Feeling Worried? Stress, Anxiety and Adjustment Disorders in Children

For many, stress has become a common part of daily life. While it may not always feel welcome, it’s important to understand that it’s a normal and even necessary response. Though there is no perfect definition, stress can be defined as the thoughts and emotions we experience when we feel we’re under pressure or dealing with a difficult situation. When big events happen in our lives or around the world, stress often follows.

Stress Is Normal (and Sometimes Helpful).

Believe it or not, our bodies are built to handle stress. Long ago, these stress responses helped our ancestors survive dangerous situations. Today, those same reactions may prompt us to wear a seatbelt, meet deadlines or prepare for important moments.

Stress responses can be both physical and emotional. Think back to a time when someone startled you- your heart raced, your stomach flipped, or you felt frozen in place. These are automatic reactions, and we don’t always have control over them.

While most of us don’t experience major stress daily, even small, ongoing stressors can build up. Over time, chronic stress can negatively impact health. In particular, children can be vulnerable to the accumulation of chronic stress.

Can Stress Be a Good Thing?

Stress is an important part of life and can serve important functions including reminding us of important dates or events. Stress can even help us perform our best. 

The good type of stress is called eustress. Eustress is shown to have positive effects including increasing the functioning of our body and mind and making us feel happy! Most of us feel good stress when we ride a rollercoaster or plan a fun trip. Eustress can also be experienced after achieving a big goal like graduating from high school or getting a new job.  

Stress vs Anxiety: What’s the Difference?

While stress is a response to external challenges and pressures, anxiety is a natural emotional reaction to something that might happen in the future—especially when there's worry about a possible bad outcome. Anxiety can become a problem when it starts to create a lot of distress even when there are no big events or objective dangers in our lives.

Anxiety can affect:

• Thoughts: Persistent worry or overthinking (“What if…”)
• Behaviors: Avoiding situations or becoming overly perfectionistic
• Physical symptoms: Restlessness, muscle tension, racing heart or trouble sleeping

If anxiety starts to interfere with daily life—such as at school, with friends or at home—it may signal an anxiety disorder. Anxiety disorders are common and treatable. A diagnosis should be made by a qualified mental health or medical professional, who can help identify the most effective path forward.

What Is an Adjustment Disorder?

An adjustment disorder is a mental health diagnosis given after a significant life change or stressful event. Common triggers include:

• Moving to a new city
• Changing schools
• Parental separation or divorce

Not every child will develop an adjustment disorder after a change, but when symptoms last longer than a few days and impact behavior, emotions or anxiety levels, it may be worth exploring.

Adjustment disorders often present in different ways:

• Increased sadness or social withdrawal
• More frequent outbursts or behavioral changes
• Anxiety or worry in new situations
• A combination of “acting in” (e.g., anxiety or withdrawal) and “acting out” (e.g., misbehavior)

The good news is that adjustment disorders are usually short-term (6 months or less) and improve with support, structure and, in some cases, treatment.