Version for parents
Did you know that…:
- Stress is necessary in life and has allowed our species to survive!
- Stressors are always present in everyone’s lives.
- Stress is a body’s normal reaction to stressors in the environment or to how we interpret these stressors.
- Stress is useful. Good stress management increases concentration and memory.
- Only chronic stress can have negative health effects. Chronic stress occurs when we are exposed to prolonged and repeated stressors that cause us to produce stress hormones.
- Adult stress influences children’s stress. That’s why it’s so important to look after your own stress before helping your child look after theirs.
The younger children are, the more vulnerable to stress they are.
They are unable to use stress management strategies on their own or to control situations to reduce novelty and unpredictability
For this, adult support is needed to help reduce stress.
Understanding STRESS better
Absolute Stress
Absolute stress is that which occurs as a reaction to an exceptional trigger related to a question of survival. It’s an objective, universal stressor that generally leads to a stress response in all of us. Examples? A car accident, an assault, encountering a wild animal, or fire alarm.
Relative Stress
Relative stress comes from our interpretation of a situation. Stressors can be perceived differently from one person to another. This is a subjective stressor, which is why it does not cause the same reactions in everyone. For example, a schedule change, an oral, a test, a substitute teacher, a change of group, a death, or parents’ separation.
For a situation to be stressful, it must be associated with one or more characteristics. These are:
| CHARACTERISTIC | DESCRIPTION |
|---|---|
| Novelty | Something new happens, an element that you have never experienced before. |
| Unpredictability | Something completely unexpected happens or there is no way of knowing in advance what is going to happen. |
| Threat to the ego | Your skills and self-esteem are put to the test. You doubt yourself or your abilities. |
| Sense of control | You feel that you have little or no control of the situation. |
N.U.T.S.
Symptoms and signs
Depending on the individual and their age, the symptoms can vary and they manifest themselves in different ways.
Examples:
- Sudden change in behaviour.
- Stomach aches, headaches, nausea, change in appetite.
- Feeling of sadness (crying, withdrawal).
- Hot flashes, blushing
- Irritability, impatience, difficulty managing emotions.
- Problems sleeping.
- Reduced concentration, attention or memorization.
- Crises (crying, impulsivity, etc.).
- Avoiding stressful situations and refusing to participate.
Here are a few strategies to help reduce stress: breathe deeply, move around, laugh, talk about what’s stressing you, listen to music, stroke your pet, surround yourself with other people, etc.
Why is stress management important?
- When we are not equipped to manage stress, chronic stress can set in.
- The accumulation of several stressors can increase the level of stress and the complexity of managing it.
- Many studies have shown that, when parents act to reduce the novelty and unpredictability experienced by their children, they can increase their children’s feeling of control and, by extension, reduce their stress.
This tool was adapted mainly from: Crevale. (2020). Une trousse pour la saine gestion du stress (A toolkit for healthy stress management).
https://www.crevale.org/actualites/une-trousse-pour-la-saine-gestion-du-stress/ (in French only)
References:
Centre for Studies on Human Stress. (2019). https://stresshumain.ca/
Adapted in collaboration with the Public Health Department of the CISSS des Laurentides.
