We often define children as little humans who are problem free and joyful. This is the same reason why we tell ourselves at times ‘oh I wish I could go back to my childhood again’.  This is true. We see them always full of joy, energy and free of worries. However, it is also true that children do have worries and anxieties as we adults experience in our daily life.  These thoughts and experiences have the potential to cause stress in children.

Children need more support 
Stress to a certain extent can be considered normal in our day to day life. However, children should be supported and comforted in stressful situations where the level of stress caused by certain experiences or incidents may go beyond the ability of children to respond to them in a positive manner. Since stress can affect even very young children who are yet to develop many of their skills such as speech and emotional regulation, our help as parents and caregivers for them is essential in this area of their daily life.

Preventive Measures by knowing what can cause stress
As adults who provide love and care for children, identifying sources of stress will be extremely helpful to lessen chances where children may become stressed needlessly.  Prevention is always important.  In general, stress can be simply identified as a response of an individual who feels overwhelmed by fearful or anxious feelings. For children, sources of stress and anxiety can be due to both external and internal reasons. 

Children become anxious when they separate from parents for the first time. Demanding school work, problems at school or with friends, change of routines, changes in the family or school are also possible stress factors for them. Certain factors such as going to school for the very first time or moving into a new location can still cause stress in children even though they are not negative in nature.   
 

While children can become anxious about things they experience in their own life, they are prone to become stressed out due to things they may see or hear happening in the lives of people around them. Hearing parents fighting, arguing or talking about their problems at work, problems of their friends or relatives can create stress in them. It is natural for children to become worried about the things that worry their parents. At the same time, children may develop stress when they are exposed to disturbing images, videos, news or anything of that kind if they continue to think and become anxious about those fearing that it would happen to them or their loved ones.

Not all situations that may cause stress in children can be prevented.  However, it is important for parents and caregivers to be aware of the simple things that are in their control, so that children are protected from situations that may cause unnecessary stress in them.  In addition, we can also prepare children in advance to face unavoidable situations that can become hard for them to go through. Our support and understanding plays a critical role in this. Acknowledging their feelings, sharing thoughts and open discussions are indeed helpful to increase their confidence to go through such situation with less stress. 
Helping children develop coping skills from the earliest stage of life is another effective way of tackling stress. Developing problem solving skills, resilience and engaging them in activities that promote relaxation and relieve stress help children deal with stress effectively. Parents should pay careful attention to their daily routine to not to make them too busy each day. Spending time with the family, friends and doing things freely as they are lead is as important as academic and extra-curricular activities.

Children indicate both behavioral and physical changes when they are stressed. In most situations, parents are capable of supporting them to overcome such issues and help them handle situations with much resilience and confidence. However, in cases where parents feel their child needs further help, it is appropriate to seek professional advice in order to help their child without further delaying.  It is also important to bear in mind that having a better understanding and a healthy relationship with the child is an inevitable component included in all possible solutions and remedies.  

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