Managing Stress

Stress can come from physical, mental, or emotional sources. Common stressors can usually be divided into four categories: physical, emotional, cognitive, and behavioral. When you or your child experience stress, the body can respond in many ways. For example, the heart may feel like it is beating faster, or muscles may tense. Finding ways to manage stress can help improve your and your child’s quality of life.

This section of Managing Stress covers:

What Are the Typical Signs of Stress?

What Are Ways to Handle Stress?

Helping Your Child Overcome Stress

When to Get Help

What Are the Typical Signs of Stress?

People experience stress in many ways. The signs, symptoms, and outcomes of stress can usually be divided into four categories: physical, emotional, cognitive, and behavioral.^{1,2,3,4,5,6,7}

Below are some examples of stress:

What Are Ways to Handle Stress?

Not only do both the body and mind react to stress, but they also react to each other. To prevent and cope with stressors, you and your child can follow the steps below:

• Identify the stressors 

• Work on removing, reducing, or changing the stressors 

• Think about and understand how stress impacts you and your child 

• Lessen stress by finding ways to cope

You can manage stress through physical or mental activities or a combination of both. No one way is the best, so try some activities and see what works for you and your child.

Here are a few ways to cope:  

Other ways to manage stress you can try: 

• Express your emotions. Let your friends and family share in your thoughts and emotions. 

• Balance social time with alone time and try to do activities you and your child enjoy. 

• Eat healthy, well-balanced meals so your child’s body receives the right nutrients. 

• Practice good sleep hygiene to allow for necessary rest. 

• Be proactive. Talk to your child about what is causing their stress to help identify their stressors. 

• Communicate your needs clearly to family, friends, and your health care team. 

• Laugh. Laughter can help keep stress in perspective. 

Helping Your Child Overcome Stress

Children experience many changes throughout childhood, such as starting a new school or moving to a new neighborhood. As children grow, their bodies change, too. The signs of stress in children are very similar to those in adults. A child may complain about stomachaches or show physical signs of stress. Your child may not want to go to school, may not express their usual emotions, or may have trouble sleeping.

Here are some examples of things you can do to help your child: 

• Build Resiliency: Throughout life, young children experience greater resiliency if they have become attached to at least one significant adult. Being able to trust this adult provides the confidence necessary to make it through stressful events. A secure attachment is particularly critical when a child is ill. Children will seek out the person who makes them feel safe and secure. Stress occurs when that person is not available either physically or emotionally.

• Listen to Your Child: Ask your child to tell you what's wrong. Listen attentively with caring, patience, and openness so that you can fully understand what is causing your child stress. Allow your child to express their feelings and concerns so that you can address them and make your child feel more secure. Keep communication open so that your child feels comfortable talking about what is bothering them.

• Encourage Fun Activities: Encourage your child to participate in enjoyable activities, especially during times of increased stress. Activities such as games, sports, music, and art can help your child take their mind off what is stressful.
  If you want more information about safe physical activity, please go to Playing It Safe.

• Encourage Socialization with Peers with Bleeding Disorders: Socializing with other people with bleeding disorders can be a beneficial experience. Your child can connect in person through camps, chapter events, and online.

• Provide a Consistent Schedule: Children generally do best when they can predict a routine schedule. Consistency in daily events, such as meals, homework, and bedtime can help a child feel more secure and better able to overcome stress.

• Build Self-Esteem: Help your child build self-esteem by giving them opportunities to make decisions and have responsibilities from an early age. Help your child build interests and skills in areas that they love and can succeed in. A strong sense of self-esteem will help your child overcome stressful times. 

When to Get Help

You or your child may experience signs and symptoms that signal it is time to seek professional help. If you or your child continue to feel chronic tension, confusion, emptiness, loss of control, or exhaustion and are experiencing physical symptoms, it's time to speak to a health care provider as soon as possible.

Other symptoms that signal the need for professional help include: 

Mental Health Resource List

Mental Health Crisis Hotlines