1.

Cause and Effects of Stress in

Children
Stress is a response to a factor or situation that negatively affects the physical, emotional,
or psychological existence of a person. Stress is good in small quantities as it motivates a
person making him/her more productive. However, too much stress is detrimental to a
person. Stress can interfere with the general life of a person. Most people assume that
stress only affects adults. However, statistics indicate that stress also affects children.
Children face intense pressure from their environment. Continuous stress in children is
harmful to their activities, health, and development. There are a number of causes and
effects of toxic stress in children. Stress can be caused by both negative and positive
situations. Children living in abusive environments, both physical and emotional,
experience stress. Arnold wrote that children who are bullied are in continuous state of
depression. They, therefore, alienate themselves from their colleagues. Parents who
constantly beat their children are also causes of stress. The fear that is manifested in
children disorients them. They will not be able to talk about what they feel to anybody
but rather keep to themselves. Events such as accidents, loss of loved ones, and rejection
are also causes of stress in children.
Social change patterns in children cause many stressful situations. Children at puberty
yearn for freedom. This creates tension between them and the parents, who are constantly
monitoring and regulating their activities. In the same stage, children will constantly be in
need of money. Lack of money causes stress in children as they are not always able to
buy whatever they may need. They will compare themselves with other children who are
in comfortable financial positions. Such children are always anxious and worried of
where and how they will get money. Stress in children is not only caused by what
happens in their own lives but also by what happens in their parents lives.
The greatest effects of stress are experienced by the brain. The brain controls all the stress
mechanism in the body making it the primary stress organ. Johnson stated that the

vulnerability of childrens brain is caused by the fact that they are constantly growing and
developing. Constant stress in children disrupts brain development and compromises its
normal function. Research has indicated that children experiencing stress have smaller
brains. Toxic stress impairs the connection of brain circuits resulting in development of a
smaller brain. Prolonged period of stress in children affects their nervous and immune
system. Stress hormones are released when a child is exposed to stress. Cortisol
hormones, which are released as a result of stress, suppress the body immune system.
This leaves a person vulnerable to diseases and infections.
Depression, alcoholism, eating disorders, and chronic diseases are also linked to
childhood stress. Psychological effects of stress include changes in personality,
aggressiveness, and irritability. Children under stress are likely to experience frustrations
and isolation from friends and family. They spend more time on their own and lack
motivation. Children may also have difficulty in concentration thereby affecting their
academic performance.
Children under extreme stress exhibit change in behavior. They may be more disobedient,
fight often, stutter, and cry often.
In conclusion, stress in children has many causes and effects. The notion that stress only
affects adults is wrong. Too much stress, often referred to as toxic stress, is detrimental to
the life of a child. Toxic stress affects the physical, emotional, psychological, and social
aspects of a child. Even though every child reacts differently under stress, it is clear that
stress affects the neural system and the health of a child. Children under stress tend to
develop negative characteristics like irritability and disobedience. Research has indicated
that there are number of causes of childhood stress which are interrelated. Social change
patterns, abusive environment, and stress in parents are just some of the cause of
childhood stress.
2. Importance of Music in My Life
Music is one of the most important and powerful things in my life. My life without

melodies and harmonies would be totally empty. Listening to and playing different tunes
helps me to de-stress, relax and it can also help to motivate me in trying times. I love
listening to music while on my way to school, as I feel it helps me to prepare for the day
that waits. I think it is like the memoirs to my life as it has been there throughout
everything with me.
When I was younger, I didnt have the great love for musical as I do now. I mainly
listened to whatever was playing in the background or what my parents were listening to.
I didnt have much of a care for musical compositions. There was sometimes a little bit of
pop music thrown in to the mix here and there, but thats really all I liked back then.
Whether I was in the car, the house, or anywhere else there was sure to be some Beatles,
Buddy Holly, or the Dubliners constantly playing somewhere in the background. At the
time I didnt care for that genre of music much, but now as Im older, I enjoy it as it
allows me to reminisce on memories from times of my childhood. Once I hit my teenage
years

music

became

my

life

and

gradually started

to

inhibit

my

soul.

