It didn’t take me a minute to realize that stress hits kids, too. As a parent, I would know when my own kids are caught in the gloom, and are in need of help. But do we have to wait until they are overly stressed? I guess not.
So here are my 5 stress management techniques for children-
1. Be positive—You would be surprised to find out that your attitude and way of thinking affects our children. When things don’t go our way (or even their own way), it’s highly possible that our kids get upset and feel stressed. If this happens, have a talk with them and explain. There is no fast rule on how to handle situations and what exactly to say but to be sincere to our children and explaining things at their level will somehow alleviate stress on their part.
2. Watch your kids’ shows with them—After a busy week of school, my kids surely need to unwind and have some form of relaxation. Watching their favourite shows as a family, bring up those sparkles in their eyes. Not only is this a good way to spend time with them (although I would suggest to find more productive activities other than watching television), but it only shows that we are interested in the things that they are interested in. So if your kid had a bad day in school, try to give him first a mug of hot chocolate with mini-marshmallows in it—that will surely brighten up their day. After that, go to the family room and watch their favourite shows.
3. Tune in to their mood—With my busy schedule in school, I always go home tired. But that is not an excuse for me not to ask my kids how they’re doing or what happened to them during the day. Ask questions like, “How’s school? Did you have fun?...”, or maybe you can ask them how things went in their class especially if you’re aware of their day-to-day activities. This will give you the opportunity to discuss things with your children and just be concerned of their feelings and thoughts. You would be surprised to know how easily kids can open up on a lot of things if you just take the time to slow down, pause , and get into their world.
4. Reward your kids—When my kids have been through a rough time, I make it a point that there are treats or sweets at home. Grab a candy or chocolate bar and give it to them, or better yet, hand them their favourite snacks—you would just see how that would lighten up their faces and feel relaxed.
5. Do some breathing exercises—Yes, breathing exercises can help relieve stress. As young as they are, you can teach a breathing exercise that will help them to relax. What I would do is tell my kids to breathe in deeply through their nostrils and then hold their breaths for 6 seconds, and then release it through their mouths. This breathing technique is very useful especially if your kids had gone through a tough day in school or if they’re having trouble finishing their homework.
So, there you go! My five techniques in children’s stress management. These techniques are not only limited to kids—you may also use any of them to help handle your own stress.
Here is a link which you may find helpful. Please click here http://www.stressmanagementtips.com/kids.htm
Great advice for everyone!
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