Stress is a natural physical and mental reaction to life experiences and everyone faces it from time to time. It can come from a variety of sources like the pressure of corporate or personal life, sustaining relationships, peer pressure, standing up to the expectations of loved ones and many more. The major issue that is coming into the light is young children, who have hardly experienced life, are suffering from stress. Stress is not only overshadowing their development but also making them lose out of their enthusiasm. Stress can be good for children but too much of it can create unnecessary trouble and challenge. Stress, if not detected at an early stage, can destroy a child internally and eventually lead to depression. It is a very serious matter and parents should know how to detect the signs of stress in child.

Let’s see what are the symptoms of stress that parents can detect in their child:

• Negative Changes in Behavior: Children are too small to understand the concept of stress and if they are suffering from the same, they will struggle in expressing their feelings. They find it difficult to verbalize their emotions and the same will be reflected in their behavior. Negative changes in behavior like acting irritable or moody, withdrawing from fun activities, routinely expressing worries, crying, displaying surprising fearful reactions, sleeping too much or too little are the clear indications that something is wrong. Parents should pay attention to these behaviors and determine an appropriate solution to resolve the same.


• Consistent Stomach Aches & Headaches: Parents can also detect stress in a child in the form of physical symptoms such as stomach aches and headaches. If your child is frequently complaining of stomach aches or headaches and these complaints increase in certain situations (e.g., before a big test in school) then your child may be experiencing stress. In such situation, parents should think of opting the right measures i.e. consulting doctors/specialists for effective stress management for students.


• “No One Likes Me” Attitude: Under the influence of stress, children can feel that no one likes them, and they can fabricate negative thoughts about themselves. To express the feelings of distress they can use such words i.e. “worried,” “confused,” “annoyed” and “angry.” It is important for parents to sit down patiently and listen to their rants and statements. Try to figure out why your child is using such negative words.


• Sleep Disturbances: It is a very common symptom of stress in a child. If your child is fighting with stress, you can witness a disruption in the sleeping patterns. Because of stress, children mentally burden themselves with various negative thoughts that affect them both in conscious and subconscious state. Parents need to consistently monitor the sleeping patterns of their child and if there is some issue, opt effective measures to resolve it.


• Decreased Appetite: Stress can have many negative effects, including loss of appetite. If you find that your child is losing interest in eating, then your child may be suffering from stress. To address your child’s poor appetite, you need to identify the cause of the stress and alleviate it.

These are the common symptoms through which parents can detect stress in their child and opt right measures to eliminate it as soon as possible. Parents should understand that when children are unable to control their emotions, their responses became disruptive. A stress-free mind and loving atmosphere is all our child need to achieve success in life.