Already, at nine years old, my daughter has mentioned that she keeps her stress in her neck and shoulders. Stress? At nine? What’s happening? Nothing major, as it turns out. But I haven’t attributed much weight to Sofie’s everyday quarrels with friends, homework anxiety, or even how she reacts to issues within our family.
Apparently, as much as we try to feather their nests, our kids still deal with stress at an earlier age than we may have thought. While we can’t relieve them of their anxieties, we can help them cope. Here are some tools your child can learn now and use for the rest of her life.
-
Cultivate a Positive Outlook
The more you focus on your child’s best parts and behaviors, the more he will learn to see the glass as half full and seek solution to his problems. The latest research shows that we can mold our brains to become more positive. Some tools for doing this include: saying affirmations, highlighting daily successes (a great dinnertime ritual), and making gratitude lists.
-
Meditation
Even for adults, meditation is a difficult thing. For kids, it can include relaxation exercises like deep breathing or visualizations. The point is to have 10-20 minutes per day when a child doesn’t have to think, worry or focus. Deep breathing actually lowers the heart rate and blood pressure. Work together on visualization techniques, like imagining a peaceful place or a colorful light that floods your chid’s body, dispelling the stress.
-
Relaxing Activities
It’s tough for kids to work in school all day, then do homework afterwards. Many have after-school lessons in between that require even more time and focus. All that can add up to stress if your child does not have enough downtime to re-energize. Incorporate relaxing activities such as yoga, napping, reading or unstructured play into her day. It may seem silly to schedule relaxation, but it’s an important aspect that often gets overlooked.
-
Releasing Activities
Pent-up stress needs a physical release. Offer healthy options for your child such as exercise, sports (for recreation, not competition), dancing to favorite music, singing really loud or laughing. Get outside, turn on the music, tell jokes… Physical activity produces endorphins, your body’s natural painkillers that reduce stress by improving sleep and elevating moods.
-
Massage
This form of touch therapy conveys a sense of security to your child while soothing a stressed-out body. Giving your child a regular massage before bedtime (whether it’s whole body, feet and hands, or neck and shoulders) relaxes her body, supports the immune system and can even help balance hormones. Teens might be interested in starting a relationship with a professional massage therapist.
-
Time in Nature
There’s nothing that soothes and provides perspective quite so much as nature. Whether listening to the roaring ocean waves or walking through a forest of towering trees, our problems seems small by comparison, and we are reminded of our universal connection. Children are naturally drawn to nature, and studies show that frequent contact with nature reduces stress levels.
-
Express Feelings
Kids can become stressed by keeping their feelings inside and burying their problems. Start early on (well before those tween and teen years!) creating a safe place for them to talk about whatever’s bothering them. Check out these tips for handling your young child’s feelings.
-
Develop Good Sleep Habits
Again, start early. School-aged children (6-13) need 9 to 11 hours of sleep each night for optimal performance. Teens need slightly less, toddlers and preschoolers need slightly more. Sleeping well allows both the body and mind to rest and refuel, which means your child’s thoughts are clearer and emotions less fragile.
Image from Pixabay.com
