Consequences of stress on the body
The consequences of stress on the body can be manifold. At the beginning of a stressful phase, however, it is more likely to be banalities, which those affected often perceive as cold symptoms or a looming flu. Thus, it is often a feeling of discomfort that manifests itself at the beginning.
It can manifest itself as general weakness, mild headaches or aching limbs. If, however, the course of the disease does not worsen, stress is relatively quickly suspected as the cause. It causes increased tension in the muscles, which can become painful in the long run.
Should a physical illness actually occur, this is due to the effect of permanent stress on the immune system. Stress initially causes an increased readiness of the body. It prevents that small weaknesses of the body are consciously perceived.
However, if the body’s resources are overused, stress falsely simulates physical strength. In reality, however, this strength is no longer there. From an evolutionary point of view, this is very useful, because in the past, wounds were not allowed to lead to incapacity to fight.
Survival was thus ensured. Nowadays, however, one’s own deception leads to the fact that in the case of a developing illness, the symptoms are no longer perceived correctly. Only when the disease becomes manifest does the person affected feel it.Prophylaxis or early protection to shorten the duration of the disease is no longer possible. It is therefore important to recognize early warning signs and take even banal symptoms of stress seriously in order to prevent unnecessary escalation. This topic might also be of interest to you: Fever due to stress – is there such a thing?, vomiting due to stress, diarrhoea and psyche
Consequences of stress in children
Children often react differently to stress than adults. They must therefore not be seen as small adults, but must be considered in a differentiated way. Depending on the age of the child, the understanding of stress is not yet given.
In addition, children cannot always express themselves adequately. Therefore, any change in behavior is a possible indicator of excessive stress in the child. The younger the child is, the more likely it is to express itself in verbal form.
Increasingly tearful behavior or crying are thus often the first signs of excessive stress for the child. However, the older the child becomes, the more complex his or her interaction with family or friends becomes. However, since a child cannot yet regulate his or her emotions properly, depending on his or her age, stress can be expressed in all conceivable behaviors.
Here it depends above all on the character of the child. A sudden aggressive behavior, increasing withdrawal from family life or activities or even an inappropriate laughter in special situations can thus be an expression of the child’s stress. In most cases it helps to observe the child closely.
Triggers can therefore be found quite quickly. However, if the child can already speak, open communication is the best choice. A conversation offer should therefore always be given, but the time of the conversation and the choice of the conversation partner should be left to the child.
