Kitten suddenly skittish. Help?

My 10 month old became very skittish what seems like overnight. Starting yesterday, he would jump at the smallest noise. I put my hands in my lap which made a slap noise and he jumped. I accidentally kicked a cardboard box and he jumped. My boyfriend threw his coat into the hamper across the room and Simba shot straight up from laying down. 

He also seems to be sleeping more. Again, just since yesterday. He still eats, drinks, and sorta plays, but not as much. This morning I saw him sitting on the couch with a distant look in his eyes. I've never seen him like that before. Ever. There have been family troubles (I don't live with them) which has me very stressed. Could he just be taking some of my stress? Or is there something else wrong that needs attention?

Oh, and if you walk towards him, even just to get something in his general direction, he'll look startled. He still lets me hold him though, in fact, he lets me hold him more than usual.

I have had this happen with both my kittens at some point or another. One time my hubby and I were playing around and one kitten got under our feet, that spooked him for about a week. We had to be patient but he did come around. Just the other day I was trying out my new vacuum and that spooked both kittens, even when they weren't in the same room while it was happening.

In your case, you don't know why your little kitty has decided to become spooked. My advice is to just be patient. Offer lots of love and favorite treats. Don't act like anything is different, just be you. Keep talking to him like you always have try to play with him. He will eventually come around.

I am a firm believer in animals feeding off energy. If the house has been a bit stressful, that might be what he is picking up on. If the environment has changed, he might be sensing that.  Don't worry your little guy will likely come around in his own time.

I got him a few new toys (basically replacements for ones he broke but I never got around to replacing cause he has plenty of other toys) and have been playing more interactively. Usually he'll play on his own but stop when I try to join in but so far he hasn't done that.

Thank you for responding. 

That is great news that he is willing to play with you a bit. It's a great way to build trust again, or at least get him out of his shell. It might take a little while for him to get over what is eating him but trust me, things will likely get back to the way they were before he started to act like this.

I forgot to mention that just the other day, I had all the windows open after such a long winter that the two kittens we acting all weird around the house with all the new noises and smells going on. They just aren't used to that after having all the windows closed for the last 3 months. They got used to it after a while, but they still get a little strange when it's window open time.