What Exactly Is Stress?
When we are under pressure or feel endangered, we react with stress. It frequently occurs when we are confronted with a circumstance that we do not believe we can handle or control.
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When we are stressed, we may feel the following symptoms:
- An individual, for example, when you have a large number of duties that you are unable to manage.
- Be a part of a group, for example, if your family is experiencing a difficult period, such as bereavement or financial difficulties.
- Part of your community, for example if you are a member of a religious group that is being discriminated against.
- A citizen, for example, during natural disasters or events such as the coronavirus pandemic
- If you are part of a larger group, you may all feel stressed. This is possible even if the source of your stress is the same.
When Does Stress Become An Issue?
A modest level of tension can sometimes help us complete things and feel more energized. However, stress can become a problem if it lasts for an extended period or is acute. Stress can have an impact on both our physical and mental health in some circumstances.
Some Types of Stress May Be Referred To As ‘Acute’ or ‘Chronic’ By Healthcare Professionals:
- Acute stress occurs within minutes to hours of an occurrence. It is quite intense and lasts for a brief length of time, usually less than a few weeks.
- It can occur following a traumatic or unexpected incident. This could be a sudden bereavement, assault, or natural disaster, for example.
- Chronic stress lasts for an extended amount of time or recurs. You might experience this if you are constantly under pressure.
- You may also experience chronic stress if your daily life is unpleasant, such as if you are a caregiver or live in poverty.
Is stress a concern for your mental health?
Stress is not typically regarded as a mental health issue. However, it is linked to our mental health in various ways:
Stress can lead to mental health issues. It can also exacerbate existing issues. For example, if you are under a lot of stress, you may develop a mental health problem like anxiety or depression. Alternatively, a traumatic period of stress may result in post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD).
Stress can be caused by mental health issues. Coping with the day-to-day symptoms of your mental health problem may be challenging for you. You may also be concerned about managing your medicine, medical appointments, or other treatments. To cope with stress, you may turn to recreational drugs or alcohol. This could also impact your mental health and generate more stress.
What factors contribute to stress?
Children do not necessarily react to stress in the same way that adults do. Unlike adults, most children suffer stress when they are unable to cope with scary, unpleasant, or painful events.
These are some examples:
- Negative self-perceptions or sentiments
- Changes in their bodies, such as the start of puberty
- As they get older, the obligations of school, like as tests and more homework, increase.
- Problems with school buddies and socializing
- Major transitions such as moving, changing schools, or parent separation
- Chronic illness, family financial problems, or death
- Unsafe settings at home or in the community.
- Children and adolescents who are stressed
- When children encounter something new or unexpected, stress might be induced.
Domestic abuse, parent separation, or the death of a loved one are all significant sources of stress for young children. Another common factor is school; making new acquaintances or completing tests can cause children to feel overwhelmed.
Methods for assisting your child in coping
When children are anxious, parents can play an essential role in assisting them in coping.
Children, like adults, require reminders to be kind to themselves.
Identify the triggers: Assist your child in recognizing and tracking moments when they felt stressed, and look for trends in how they behaved. What was going on at the time? What were they thinking, feeling, or doing immediately before feeling stressed?
Once they’ve identified the issues that are likely to cause them stress, you may work together to find solutions to avoid or deal with stress as soon as possible.
Respond with affection: Give your youngster extra love, attention, and time. Determine whether stress influences their health, behavior, thoughts, or feelings. Remember to listen to them, to speak softly to them, and to reassure them.
Set a good example: Discuss with your youngster how you dealt with stressful events. You can encourage your child by sharing your personal experiences.
Encourage positive thinking: It is all too easy for youngsters, especially teenagers, to begin thinking negatively about themselves. If you hear words like “I’m not good at anything,” “I don’t like myself,” or “I’m afraid to go out,” ask them why they feel this way and remind them of instances when they did something and how they did it.
You will help them feel understood and ensure they can overcome stressful situations by providing positive reinforcement.
Encourage healthy habits: Sleep and proper nutrition are important stress relievers. For children aged 6 to 12, experts recommend 9 to 12 hours of sleep per night. Teens require 8 to 10 hours of sleep per night. Limit screen time at night and avoid having digital devices in the bedroom to protect your sleep.
The better your child is nourished and rested, the better he or she will be able to deal with stress. Encourage your youngster to go outside and play with his or her buddies.
Exercise and hobbies like meditation and deep breathing can help relieve stress.
Abdominal breathing is incredibly relaxing and enables us to get more oxygen into our lungs. Here’s a simple three-step procedure: Put one hand on your stomach. Take 5 deep breaths, 5 seconds in and 5 seconds out, inhaling in through your nose and out through your mouth. Explain to your child that when they inhale, their tummy softly expands like a balloon, and when they exhale, the air slowly escapes the balloon.
As children get older, their causes of stress might rise as they go through major life transitions including making new friends, doing more schoolwork, and having more access to social media and global news. Many teenagers are stressed out because of social issues like climate change and discrimination.
It’s crucial to remember that youngsters are like sponges who absorb everything around them. They know when their parents are worried and may react to whatever that emotional state is.
Children and teenagers do not always have the emotional intelligence or vocabulary to adequately express themselves. Because of their age and level of development, younger children may be unaware of what is going on.
A new or unexpected circumstance simply feels odd, uncomfortable, unpredictable, and even frightening to them.
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