Common Symptoms of Stress

Physiological Symptoms

• Increased heart rate and blood pressure
• Disturbed bodily functions (diarrhea, nausea, etc.)
• Change in eating and sleeping patterns
• Difficulty breathing
• Trembling or twitching  
• Headaches
• Tightness of back and neck muscle
• Constant fatigue
• Accident proneness
• Susceptibility to minor illnesses
• Sleeping difficulties

Emotional Symptoms

• Irritability
• Anger outbursts
• Depression or feelings of worthlessness
• Suspiciousness
• Jealousy
• Restlessness
• Anxiousness
• Withdrawal and lack of interest in normal activities
• Diminished initiative
• Frequent Crying
• Tendency to blame others or be critical of self and others

Intellectual Symptoms

• Forgetfulness
• Preoccupation
• Increase in errors in academic work
• Lack of concentration
• Reduction in normal interests
• Errors in judging distance
• Lack of attention to details or instruction
• Orientation toward past rather than present or future
• Lack of awareness to external stimuli
• Reduction of creativity and reduction in fantasy life
• Diminished productivity
• All of the emotional symptoms that interfere with being available to learn

Additional Symptoms of Stress in Children

Infants & Toddlers convey stress by:

• Crying
• Being less responsive
• Changing their eating and elimination habits
• Being fearful of being alone
• Biting
• Withdrawing
• Being sensitive to loud or sudden noises
• Acting irritable or high-strung

Preschoolers & Early Elementary Children may:

• Regress in their behavior
• Become very clingy to familiar adults
• Daydream
• Throw temper tantrums
• Become either withdrawn or aggressive
• Act sullen or defiant
• Cry easily or uncontrollably
• Punish self by slapping self or calling self bad names or head banging
• Be overly sensitive to mild criticism
• Be overly vigilant about others’ misdeeds
• Demand adult attention
• Engage in stereotyped, repetitive play that may have destructive aspects
• Be unable to carry out sustained play with peers
• Have a constant need to sleep even though they are physically well
• Be preoccupied with frightening images of monsters or other violent and destructive figures
• Exhibit a dull or vacant expression

Children in the Middle Childhood Years & Adolescence may:

• Regress in their behavior
• Become irritable or whiny
• Develop sudden behavior problems such as refusing to obey rules
• Become uncharacteristically aggressive or withdrawn
• Daydream
• Act sullen or defiant
• Become overly sensitive to even mild criticism
• Become overly vigilant
• Display changes in sleeping or eating habits
• Act restless or hyperactive
• Feel unloved or unappreciated
• Worry about the future
• Be unable to concentrate or retain new information
• Teenagers are especially prone to rebelling and breaking rules or engaging in high risk behaviors that they previously have not done, such as skipping school, using alcohol or drugs, shoplifting, etc.
• Teenagers also show more depressive and suicidal tendencies than other age groups.