The Young Worrier

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All of us have worries. It is very common amongst children. Here are few strategies that will help you as a parent to know about your child’s worries so that you can manage their fears and anxieties.

Do you have a child who feels too shy or too scared, worries or over-thinks things to face the day? Do you have a child who remains silent when s/he is expected to work with others?  If so, then you might have a worrier in the family.

Clutching her hands, refusing to let go of you, repeatedly complaining of headaches or stomach aches when there are no real reasons —these are a few signs of building anxiety. Look harder and you may find some more significant indicators such as rocking back and forth, hiding, or silently crying in the bathroom before going to school.

Have you ever felt that the workload is too much for you to handle and spent sleepless nights thinking about it, as if everything is on your shoulders. When this happens you have to turn down the volume of your worry channel, so that you can get away for a while.

Same goes for your child, they may easily tend to imagine the worst that could occur based on their fears. Children need to find that switch to make it easier for them. You can teach your child to become resilient and prevent them from tossing same thoughts over and over again.

Here are a few strategies that you can teach your child to tame their troublesome thoughts.

Rest up

It’s vital to teach children to relax in a fun way to relieve their worries. Effective relaxation techniques result in subjective feelings of calmness and emotional stability. You can share your own relaxation technique with your child and help them explore the best suited relaxation skills as per their age and interest.

Distract

This is an age-old technique used by parents and teachers. Removing the focus from things that cause distress. For example, the child could go for walk or cycling.

Move it

Indulging in enjoyable play activity or exercise is a good way to soothe or relieve the proliferation of stress chemicals and release feel good endorphins in children. These feel good chemicals help children become more optimistic about their future.

Can’t see the forest for the trees

Children could easily get preoccupied with minor details and fail to see the entire picture. For instance, a child may fret over getting the perfect letter formation for a class assignment and neglect food or sleep necessary for learning the next day.

Lastly, there is no such thing as a perfect parent. Wrestling with self is much harder sometimes than most of the tasks that you do as parents. Some practices or strategies may not have the same effect as you have hoped for. That’s perfectly fine, try something else. Happy parenting!

By PLC Ms Arpita Roy, Doddanekkundi

Tips To Handle Stress Among Children

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With changes in lifestyles and the environment, peer and parental pressure, as well as societal expectations, stress has become a major cause of concern among children from a young age. With every year that passes by, there are changes in the system, advancements in technology, and a lot more that’s expected from children each day which might be overwhelming for them.

As a parent, here’s what you can do to ensure your child is better equipped to deal with stress.

1. Let your child know you are approachable

Every child needs an adult who can understand what they are going through, and can guide them to make better decisions. However, children may not speak out about their problems without a lot of prompting or encouragement. Ask your children about their day, and prompt them to open up by pointing out aspects of their behaviour that indicate their mood with statements such as “You seem to be a little down in the dumps today. Did something happen?”

Let your child know you are approachable

2. Give importance to play

Physical activity stimulates the body and mind, and also helps in the production of endorphins, which are hormones that lift up one’s mood. By encouraging your children to engage in at least half an hour of play can help them deal with stress in a significantly better manner

Give importance to play

3. Space out their schedules

With the level of importance given to grades, competitions, and academic performance, children end up doing a lot more within a day than is healthy for them. The average student goes to school for eight hours, is expected to be completely attentive and at peak performance in class, has tuitions in the evenings, extra-curricular classes, and homework to complete before going to bed. Make sure your child has enough time to rejuvenate each day without having to think of the things they are expected to do.

Space out their schedules

4. Allow mistakes

Kids tend to feel pressurised because of the consequences they would face if they are not living up to expectations. Letting your children know that mistakes are inevitable, and that they won’t face punishment for doing something incorrectly goes a long way in reducing the amount of stress they feel.

Allow mistakes

5. Teach your child how to think calmly and critically

A lot of stress that children feel is due to their feeling of helplessness, or not knowing how to get out of a difficult situation. Teach your children how to think objectively, and help them figure out steps to deal with a stressful circumstance. Getting them acquainted with techniques such as mindfulness and meditation would also help them get in touch with their feelings, and deal with stress in a calmer, more rational manner.

Teach your child how to think calmly and critically

Children just need to know that their parents are on their side, and will support them through any difficulty. Set aside some quality time to spend with your child each day, and equip them with the mindset and confidence required to handle any challenges that life throws at them.



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