Changes are part of our lives and are the driving force behind our development. However, most of us fear them and tend to be reticent about them. In fact, it is not unusual for us to put them off over and over again, until we have no choice but to face them. Obviously, the greater the change, the greater our resistance to it.

Children experience something similar, they can feel overwhelmed with changes, even with the smallest. In fact, each change in their lives means that they have to abandon what they know, whether it is a simple taste, a place or a habit, to discover a completely new situation that requires an effort of adaptation on their part. In addition, as children have not yet developed all their abilities and have little emotional maturity, it is logical that the changes affect them more intensely than adults.

Obviously, Not all children react in the same way to a change, it will depend on different factors, from age to level of emotional maturity, the social support they receive and the personal meaning they give to the change. For this reason, some children are practically indifferent to a change of school, for example, while others develop a full-fledged adjustment disorder.

Five signs that indicate that the child is having a hard time assimilating the change

1. He is confused and insecure

In the face of a change, it is normal for the child to feel confused, especially if he does not know for sure what is going to happen. When the little one leaves his comfort zone and must expose himself to a situation that he does not know, it is understandable that he feels insecure. At this point, one of the most common reactions is isolation; that is, he prefers to spend more time alone than in the company of friends, while being reluctant to discover new things, because he tries to hold on to his old habits.

two. He gets angry, cries and complains continuously

Crying, getting angry or being rebellious are ways of expressing emotions and feelings. Therefore, if the child feels affected by a change and is not able to express it in words, as is the case in most cases, he can manifest it through her emotional states. In fact, it is very common to get upset, cry or complain for unimportant reasons, which in other circumstances would have gone unnoticed.

3. He behaves as when he was younger

Returning to the typical behaviors of when he was younger is another of the classic signs that indicate that a child feels affected by a change, it is what in the field of Psychology is known as “regression.” May start wetting the bed again, asking for milk in a bottle or sleeping with the parents. This is a compensation mechanism in which the child subconsciously returns to the time when he felt safer and more secure.

4. Shows behaviors that do not correspond to their usual way of being

Often, many of the children who feel affected by a change, begin to show behaviors that are not typical of their way of acting . For example, if he is an organized child, he may start to be disorganized, or if he is a studious child, he may become more playful. It is an instinctive reaction, which leads him to assume a rebellious behavior, through which he expresses his disagreement or discomfort with the change.

5. Secondary disorders appear

Sometimes, children who have suffered a sudden change in their lives develop a secondary disorder such as: an eating disorder, a sleep disorder or even an emotional disturbance severe. However, the most common is that they present symptoms such as loss of appetite, nightmares, difficulties falling asleep or irritability.