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The holidays can trigger various reactions in children as things get hectic with changing schedules, visits from relatives, and frequent travel. One of these reactions may be a child experiencing stressful emotions.
Stress usually involves three stages of physical changes including alarm, resistance, and exhaustion.
In the first stage, the body's heart rate may increase as the individual decides what action is necessary to take.
In the second stage, the body starts to relax and return to a less tense state.
And in the third stage, the body may either become overwhelmed or return to its normal state, depending on how the individual is coping.
Children may begin to show signs of stress during the holiday season and it is important to acknowledge when kids need a helping hand to deal with whatever may be going on.
Symptoms of stress can include being irritable, tired, having no appetite or decreased appetite, being afraid, struggling with changes in routine, being sad, moodiness, withdrawing from activities, frequently staying away from others, not wanting to go to school, and/or complaints of physical discomfort, such as a headache or stomach ache.
Some things that you can keep in mind this season to help decrease the possibility of stress for your child include the following:
- Think about what expectations are being placed on your child as these may need to be decreased.
- Be a good listener when your child is talking about things that may be causing stress.
- Teach good problem-solving strategies such as breaking down large problems into smaller ones to deal with one thing at a time.
- Talk through stressful situations and practice what to do when things get difficult.
- Help your child to stay focused on positive thoughts.
- Encourage moods of comfort and peace by showing your child how to visualize their favorite place and the feelings that are associated with that place.
Take care of yourself and give yourself time to relax.
Ask Your School Psychologist A parent question and answer column will debut in the next issue of The EC Voice. This column will give you, the parents, the opportunity to submit questions relating to the Intervention-Support-Team (IST) process and/or the EC process. A question will be selected and answered by GCS school psychologists in each edition of The EC Voice. If you have a question, chances are other parents are wondering about the same thing. Questions can be submitted by email to Teresa Prince at
We look forward to hearing from you.
When in doubt,
Ask Your School Psychologist.
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