Emotional Stress can be debilitating on a child and affect them in all aspects of life.
Adults tend to view the world of kids as happy and carefree. What do kids have to worry about anyway? The problem is, emotional stress in children is getting worse and taking its toll.
Every child feels stress and has worries at some time in their life. Their stress can come from outside sources such as family, friends, school, or internal stress from demands placed upon oneself. We have to realize children have problems too, and we have to take these problems seriously. Stress may be the number one cause of nerve system stress (subluxation) in our children. Subluxations may have devastating effects to their development, performance and health.
Stress enters our world from day one. An infant may experience anxiety when their needs are not being met by their caregiver (food, love, hygiene, comfort, nurture, etc.). If these stresses continue, it may lead to an overload in the young child’s nervous system. In preschoolers, the number one cause of anxiety is separation from their parents. Good to know as we get ready to send them back to school.
As our children get older, academic challenges, peer pressures, parental guidance, a desire to “fit in,” puberty, friends, a push for sports performance, and extracurricular activities all create tremendous stress for our children. Stress levels are elevated in our children’s life by their home environment; parents tend to let their stress become their child’s stress. Children are very aware of our money, work or relationship problems. Family fighting and sibling rivalry only compound the stress. Also consider that the impact of divorce, a loss of a loved one, a relocation, and family illnesses can be devastating in their life.
Television and the internet only add to their fears and safety concerns. Disturbing images of war, terrorism, murders, and plane crashes play nightly on our television. These negative images are stored in the child’s nervous system for a lifetime.
Children will not express their stress the same as an adult, and adults may not be aware of the accumulated stress that they are experiencing. With the stresses placed upon our children in today’s society, it’s no wonder their health is worse than ever. The unhealthy impact of stress on a child’s nervous system is often easily detected and corrected with wellness chiropractic.
Ways to help your children with emotional stress:
- Limit screen time. Mobiles, tablets, TVs and computer screens cause stress by bypassing the cerebellum of the child’s brain and stimulating the amygdala (fight or flight centre).
- Move! Exercise and movement reverses the effects of stress by stimulating the cerebellum and rebalancing the nervous system in a growth and development pattern.
- Nutrition. Healthy foods are a must. Throw out the sugar, grains and poor quality oils are terrible for a developing brain. Fresh raw foods, lean meats and lots of water.
- Talk openly. Find out about their friends, coaches, teachers, and what their thinking about and feeling. Society frowns on expressing feelings. Home should be a safe zone. Talk about your own with your kids.
- Keep it fun! Avoid over-scheduling the kids. Sports and lessons are great, but let them be kids too. Play games; go to the park; invent stuff.
What sorts of ways do you help your child’s emotional stress? Please share!
Dr. Craig’s mission is to help families THRIVE. After graduating from Queen’s University with a Bachelor of Science and Bachelor of Physical & Health Education, he went on to earn a Doctor of Chiropractic degree and Bachelor of Science in Anatomy from Parker College of Chiropractic in Dallas, Texas. He is passionate about seeing children and families in his private practice at Synergy Chiropractic in Kanata, ON. A sought after speaker, he has been featured regularly on TSN Team 1200, CTV and Rogers TV. He is also the Chairman of the Alliance For Chiropractic of Ontario.
