Thursday, December 13, 2018

Helping Your Kids Deal with Toxic Stress

This post is in partnership with Stress Health, an initiative of the Center for Youth Wellness. All opinions are my own.

Stress is something that a lot of us deal with regularly. From making sure we’re attending to our family’s needs while not falling behind on deadlines at work, stress has become a problem that we have to deal with daily.

Stress is something that a lot of us deal with regularly. From making sure we’re attending to our family’s needs while not falling behind on deadlines at work, stress has become a problem that we have to deal with daily. Fortunately, we are able to make use of a whole host of methods, from gummies cbd, to prescribed anti-anxiety medication, to acupuncture, to help us manage this so that we are able to keep our lives moving as normally as possible. 

Unlike milder forms of stress, toxic stress is linked to trauma, especially trauma that occurs without the buffer of a protective, comforting adult. This stress is both severe and prolonged. When toxic stress is not addressed, it may cause problems to your child’s physical, mental and emotional health. It may cause them to have more trouble learning in school, prevent them from having healthy relationships with the people around them and even increase their risk of chronic disease.

The link between ACEs and toxic stress
There are 10 ACEs ( Adverse Childhood Experiences) that a landmark study linked to toxic stress and a child's current and future health.
1. Physical Abuse
2. Emotional Abuse
3. Sexual Abuse
4. Physical Neglect
5. Emotional Neglect
6. Mental Illness in the Household
7. Mother Treated Violently
8. Divorce
9. Incarcerated Relative
10. Substance Abuse in the Household

Other ACEs that may cause toxic stress include bullying, racism, poverty, neighborhood violence and a father being treated violently, according to later research. The website Stress Health discusses the signs and symptoms of toxic stress:

Signs of toxic stress in young children include:
- sleep issues
- frequent headaches or tummy aches
- crying more than usual
- being extra clingy
- bedwetting or going back to baby talk
- developing new fears
Signs of toxic stress in school-age children and teens include:
- poor coping skills
- behavior and learning difficulties
- mood swings
- sleep issues
- overeating or other compulsive behaviors
- fear and anxiety triggered by people and places that remind them of the past

Toxic stress can happen anytime during your childhood. If you suspect your child may have toxic stress, you can take this quiz to better understand.

Boosting resilience in your children
You can help your children heal from toxic stress by listening to them and comforting them when they are hurt, frightened, stressed or sad. Creating daily family routines – eating together (with the phones off), tossing a ball outside, and bedtime rituals like reading a story together – helps children feel secure and connected.

Sadness may be an emotion that your kids don’t know how to deal with. It is important that you, as parents, know how to explain to them what sadness is and comfort them as they deal with it.

Kids spend most of their day at school, and you may be surprised to find out just how much stress kids deal with there. Be quick to recognize whether your kids are getting stressed with all their school-related activities or there is something larger at work. If you want to take their mind off all the stressful school work -- or if they are just bored -- don’t let them sulk inside their room. Instead, encourage your kids to go outside, spend a day in the park and enjoy the beautiful surroundings.
Kids deal with stress. They shouldn’t have to deal with toxic stress on their own, however. It is our responsibility as parents to be there for them and guide them so that they will not have to suffer the negative effects that stress brings.






16 comments:

candy said...

Didn’t know bed wetting was stress related. Had some friends their kids did this doctor just said was from weak bladder. Kids out grew it. This was in lightening to read

Karen said...

Every parent needs to read this. No matter what we as parents do, at some point, our kids will encounter something that stresses them - sometimes quite badly. We need to know how to handle it.

AiringMyLaundry said...

I always try to be there for my kids when they need it. They know they can talk to me whenever they need to. If they are super stressed, I usually bring out our chocolate. That helps.

GiGi Eats said...

I am truly hoping my future son does not have stress or anxiety. My husband and I will do our best to teach him how to handle situations that might bring those feelings on for sure !

SimplyTasheena said...

I really enjoyed reading this post. So many great tips, and it's really informative. It's so important to know how to handle this matter.

Anonymous said...

It is very helpful to know about toxic stress. It is good to know about the signs and symptoms in children and be able to recognize them.

Sarah Bailey said...

This is such a useful post, it is so sad that kids do get caught up in stress and depression and it is wonderful there are ways to help them.

Gust si Aroma said...

I've heard about the toxic stress and now I am more careful with my kids. I hope nothing of this will happen in their life!

Ashley @Irishred02 said...

Thanks for sharing these tips. It is so important we try and help our kids learn to deal with this now so they can do so as adults.

Tabitha Blue said...

Such important issues to deal with and we need all the help we can get. I'm glad there's a way to help our kids through it.

Justin said...

Toxic stress is so negative towards childhood development. Helping kids cope with stress is super important.

Marysa said...

I had a very stressful childhood, and everyone has different experiences and our own personalities, and it's good to know signs of stress in kids so that hopefully things can be attended to.

Rachel said...

We try and protect are kids from the stresses of life, but sometimes you just can't. You can't control everything. But you still need to be vigilant. Great post. Knowing the signs of stress is important, just as knowing how to help them cope.

Cathy Mini said...

Such a nice tips to help kids out from toxic stress. I don't want to struggle kids from it, thanks for sharing those tips. I've found it very useful.

The Super Mom Life said...

It makes me sad that kids have to deal with anything toxic, but especially stress. Kids should be able to have fun and not have a care in the world.

Terri Steffes said...

This is so very real. I was an elemtaru principal for 15 years. What those kids have to carry would crack most adults. I used to promise breakfast so there would be one less worry.