Reality: Being engaged in a busy, stimulating life, means there will be some stress.

A bit of everyday stress can sometimes be helpful – for example, it might help your child rise to a challenge, or motivate them to reach their goals. Having some everyday stress helps us develop coping skills to manage stressful times.

You’ll find tips here for some ways to help your child learn skills to manage stress, so these coping tools are ready when they need them.

Reality: Children and youth cope with life’s everyday ups and downs in different ways. Something that might be stressful for one person, may not be for another.

Sometimes it can be difficult to tell if they’re feeling stressed. The way someone shows stress might be different. Sometimes stress is expressed in very small ways, or in ways that don’t seem connected to the actual cause of the stress.

Find more information on some common signs of stress in children and youth. 

Reality: While it’s not always possible to control the sources of stress, we can try to manage how we respond to stressors.

There are some coping strategies that children and youth can practice to help with managing their stress, and to try to feel less overwhelmed.

Regular physical activity, setting aside time to have fun together, and relaxation exercises are just some examples of techniques to help lower stress. Read more on tips for tackling stress.