Being a student these days isn’t easy. With all the schoolwork, assignments, projects, and exams that students have to deal with, it’s no wonder why some kids get stressed at a very young age. And the stress that they’re experiencing while they’re young might affect them well into adulthood, causing a host of problems later on in life.
Stress is never good for the body
Like with adults, stress is not good for a child. Stress causes kids to feel anxiety, and feel overwhelmed with everything that’s happening in their lives. However, it’s not always related to their studies, as stress can be caused by numerous factors, such as problems at home, being bullied in school, anxiety etc.
According to researchers from the Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai, the response to stress that children go through while they’re still young are carried on through adulthood,
Which is why as parents, it’s important to know and understand the factors that play into why kids get stressed, and how to help kids deal with the stress that they’re experiencing while they’re still young, so that the negative effects that stress has on the body won’t go with them throughout adulthood.
How can parents help lower their kids’ stress levels?
In order to help kids cope with stress, it’s important to know where the stress comes from. You can ask your child what’s stressing them out, if someone’s bullying them at school, or if they feel anxious or overwhelmed because of high expectations regarding their grades in school.
You can ask your child if they’re scared of you, or maybe they feel that they’re doing too many things in the day, and that they need time to relax.
It’s important to always prioritize your child’s well-being first and foremost, rather than any of their school activities, or extra-curricular activities. High grades won’t amount to much if your child is constantly under pressure to perform well in school, and they feel burnt out.
Giving your child time to relax and just be a kid helps keep their thoughts away from anything that might cause them stress, and can thus help lower the amount of stress and anxiety that they’re going through.
Reassure your child, and tell them that it’s okay to not always get perfect marks in class, so long as they show that they did their best. You might be unknowingly putting pressure on your child to excel, which can cause them to become stressed out kids.
At the end of the day, parents should give their kids a chance to be kids and have fun, after all, they’re only kids once.
Source: sciencedaily.com, kidshealth.org
READ: Is your child stressed? Here’s how you can tell
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