How can I handle Stress on my child? How do I know if he is stressed?
How can I handle Stress on my child? How do I know if he is stressed?
First of all you must know that a child of any age including an unborn baby in your womb can get stressed or take mental tension (read our intelligent parenting section on that).
Secondly most common reason of stress in a younger child is stress in the house or parents.
Stress can actually be of two types
- Acute
Which is short and not long lasting which the child may be able to cope up with.
- chronic
Which is there all the time at home or in school
What is important is chronic stress or constant stress like fight at homes which may lead to ultimate breakdown in the child.
How will you know when your child is stressed?
- When they start demonstrating attention seeking behaviour or suddenly become cranky and irritable
- Regression in behaviour : A child who has left certain habits like thumb sucking starts doing it again(or even bed wetting)
- Recurrent problems like stomach pain or headaches
- Child is dull, moody, lethargic or shows excessive crying
- Refusal to eat or overeating
- Sleep disturbances, bed wetting or potty in panties after achieving control once.
- Excessive sweating, palpitations or breathlessness.
- Sudden development of one or more tics in the body.
- Aggressiveness, stubbornness, throwing tantrums, screaming at parents, argumentative.
- Falling of grades or excessive frequent fighting at home.
Stress can cause a lot of harmful effects in your child not only in terms of mental disturbances but also physical problems like frequent infections (especially gastric disturbances)
How can we manage stress?
The best way is to remove or decrease the cause and most of the times this is very difficult to do.
But do not forget that there is nothing that can beat the love, care, attention and open communication in helping your child cope up with stress.
First of all you must be sensitive to the small changes in your child which may signify that your child is stressed.
One more important thing is for you to remain stress free in such a situation.
Your stress will pass on directly to your child. There are certain other things that you my do to distress your child
- Make it a habit with your child to do exercises, meditation or yoga everyday. If you have not got down to teaching them this, start your enquiry right away. It does wonders to de-stress him.
- Teach him any one skill like painting, music art etc which he can use as a tool to free his mind of present worries.
- You may have pets in the house who demonstrate unconditional love and with whom he can bond and relax with.
- Spend quality time talking or playing with him
- Get physical- hug, pat or kiss her as often as you want
- Encourage outdoor activities.
- You may also teach her certain visualization techniques in which she may close her eyes and transport herself to natural beautiful surroundings with birds chirping or sound of water. Remaining in this state even for 5 minutes is a very effective means of distressing your child.
- Play soft music of nature sounds in the room
- You may do sleep talking with him. It is nothing but talking out aloud with him after he has fallen asleep about how he is always happy and relaxed and that you love him .(doing only this for 50-60 times each night may de stress him.).Remember to talk only positive and not use words like ‘don’t’ ‘unhappy’ or ‘stressed’ in the talks.
- If fights at home cannot be avoided, try not to shout and scream in front of the kids.
- When exams are at bay, assure him that he has to study but low marks are not the end of the world.
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