Stress Is A Mess! 8 Strategies to Help Your Child Manage Everyday Stress

Stress, it’s everywhere - at home, in school, with peers. According to healthychildren.org, as children reach their school-age years, they may experience pressure from a number of sources. These may be from within children themselves, as well as from parents, teachers, peers and the larger society. However, how a child learns to identify and cope with the stresses of life is key to self-empowerment, positive well-being, and success. The tips below can help you and your child work together to manage stress in healthy, positive ways. Different strategies work better for different people, so talk together with your child about which ideas feel best for them.

1. Learn to Define Stress & Recognize the Way it Makes You Feel

Sometimes, simply knowing the meaning of a term and identifying the symptoms can significantly aid in learning coping mechanisms. Start by teaching your child to ask themselves the following questions:

What’s going on with my body?

Why is my body reacting this way?

Who can help me in coping with what’s going on with my body?

Where can I go to take a minute to figure out what’s going on and what I should do?

2. Stop & Breathe

Take a second or two to catch your breath. Focus on your breathing. Inhale and exhale slowly.

3. Hydrate

Drink water slowly. Take small sips. Use a damp rag or cloth to pat your face and neck. Sip more water.

4. Relax & Rest!

Relax your body and rest your thoughts. Stop thinking and rest your eyes. Rest your mouth. Count backwards from ten as you relax your whole body.

5. Talk It Out

Teach your child how to verbalize what they need. During a calm time, help provide your child with some examples of what someone might say when they are feeling stress. For example, you can tell them:

If you have a problem and don’t know what to do, you might say, “I need to talk to someone.”

If you feel too upset to talk, you might say, “I don’t feel well and I need a minute to myself.”

If you feel overwhelmed and scared by stress, you might say “My body is acting funny, help me understand what’s going on.”

6. Walk It Out

Step out of the feelings that are causing you to stress and step into practices that alleviate stress. Walking and other forms of exercise lower stress levels and can help clear your mind.

7. Healthy Eating

You know, an apple a day really does work. Have a granola bar and as you crunch, listen to only the crunching and not your thoughts. Eat colorful foods and find the one that makes you the happiest.

8. Be Done & Have Fun!

Closure is so important and sometimes not practiced enough. Be done with the stress causing you to feel funny and go have some fun. Learn early that not every stress factor will be solved right away. Sometimes you have to just be done and go play with a toy, color a picture, watch a favorite show, chat with a friend, or whatever you consider fun.

If you or your child is experiencing stress beyond what you feel you can cope with, don’t be ashamed to ask for help. Your school guidance counselor can be a great place to start in getting additional advice individualized to support your child.