Children are complex little beings, aren’t they? You have to try to decipher the giant thoughts and feelings swirling around inside a person who isn’t capable of translating their feelings for you. You can’t just ask them what the problem is, either, because sometimes they don’t even know. Something as simple as tiredness can set off a chain reaction of screaming and crying and you end up with no idea how you got to that. When children are anxious or have complicated feelings, adults step in and save the day. We’re the superheroes, the ones who keep the bad things in the dark away. It’s a good thing.
It’s also a negative thing. When children are kept from the things that they are afraid of, they never learn how to cope with them. They don’t go to the dentist because they’re crying, but then they never have their teeth taken care of. It’s not a reasonable thing to do, not when you can look into how to help them to manage their anxiety and stress. Children experience stress, just like adults do, and while you can look into the traditional ashwagandha health benefits and help them with herbs, you also need to figure out how to destress your kids as best you can. A child who is panicking is not a child who can try to think rationally – and that’s hard enough for a child, anyway!
By ensuring that you work on techniques for minimizing stress, you are going to be able to give your child the tools to cope when stressful things happen. The good news is that there are plenty of tools out there that will give your child every bit of strength and understanding that they need to feel good on the inside.
Let’s take a look:
- Slow down a little. One of the best things that you can do to help a child who is dealing with stress is to slow down. As an adult, you know how effective it is for you to take a few slow, deep breaths to calm your heart rate and center your thinking. Children can learn to do the exact same thing, and this is an effective technique to get your children to learn to breathe slowly and straighten out the rushing in their minds. Once they can reach that point of calm they need, they will be able to speak rationally about their feelings and explain to you the problem.
- Give your children time to worry. It’s not a good thing to brush the worrying away and make them feel like they can’t show their emotions. Children who grow up to be emotionally healthy adults are children who quickly learn that their emotions aren’t to be smothered. Start a daily routine of “worry time” – this is a comprehensive time in the day that your children can articulate their worries without fear of being told to stop talking about it. It’s important, and you can give them that time and they will appreciate it.
- Break it down. Often, the stress from a child is because the problem they are having feelings too big and overwhelming. This leads to a meltdown because the issue at hand (no matter how small it may seem to you) is that they can’t get their mind over the mountain in front of them. You can try laddering the problem with your child by breaking it down into smaller worries. If your child is afraid of the dentist, start small. Ask them to use a mirror on YOUR teeth first. Ask them to pretend to be a dentist and count your teeth. Then get them to meet the dentist in the waiting room and say hello, and book a second appointment for them to see the mirror and equipment. All of these smaller steps can lead to confidence building and achieving their goals. It’s a great tool.
- Keep pushing positivity. You can handle the worry with them while still managing their positivity. Kids with anxiety are often worrying about the “what if” in a situation and it’s important that you are able to shift their thinking pattern. Help them to think positively – the beach doesn’t have quick sand, but it does have space to dig holes. The living room doesn’t have monsters, but here’s a bottle of monster spray (water) to feel at ease.
- Teach your children to meditate. Children need a moment to sit back and just be calm. The best way to do this is to teach your children how to meditate. This will help them to enhance calming thoughts and improve their thinking. It can also help them to – in the moment – find some peace and improve their happiness. Meditation is a skill and once you teach your children how to do it, they will come on in leaps and bounds.
- Model the right behaviors. If you want your children to learn how to overcome emotion, make sure that you show them. Talk about your own emotions and how you’re coping. Acknowledge your feelings as you would expect to acknowledge theirs. If you can model the behavior you want to see, your children will be happier as a result.
- Give them a chance to take charge. If there is something scaring your child, it can often be better to help them to learn how to take charge of that worry. If they’re worried about the dark, allow them to choose a nightlight. If they panic about someone coming to get them in the house, help them to learn how to lock the door at night.
- Teach them superhero poses. There is plenty of evidence to suggest that standing in a superhero pose is going to help you to feel stronger. Well, this works for children, too. Every single morning and evening, stand together in a superhero pose: hands on the hips, looking toward the distance. This is going to help them to feel empowered and strong, and that’s exactly what you want for your child.
- Toy stores near me offer a variety of fun, interactive experiences for kids. Whether you are looking to buy a present for your child or grandchild, need help with the holiday shopping list, want something special for yourself as an adult that will bring back childhood memories, this guide at SenseOrient is perfect for you.
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