The main signs of stress and anxiety to look out for in children

What does stress look like in a child?

It can be hard to know when our children are feeling stressed. Unlike adults, they are often too young to vocalise how they feel or simply can not fully comprehend their own feelings. Instead, our children's behaviour will start to change and it's these changes in behaviour that can help let us know that things are not ok. The signs of stress that your child might display can be physical or behavioural and these are the main ones that you should look out for. Physical signs can include becoming increasingly clingy, crying often, thumb sucking and a change in their attitude towards food, either never feeling hunger or being hungry all the time. Children suffering from anxiety can also develop habits like bed-wetting. Not all the signs display themselves physically and can instead be a change in their normal behaviour. These changes can include become more irritable, acting aggressively towards others or becoming over-cautious or fearful. Children feeling stressed can also withdraw into themselves and become unwilling to take part in their usual activities. If you feel like your child might be displaying some of these traits take a moment to sit down with them and help them to vocalise how they feel. Let them know that their feelings are valid and that it is ok not to feel ok sometimes but that they can always speak to you when they're feeling upset.