your child, find out what worries him. Teach him to understand and constructively express his emotions. Pay attention to even the smallest achievements. Keep track of your child's daily routine, his diet and sleep.
5. Health problems
Parents are often confused by unexplained symptoms: vomiting, indigestion, rash, fever, abdominal pain and other oddities - all this can occur on a nervous basis if the child is very worried.
What to do? To begin with, to improve the psychological climate in the family, to check whether the requirements of the family and the school differ too much. They must be clear and consistent. Ideally, you should work with a child psychologist on the child's self-esteem and be sure to check whether the son or daughter has personal time and space.
6. Restless sleep
When stressed, falling asleep turns into everyday torment with obligatory rituals: turn on the light, close the curtain, look who is in the window, hold my hand, etc. The child begins to sleep less and eventually experiences chronic fatigue .
What to do? Soothing massage, breathing exercises, imagination exercises help from restless sleep. In addition, aromatherapy, massages with essential oils, aromatic baths are useful. You can buy an herbal pillow for your baby.
7. Decreased academic performance
The fact that the child is in a bad psycho-emotional state is indicated by such signs as impaired memory function, imagination difficulties, poor concentration, loss of interest in everything that previously aroused curiosity.
What to do? Take an interest in the school affairs of children every day. Do not limit yourself to the routine question “What grades?”, ask about his feelings, mood, support.
Do not skimp on praise, notice even the most insignificant achievements of the child. If possible, help your child complete difficult tasks.
8. Rapid fatigue
Poor concentration and memorization, difficulty with learning, which used to be easy. The child quickly gets tired after a load, absent-minded, forgetful, restless.
What to do? Learn about childhood experiences and emotions. To make your child feel supported, make sure he knows you are available any time he wants to talk to you about his problems. Appreciate your child in all situations and hug as often as possible.
9. Isolation
The state of psychological stress can manifest itself in a child in fear of contacts, striving for loneliness. He ceases to participate in the games of his peers, he has difficulty in maintaining discipline.
What to do? First you need to deal with the stressful situation; if the child does not currently have the resources to communicate, do not insist.
If he wants to, help the baby make friends first with one child: go to the park or to the theater together. Children's communicative trainings (for example, group sand therapy classes) help to cope with this problem.
10. Compulsive signs
Indicators of a stressful state in a child are winding hair around fingers, as well as coughing, shaking hands, shaking the head, twitching shoulders, playing with genitals, night and even daytime urinary incontinence, stuttering.
What to do? Adequate physical activity can help a child survive stress: daily walks, jogging, cycling, morning exercises. The child should be able to throw out emotions and fully relax, unwind after a hard day.
If the situation gets out of control, do not neglect the help of a child psychologist and neurologist.
Each of the above signs may indicate that the baby is under stress. Be attentive to your child: if parents ignore these alarming signals, this can not only lead to persistent health problems in the baby (for example, chronic neurosis), but also affect the formation of his personal qualities.
How to recognize signs of stress in children?
Children's stress. Yes, this happens, and this phenomenon occurs quite often. Many parents probably think that stress comes with age, and the life of our children can be called almost carefree. But this is not always the case. In order to recognize stress in time and help it pass without a trace, the help of parents and sometimes a specialist is needed.
The word "stress" is of English origin and means "pressure, load, tension." The main causes of stress are physical, emotional and intellectual overload. If adults can usually easily determine the presence of stress in themselves, then children do not understand what is happening to them and do not know how to get rid of a bad mood. Naturally, the main task of the parent in this situation is to notice signs of stress in the child in time and help the baby cope with problems.
Yana Moskvina Psychologist-consultant of the "Magis Children" club
CAUSES OF STRESS IN CHILDREN
Children's stress usually occurs as a reaction to a new situation for the child, if the child is faced with something unusual, something that is not yet can't resist.
The reasons can be very different: difficulties and tensions in the family, accidents and injuries, the appearance of a new child in the family, moving, excessive workload in educational institutions, separation from loved ones, loss of a pet, etc.
MAIN STRESS SYMPTOMS
Stress manifests itself in different ways at different ages. By what signs it is possible to determine its presence in children?
- In infants under 2 years of age, this is increased irritability, loss of appetite and poor sleep
- In preschool children - increased demands and frequent manifestation of indignation, regression to childhood habits, increased childhood fears, aggressive and bad behavior, speech defects, hyperactivity or, conversely, a decrease in activity, withdrawal into oneself.
- In elementary school students - headaches, nausea, fatigue, bad, aggressive or defiant behavior, lies and deceit, regression to childhood habits, disorders without a specific cause, excessive concern about one's health, pedantry or maximalism, increased anxiety, unrest and fears, falling grades, speech defects and nervous tics, sleep disturbances and loss of appetite.
Scientific studies have shown that the risk of impending depression increases with age. At 17 years old, it is 4 times higher than at 8-12 years old.
REGRESS
Regression is manifested in the fact that the child develops habits characteristic of behavior in earlier childhood: thumb sucking, crying when mother leaves, excessive demand for attention. What to do in this case? Do not interfere with the child "returning to childhood", just give him more attention, show affection and care.
FEARS
Increased anxiety, worries and manifestations of fears (the child closes doors everywhere, turns on the light, checks the lock) are clear signs of stress. The best way to deal with this is to involve the child in play, preferably creative play. Creative activities not only help to discharge, but also allow the child to express inner fears and emotions, to share their thoughts in a figurative form. Perfectly relieve fears of sand therapy, drawing, modeling, decorative art.
AGGRESSIVENESS
Sudden signs of aggressive behavior in a friendly and calm child (rudeness, harsh conversation, throwing things around) indicate severe stress. Aggressive behavior cannot simply be banned, it is important to give the right outlet to the accumulated negative energy of the child. For such purposes, physical activity is ideal: sports and fitness, martial arts, outdoor games. Do not forget to analyze the child's behavior in calm conversations with him alone.
MOOD STROKE AND TROUBLED SLEEP
Mood swings and sleep problems should alert a parent. To begin with, it’s worth talking heart to heart and finding out the reasons for the child’s anxiety, trying to teach them to understand and correctly express their emotions. Relaxing massage, breathing exercises, yoga, exercises to develop imagination and fantasy, and aromatherapy will help get rid of anxiety and poor sleep. Be attentive to the daily routine of the child and his diet.
HEALTH PROBLEMS
Disease symptoms (nausea, headache, abdominal pain) can be caused by nervous tension. Check the psychological climate in the family and school, assess the stress and demands that the child is subjected to. It may be worth reconsidering the regimen and employment of the child and, if necessary, seek the help of a psychologist.
DECREASED PROGRESS
The child's poor psycho-emotional state is indicated by such symptoms as impaired memory and attention, difficulties with imagination and loss of interest in things that previously fascinated the child. Be sure to be interested in the affairs of the child both at school and beyond, not limited to routine issues. Reward your child even for minor achievements, be attentive to his needs. Provide support and assistance in completing complex tasks.
ISOLATION
It manifests itself in the fact that the child becomes quiet, withdrawn, withdraws into himself and refuses activities that were previously interesting to him, strives for loneliness and avoids contacts.
