Stress in Children Ages 4-7 Years Old
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.
Symptoms of anxiety in children
not sleeping, or waking in the night with bad dreams. not eating properly. quickly getting angry or irritable, and being out of control during outbursts. constantly worrying or having negative thoughts.
Chronic stress — stress that occurs consistently over a long period of time — can have a negative impact on a person's immune system and physical health. If you are constantly under stress, you may experience physical symptoms such as chest pain, headaches, an upset stomach, trouble sleeping or high blood pressure.
Becoming easily agitated, frustrated, and moody. Feeling overwhelmed, as if you are losing control or need to take control. Having a hard time relaxing and quieting your mind. Feeling bad about yourself (low self-esteem), and feeling lonely, worthless, and depressed.
Toxic stress response can occur when a child experiences strong, frequent, and/or prolonged adversity—such as physical or emotional abuse, chronic neglect, caregiver substance abuse or mental illness, exposure to violence, and/or the accumulated burdens of family economic hardship—without adequate adult support.
Children can pick up anxious behaviour from being around anxious people. Some children can also develop anxiety after a series of stressful events. They may be able to cope with one of these events, but several difficult events together may be too much for them to cope with.
Signs of Anxiety in Children Age 2-6
This is also when they are first able to internalize problems, and when they may begin to show signs of shyness or nervousness within their peers. Of course, these feelings are very typical, and most of us can recall a time in childhood when we felt that way.
It is a normal and natural response. The National Scientific Council on the Developing Child proposed three distinct forms of stress responses in young children: Positive, tolerable, and toxic.
Repetitive and prolonged activation of stress response systems causes the emotional center in the brain (limbic system) to grow and become overactive. As a result, children who grow up with toxic stress are more anxious6 or aggressive7. They often suffer from emotional dysregulation8.
Toxic stress response:
This is the body's response to lasting and serious stress, without enough support from a caregiver. When a child doesn't get the help he needs, his body can't turn off the stress response normally. This lasting stress can harm a child's body and brain and can cause lifelong health problems.
The truth is that stress, anxiety and symptoms of depression can lead to various physical complaints and make kids more prone to illness. Poor emotional health weakens the immune system of the child, and that leads to increased absences at school.
Children react to angry, stressed parents by not being able to concentrate, finding it hard to play with other children, becoming quiet and fearful or rude and aggressive, or developing sleeping problems.
Anxiety may present as fear or worry, but can also make children irritable and angry. Anxiety symptoms can also include trouble sleeping, as well as physical symptoms like fatigue, headaches, or stomachaches. Some anxious children keep their worries to themselves and, thus, the symptoms can be missed.
For example, a kid might cling, miss school, or cry. They might act scared or upset, or refuse to talk or do things. Kids and teens with anxiety also feel symptoms that others can't see. It can make them feel afraid, worried, or nervous.
Normal childhood anxieties come and go, she says. Loud noises, new people, new places and fearful experiences can elicit a fear-and-anxiety response from your child that's quite normal. Pre-teens and teens sometimes have performance-related anxieties.
Toxic stress has the potential to change your child's brain chemistry, brain anatomy and even gene expression. Toxic stress weakens the architecture of the developing brain, which can lead to lifelong problems in learning, behavior, and physical and mental health.
Behavioral symptoms of stress
Avoidance of tasks; poor sleep; problems; difficulty in completing work assignments; fidgeting; tremors; strained face; clenching fists; crying; changes in drinking, eating, or smoking behaviors.
Physical symptoms of stress include: Aches and pains. Chest pain or a feeling like your heart is racing. Exhaustion or trouble sleeping.