I believe music has the ability to convey all sorts of emotion. Whether the emotion is joy
and happiness or sadness and despair through rhythms, harmonies and the lyrics music
shows it. The song A little bit longer by Nick Jonas is such an emotional and inspiring
song that when I hear it, I always come close to tears, especially when I watch it being
played live. The effect that music can have on our emotions is tremendous, as it can bring
people

to

floods

of

tears

or

bursts

of

laughter.

The musical images that music and song are able to create are amazing. Music has the
ability to transport me back in time just like a time machine. It lets me revisit lost and
forgotten moments in life. Songs can paint a picture, for example in classical and country
music where a story is being told. The music in classical music tells a story without lyrics
which is an immensely powerful thing. I feel that this applies to the saying music
imitates life and life imitates music.
Recently song writing has wandered its way into my life. I believe there is no better way
to express myself than through song. After a bad day, its nice to be able to sit down and

write about it. It can make all your problems just disappear and float away. Listening to
other musical artists that I like gives me inspiration. My guitar teacher also points me in
the right direction and gives me guidance as I need it. I love to just sit with my guitar and
make up random lyrics about past experiences or what Im going through at the moment.
I started learning how to play the guitar last year and within the past few months I have
fallen completely and utterly in love with it. Once I start playing, I find it extremely hard
to put the guitar down again. Its very addictive and can also be distracting sometimes. It
distracts me from my homework since my guitar sits right next to my desk. Playing guitar
is one of the only things in my life in which I dont feel pressurized to do well in. I think
this is because I have a great teacher and she doesnt push me to the music exams.
This past summer my grandma taught me how to play the piano. I had always heard
stories about how my great grandfather, her father, was brilliant at the piano. He would sit
at the piano for hours on end playing different well known songs as making up his own
little tunes. He had taught my grandma how to play and I felt it was about time that I
learnt. So when I was staying with my grandma and grandpa during the summer, I asked
her to teach me. She was delighted to and now its something nice that we can both do
together and bond over.
I believe music effects people in many different ways. To me music is more than just
something to listen to or play, its something to feel. Music is extremely important in my
life. I think it brings me closer to my friends and family. I also feel that it helps me to get
through things. For example, I remember doing the twenty six kilometre gaisce hike and
the whole way along the hike we sang songs. Music is an immensely powerful thing and
has a huge place in my life right next to my heart.

3. Gender Discrimination
We are a nation of people generally inclined to help one another. We may not all be good

Samaritans, but neither are we heartless toward our neighbors. Many of us volunteer time
to help the homeless or the sick or the poor. Sometimes, however, we are reluctant to help
others when we feel we do not have enough time or that it may disrupt our own lives
significantly.
The truth is that any amount of time we can give is enough to make a significant
difference in someone else's life. Spending one afternoon in a homeless shelter serving
meals could be enough to keep someone alive for another day. The load on other
volunteers could be reduced if we help share some in that load.
A day of charity work in a children's hospital could have great impact on many lives.
Even giving a small amount of attention to a child who has suffered through much
adversity could make a large difference in that child's life. It could strengthen the child's
trust and belief in others and turn an otherwise dreary day in the hospital into a day of
enjoyment.
One of the most important areas where volunteer work is needed is working with
children. We have a responsibility to the youth of this country to make sure they grow up
right. Sometimes parents cannot provide the guidance and leadership their children need.
As a result, a void comes between the parent and the child. We must fill that void. We
should join Big Brothers or Big Sisters and help children who have had no one else to
give them direction in life. We can also benefit from this kind of volunteer "work"
because we can spend time with an energetic child and make a difference in that child's
life. If some of you still are not convinced to volunteer, consider what you can receive
from charity work.
First, excellent health benefits can be ascertained through volunteering. Working at a
clothes or canned good drive can build muscles from lifting heavy boxes. A walk for
charity, such as the Walk For Hunger, can burn lots of extra calories while at the same
time raise money for those who need it the most. Of course, we should not need to
consider how we would benefit from volunteer work to convince ourselves to do it.

Instead we should consider how others will benefit. Our presence and help in their lives
will make a difference. That should be all the convincing we need to get up, get out and
volunteer. Just do it.

