Helping kids cope with stress

Helping kids cope with stress

It’s not just adults who experience stress. Slight changes in temperament must not be ignored or confused with simple tantrums or sulking. Your kids will experience childhood only once, so it is important that you help them cope with stress and learn to solve problems easily.

What causes stress for kids?

Like adults, kids get stressed about things they can’t handle or don’t understand. According to my daughter’s therapist, this compounds the overall effect.

I became alarmed when my daughter started skipping meals and chose to spend time alone. I immediately talked to her, and found out that she was stressed about a difficult school project. I encouraged her, cheered her up, and offered my help until she was finally able to do the project herself.

How can I help my kids cope with stress?

One of the most effective ways to combat stress is through meditation. Here are some solid scientific findings about the practice:

• Lowers blood pressure
• Can improve quality of sleep
• Proven better health with prolonged regular practice

The best thing about meditation is that it works in the short term. That is, if you or your child are stressed right now, simply meditate for approximately 20 minutes, and in half an hour, you’ll feel significantly better!

The ActiveActivities directory has listings of places where you and your kids can learn meditation and other means of improving health and wellbeing.

Important facts about childhood stress

Simply talking to my child allowed me to help her with her stress, because together we could figure out the right action plan to ease the anxiety. Activities for kids that involve physical movement are also a great way for children to manage stress.

Take the initiative to introduce your kids to something that they will enjoy doing for the first time, and probably will develop as a talent or a hobby. This way, your kids will have an avenue for stress relief and self-expression.