Stress and anxiety in children can manifest itself in some pretty interesting ways. Some children might have tantrums or cry or be very obvious when they are stressed or anxious about something, but others may not be as open about their worries. Physical manifestations of stress are fairly common, however, and if you are a parent of a child who often gets headaches or stomach aches, it might be due to stress and/or anxiety.
I am someone who has a tendency to get a stomach ache when I am worried or stressed. As a stoic child who was either trained do just ‘do what needed to be done’ or because it was inherent in my personality, I had a tendency to not question the realities of life. It was often the stomach ache that let me know I was feeling uneasy about something. Of course, I had no idea what this was about when I was a young child, it took years before I had enough self awareness to recognize that my body was trying to tell me I was scared, nervous, or overly stressed about something. It would have been great if an adult could have helped me to understand my physical response and learn how to manage (and listen to) it.
If you have a child who tends to get stomach aches or complain of feeling sick at potentially stressful times: the first day of school, before going to a party, when meeting someone new, when having to take a test or make a speech, etc. it could very well be that the stomach ache is the body’s response to stress and anxiety. While you cannot eliminate stress from your child’s life (nor would you want to), you can help him understand and recognize what is going on and learn how to cope, quiet and manage the feelings of stress and anxiety.
Learning to recognize the stomach ache as a sign of nervousness or stress is the first step, then comes learning how to work through it. Deep breathing, having a glass of tea or water and a little snack, or going for a brief walk to get some fresh air and release some stress can all help. A child can learn that when the queasy, sick stomach ache comes upon them, they can identify what it is they are worried about and talk it through with a trusted friend (or mom and dad) and see if acknowledging the worries helps to alleviate them.