4. Social Media Abstainance

When I was in the seventh grade, there was nothing I wanted more than a Facebook
page. Investing my time in social media seemed the perfect way to relate to my
classmates and to let them know me. On an Internet site, I would be able to pick and
choose the parts of me that people see, so that only my wittiest comments, and most
exotic, picturesque vacations were visible to this online utopian society. What I didnt
understand at the time, was that I wasnt alone in approaching social media in this
fashion.
On Facebook, I only saw the most impressive parts of others lives. Pictures showed one
girl in my grade vacationing in Italy, after she went on to state and regional spelling bees.
What a wonderful success she must have been, how incandescently happy those
experiences must have made her. Supposedly their profiles told me all about who she
was: a happy seventh grade girl.
Growing jealous of her Facebook profile, I sought to match her achievements to elicit the
same reaction from the online community. What Facebook did not show, was that in
reality, her nails were bitten to a quick, and she was an overwhelmed anxious student.
As time wore on, she continued to post pictures of all the good times she had, and the
cute new boyfriend. My envy grew at the thought of her popularity-at the illusion of
peace of mind. By all appearances, she was thriving. My jealousy was for naught.
Freshman year, despite her successful appearance, she attempted to take her own life.
Facebook doesnt show someones vulnerabilities or inadequacies. It creates this artificial
community where people are happy, healthy and successful. The whole social media
system reeks of mendacity. Unfortunately for those living online, this makes building true
lasting friendships difficult. If the only parts of us we let people see are the good things,
then friends wont know who you are when you are hurting. When my Dad had a heart
attack scare several months ago, I thought that I could handle everything myself. I took
charge of driving my sisters around town, lending a listening ear to my mother, and
picking up household responsibilities, but there was no sense of peace in trying to make a

martyr of myself. Only when I revealed my hardships to my friends and invested in an

authentic community could they come around me and support me through that
experience. There is no benefit to hiding myself behind an intentionally false reputation
for being a happy, healthy teenage girl.
Strengthening friendships and building a strong community only comes through
authenticity. Social media doesnt strengthen community, it only creates an illusion of
deeper relationships. True depth can only be achieved through honest, personal
interaction.
For this reason, I completely abstain from social media. Most people dont notice that I
dont exist in that dimension. Living my life in an authentic community is a significant
part of my personal growth and is more valuable than keeping up my Facebook
reputation.

5. Volunteerism
We are a nation of people generally inclined to help one another. We may not all be good
Samaritans, but neither are we heartless toward our neighbors. Many of us volunteer time
to help the homeless or the sick or the poor. Sometimes, however, we are reluctant to help
others when we feel we do not have enough time or that it may disrupt our own lives
significantly.
The truth is that any amount of time we can give is enough to make a significant
difference in someone else's life. Spending one afternoon in a homeless shelter serving
meals could be enough to keep someone alive for another day. The load on other
volunteers could be reduced if we help share some in that load.
A day of charity work in a children's hospital could have great impact on many lives.
Even giving a small amount of attention to a child who has suffered through much
adversity could make a large difference in that child's life. It could strengthen the child's
trust and belief in others and turn an otherwise dreary day in the hospital into a day of
enjoyment.

One of the most important areas where volunteer work is needed is working with
children. We have a responsibility to the youth of this country to make sure they grow up
right. Sometimes parents cannot provide the guidance and leadership their children need.
As a result, a void comes between the parent and the child. We must fill that void.
We should join Big Brothers or Big Sisters and help children who have had no one else to
give them direction in life. We can also benefit from this kind of volunteer "work"
because we can spend time with an energetic child and make a difference in that child's
life. If some of you still are not convinced to volunteer, consider what you can receive
from charity work. First, excellent health benefits can be ascertained through
volunteering. Working at a clothes or canned good drive can build muscles from lifting
heavy boxes. A walk for charity, such as the Walk For Hunger, can burn lots of extra
calories while at the same time raise money for those who need it the most.
Of course, we should not need to consider how we would benefit from volunteer work to
convince ourselves to do it. Instead we should consider how others will benefit. Our
presence and help in their lives will make a difference. That should be all the convincing
we need to get up, get out and volunteer. Just do it.