Explain that when your child inhales, they are blowing up their tummy softly like a balloon, and when they exhale the air is going slowly out of the balloon again. Take 5 deep breaths, spend 5 seconds breathing in and 5 seconds breathing out, breathing in through your nose and out through your mouth. Here’s an easy 3-step process: Place your hand on your stomach. Exercise and activities such as meditation and deep breathing are helpful in relieving stress.Ībdominal breathing is very calming and helps us to draw oxygen deep into our lungs. The better nourished and rested your child is, the more they will be able to cope with stress.Įncourage your child to go outside, play and spend time with friends. To protect sleep, limit screen use at night and avoid keeping digital devices in the bedroom. Experts recommend 9 to 12 hours of sleep a night for 6- to 12-year-olds. Support healthy habits: Sleep and eating well are key relievers of stress.Positive reinforcement from you will make them feel understood and confident that they can overcome stressful situations. If you hear statements like “I’m not good at anything”, “I don’t like myself” or “I’m scared to go out”, ask them what makes them feel this way and remind them of the times they accomplished something and how they did it. Promote positive thinking: It’s easy for children, especially teenagers to start thinking poorly of themselves.By sharing your own experiences, you can inspire your child to find stress-managing habits that work for them. Be a role model: Talk to your child about ways you have dealt with stressful situations.Remember to listen to them, speak kindly and reassure them. Monitor if stress is affecting their health, behaviour, thoughts or feelings. Respond with love: Give your child extra love, time and attention.What was happening at the time? What were they thinking, feeling or doing just before they felt stressed? Once they identify difficulties that are likely to make them feel stressed you can explore together ways to prevent stress or deal with it quickly. Spot the triggers: Help your child recognize and begin to track the times they felt stressed and look for patterns in how they reacted.Like adults, children sometimes need to be reminded to be kind to themselves. When children are feeling stressed, parents can play an important role in helping them find ways to cope. > Discover: Tips and resources to support your family's mental health To them, a new or different situation just feels different, uncomfortable, unpredictable, even scary. While younger children may lack an understanding of what is truly happening because of their age and level of development. They notice when their parents are stressed and may react to that emotional state, whatever it is.Ĭhildren and adolescents don’t always have the emotional intelligence or vocabulary to express themselves fully. It is important to remember that children are like ‘sponges’ and absorb what’s going on around them.
Many teens are stressed by social issues such as climate change and discrimination. School is another common reason – making new friends or taking exams can make children feel overwhelmed.Īs children grow older, their sources of stress can increase as they experience bigger life changes, such as new groups of friends, more schoolwork and increased access to social media and wider news in the world. Stress can be triggered in children when they experience something new or unexpected.įor young children, tensions at home such as domestic abuse, separation of parents or the death of a loved one are common causes of stress.
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