Childhood Stress Should Not Be Dismissed Without Thought

It took some time before it was recognized that prolonged exposure to stressful episodes was unhealthy for people, and accounted for much of the serious illness and lost productivity in our modern society. However, now that it is an established fact, there are many avenues available to people to enable them to identify the parts of their lives that are under stress, and to help them develop tools and strategies to reduce the effect. We are also now beginning to understand that stress also affects children, but in different ways and with different consequences, and is every bit as serious.

Stress is a response to changes in the equilibrium of the body, and since this is a function of the nervous system, these changes have no age restrictions. However, the experiences that elicit the response have different effects on different people, adult and child alike, depending upon each person's perception of the situation relative to individual life experiences. An adult, for example, will respond differently than a child in the same situation, something recognized by professionals when counseling children.

There are many different reasons that an adult suffers from stress and sometimes the solutions can seem difficult, heightening the stress levels. As adults, we tend to overlook the stresses that can affect our children. There are so many things that affect them, peer pressure being one of those everyday stresses. They usually are concerned with pressures at school to learn, to get along with teachers, be accepted by their peers and to be seen as good as something. There could be conflict within the family unit, or they may be confronted with bullying or drug issues.

Adults have choices which help them to find solutions to their problems. Mostly, children don't have options and often feel totally powerless to change anything in their situation that could remove the stress.

While the carer may not be able to remove every cause of stress from a child's life, there are many things they can do to smooth the road. Children respond to love, attention, structure and routine. They need proper rest, time to relax, and good nourishment. Criticizing a child will not get good results; complimentary and uplifting comments will get better results and will help to improve behavioral issues.

Any loving parent or carer would implement necessary changes when signs that a child's stress levels are raised. Such signs can be headaches, stomach illnesses, wetting the bed or even withdrawing contact from those around them. A psychologist helps to train the child to deal with stress with age appropriate tools.
------------------------
Through counseling Brisbane children are being helped to develop strategies for dealing with stress. With the assistance of a psychologist Brisbane from CentreFor Human Potential http://www.centreforhumanpotential.com.au/,parents can now guide their children through stressful situations.