Although you cannot prevent your children from being exposed to stressful conditions, you can help them manage it in the healthiest way possible. The post today will talk about some tips and exercises to manage childhood stress

Background

Childhood stress is closely related to the activities of daily routine and the ability and/or inability to cope with them. Usually, these obligations come from outside sources like family or school.

A stressful lifestyle affects all dimensions of a child’s development. School performance decreases, social relationships deteriorate, and children gradually lose motivation.

To prevent your children from childhood stress, it is essential to provide them with a calming lifestyle and teach them to face the challenges of everyday life assertively.

‘If you ask what the single most important key to longevity is, I will have to say it is avoiding worry, stress, and tension. And if you did not ask me, I would still have to say it‘. -George Burns-

Effective practices for managing childhood stress

1. Exercise.

Frequent physical activity is one of the best strategies for managing stress. This measure works for both children and adults. Exercise will not only contribute to the child’s physical development, but it is also effective in managing conditions such as stress and anxiety.

2. Teach them breathing exercises.

When your children show any signs of stress or anxiety, the first thing you should do is take a break to help them calm down. Ask them to take a deep breath and think of something they like to do or enjoy.

It is important to identify and properly manage childhood stress with the other tips and exercises mentioned in this post.

3. Get out of the house.

An episode of stress or a stressful routine can be combated with a little contact with nature. Going to the park or playing away from home for a few minutes will uplift mood and make them calmer. The physical movement, combined with a friendly space, is ideal for relaxing everyone.

4. Encourage them to write, draw, or craft.

As your children grow and become more aware of their emotions, they can express them more easily.

They can write them, draw them, paint them, or channel their energy with some creativity. Something amazingly simple that you can do depending on the age of the child is to give them magazines, glue, and scissors and ask them to make a free collage with the images and colours they prefer.

5. Invite them to do some relaxing activities.

For the little ones who enjoy having calmer routines, practicing yoga and meditation is a good option.

Through these two exercises, the search for peace of mind and emotional stability is promoted. Benefits have been found in the cognitive and emotional development of children who practice this type of activity.

Recommended read: Techniques to bring meditation closer to kids

Tips that will help to properly control childhood stress

1. Motivate your children to face their fears, not run away from them. Evasion generates anxiety problems, while confrontation reduces it over time.
2. Stay calm, so they learn to react calmly in difficult situations. Children and adolescents interpret the response of adults and tend to imitate it.
3. Encourage open expression, so anxiety and stress do not turn into time bombs. When you notice any changes in your children’s behaviour, ask them questions, and show them that you are there to listen and give them a word of encouragement.
4. Give each sensation a name, so they will have the precise words to describe what they feel and what they think. Part of children’s communicative development involves awareness of emotions and the ability to name it.
5. Invigorate in your children the ability to solve problems. The right process should be to listen to what they have to say, show empathy, and then help them find solutions to their conflicts.
6. Limit stress whenever possible. If you know that a situation is triggering anxiety, try to find an alternative way to carry it out.

Although you cannot prevent your children from being exposed to stressful conditions, you can help them manage it in the healthiest way possible.

The ability they develop to cope with life determines the type of adult your child will be. If you want them to be a physically and mentally fit and stable person, you must start reinforcing positive behaviours from those early years in life.

Did you find this post helpful? Do you have more tips to manage stress in children? Would love to read your ideas too.