Anyone have a young chlld around 6 that has a lot of stress in there neck.. Is their neck tight. Does it hurt when you brush their hair.. Ive recently noticed this and the doctor confirmed she has tight neck muscles(at a regular ck up, he joked either great muscle tone or stressed out kid).. she is somewhat of a perfectionist, how can I help her with stress and anxiety she doesnt and cant communicate to me.I know also she doesnt sleep well and can wake up in middle of the night and just lay there (with who knows whats she thinking about) I know she didnt sleep well because of the dark circles. What will be the result of a kid carrying anxiety in her neck.. How long can you give her daily masages and I dont want to medicate her or would you??
Everyone gave awesome answers again.. I love this site....Im like a kid in a candy store looking back at my answers from all of you.. You all have been a blessing to me and my friends because of course I pass the answers on..
ok back to what happened next.. I took Savanna to a chiropracter which was suggested by peditrician.. Kinda scary but desperate.. Will also look back into the counsling too..the chiropracter said her neck was the result of out of place spine ect. They did a scan and he did a small adjustment and it helped her throughout the day today. Still nervous in going back but will see.. Also he is a nutrisionist. He tried different things on her and believes she has food alergies. one being wheat and milk and dairy. I alway suspected this and cant get her to eat cheese and milk anyway so it kinda made sense. problem now is the picky eater just got harder to feed. Everything has wheat in it. Any suggestions??.
Hi L.,
If she is a perfectionist, stress could be a life-long battle for her. Have you thought about looking into a yoga/meditation class for children or parent/child? I've seen them out there. What a great "habit" to begin early in life. Good luck!
Did your doctor not give you ANY suggestions? Change doctors! You don't need someone to joke about your child's health! I personally use an over the counter rub-Tiger balm to help relax muscles...if your child isn't talking to you, FIND someone she can talk to therapist-(insurance)..at the school, friends mom, neighbor, G-ma...A six year old should not be stressed out.
Have you ever slept with your child? Will she allow it? Do you read bed time stories? If "yes" to any of this, stay in the room with her until she falls asleep, possibly go back and lay with her in case she does wake up, maybe she will talk to you then about what a dream was about or what is bothering her, at least you will be there to comfort her...Stay positive! Good Luck!
Mine is not 6 yr old yet. But I would try to find out what is going on in her life as well as in her mind that makes her anxious. Let her feel safe and loved. Teach her that it is OK to let things go sometimes. Communication is most important here. Tight neck muscles can be result of bad posture as well.
I would make sure there is no physical cause for this....Torticollis...scoliosis. Did she maybe have a muscle strain? Could she benefit from physical therapy and massage? Yoga?
If this is from stress and anxiety then that needs to be addressed via a pediatric psychologist. Children can have anxiety. It can be combined with other behavioral issues as well. Of course you need to make sure that nothing else is making her anxious (a person, school etc.).
Re: sleep. Anxiety could be the cause. Also sleep apnea/obstructive sleep will disrupt their sleep cycle. You can record or video tape her while sleeping for a week if your not sure how she really does at night. You could also ask for a sleep study to be done.
Hi L.,
I also have an almost 6 year old who is prone to stress ( passed down from me i'm afraid). People just react to things in different ways. She probably just over-thinks things and has to train herself to stop doing that and to focus on the positive. Little things can go a long way. I bought my daughter a CD called Yoga Buddies. It's a very simple yoga series for kids. There is a morning and eve cd and it comes with a little poster showing the poses. its fantastic and very relaxing. I've also taught my daughter to practice breathing for relaxation. Mainly she breathes in slowly for a count of 4 and out slowly for a count of 6. It helps if she puts one hand on her stomach to feel it rise and fall. She can do this like 10 times. Also.......... visualizing something that makes her feel happy and calm and trying to add as much detail as possible. for example if being at the beach is a good memory she could think of how it sounds, what are the smells, how does the sand or water feel ect. One other thing she could do( even with you) is make a little gratitude journal. Draw a picture or write down a few thinks each night that she is grateful for. These can be very small things. All of this kind of helps to tweak your thoughts and helps you to get thinking more positively. I've heard meditation is fantastic but, haven't tried this with my daughter. Hope this all helps. Of course, you do want to make sure there isnt something really serious bothering her but, if its just general stress she will just need to learn some coping skills. Good luck!!
Maybe find a child Therapist for her.
A child this young, having stress problems, is really not good and so sad.
Have you thought about taking her to a chiropracter? Her spine may be out of alignment. That can be quite painful and cause a tight neck. There are quite a few chiros that provide gentle manipulations for children, even infants. I know that a lot of people feel negative toward chiropractic care, but I have had great relief of neck stiffness and pain after adjustments. It's worth a try!
Hi. I will ask the obvious. Have you considered your immediate surroundings and realized any stress you are going through yourself? What's going on in your lives today? Is there possibly someone or something in school bothering her? What does her teacher say? Her friends? You will get to the bottom of this because as a mother that is naturally what we do. Try taking her to one of her favorite places to eat or hang out. Maybe bring a friend and go to the park. Try playing a game that makes her tell you some of her favorite things, people, places, etc. or take turns telling each your biggest dreams or fears or something that is a 'secret' and that no one else will know what she says since you are her mother. You'll see, her problems or stress and tension will be made known.
Wow, 6 years old and that stressed. Why won't she communicate with you? I would take her to a counselor and see if she'll talk to them. She's too young to be so stressed out, is something going on in the family? Did something bad happen to her? You said she's a perfectionist, why? I would try to talk to her every day even if she won't talk to you. This does not sound normal to me and I would find her help.
God Bless!
