Chaplain's Chat

Hi Everyone, 

This year has been a big year with lots of unexpected changes and stressful things happening in the world. It is understandable for people to be feeling extra stressed and worried at the moment. Stress is a normal reaction to life’s changes and challenges, it can be useful to motivate us to get things done and to feel better about trying new things. However when stress becomes prolonged or toxic, that’s when it can stop being useful and start becoming overwhelming. If you start to notice that your stress response, or your children's stress response is becoming overwhelming, it may be time to actively try to manage it, or seek support in managing it.

Children can experience a stress response similar to adults, which can affect their daily lives. Many different changes can cause stress – even positive changes like transitioning to high school, can still be a source of stress on the mind and body. In children, it can sometimes be difficult to determine if a young person is stressed. Some children have difficulty verbalising their feelings and can’t put a name to what is happening to them. In young people, stress can often look like: 

• Sleep changes or tiredness
• Changes in appetite or interest in food
• Not enjoying or participating in usual interests
• Withdrawal from friends or family
• Irritability or frustration
• Poor concentration
• Overreacting to small things

Many of these signs of stress are similar to an adult’s experience, however young children often lack the ability to describe what they are feeling as stress. Learning and understanding these symptoms is the first step to offering support. Some support you might offer for your child if you’ve noticed they are stressed include: 

• Don’t overschedule: include a few hours when your child isn’t doing homework or practicing sports or attending family events, and allow them to just kick back and relax. 
   
• Make time for play without screens: Being outside or practicing creativity is a great way to reduce stress. 
   
• Make sleep a priority
   
• Teach your children to listen to their bodies: What does increased stress looks like? It might be described as butterflies in the stomach or a volcano in their head. Give explanations to what these feelings are.
   
• Model stress management:  Stress can be contagious, when you are stressed the kids can be stressed. Allow your kids to see their parents slow down and self-care when things become too much.
   
• Prepare your kids to deal with mistakes: A lot of kids get stressed from dealing with mistakes, or worrying about mistakes. Remind your children they’re not supposed to know how to do everything perfectly. Making a mistake is part of the process, its how you fix it, make amends and move on is what’s important.
   
• Prepare your kids to deal with mistakes: A lot of kids get stressed from dealing with mistakes, or worrying about mistakes. Remind your children they’re not supposed to know how to do everything perfectly. Making a mistake is part of the process, its how you fix it, make amends and move on is what’s important.