How To Reduce Stress & Anxiety In Children
Stress Management In Students | MS Dhoni Global School
Contrary to what we assume, children do not have it all easy. Stress and anxiety can creep into those young minds as easily as it can get to adults. It can be inflicted by disagreements with peers, unpleasant family issues, stress from school, etc. In fact, since children are incapable of identifying such patterns, it becomes all the more difficult for them to voice out their concerns.
Stress or anxiety can not only hamper their academic performance but can also lead to unfriendly behavioural issues. Such complexes that stem from childhood patterns aren’t easy to be treated. So how can we take care of it? Let’s take a look at some measures that can be of help.
Here’s What You Can Do To Help Reduce Stress & Anxiety For Children
Here a few things that can help children lead a stress and anxiety-free life.
- Talk It Out – It is no secret that children pick up things from their surroundings. Thus, building up a culture at home to talk things out after every misunderstanding is crucial. When built a habit of talking, children would naturally develop the urge of sharing their worries with you. Opening up would help them worry less about a cause and find solutions to it.
- Encourage Them To Face Situations – Anxiety is often a by-product of conscious ignorance or fear. The fear of not being able to face a situation might make way for anxiety and eventually, stress. This is why children should be encouraged to face their fears. It can be a situation, a mistake, a bully or even the fear of being scolded after a mistake. Encourage them to face the consequences of their actions and not shy away.
- Accept Imperfections – One of the most common causes of anxiety and stress in children is induced the pressure of being perfect. In order to prove their worth, subconsciously, they try to be perfect at sports, academics, extracurricular activities and even casual games. It must be noted that being competitive is good but obsessing to be perfect is an anxiety triggering attitude. Inculcating in them the thought that it is alright to be imperfect, is essential.
- Positive Thinking – Now, there is a stigma related to the practice of positive thinking that it signifies ignoring negative emotions. Well, it’s not. Positive thinking simply implies the practice of seeing the positive side of different situations. Not only does this help in getting rid of anxiety induced by overthinking the worst out of every situation, it also makes way for solutions. Teaching children to focus on the positive aspect of things will help them grow into happier beings.
- Make Time for Casual Activities – The present day circumstances have been too hard on children as well. The pressure of studying and excelling at activities are perceived with a lot of seriousness. Under such circumstances, scheduling time just for casual activities that do not make them feel pressurized, is necessary.
- Impart Acts of Self-Care – “Self-love” and “self-care” are words often used too loosely. Your child will follow what is fed to him or her. Thus, you incorporating acts of self-love and self-care rather than reading to them about it, will bring change. Your child will pick up such acts of self-care, positive behaviour and ability to communicate well if you practice the same.
- Physical Activity – Exercising everyday, playing or doing activities that involve physical movement is important. Not only do they help children stay physically healthy but also helps them to stay high on positive energy. Often stress and anxiety erupt from lack of energy to think right and take actions. Physical activities increase the flow of oxygen in blood which further increases their energy. This creates an overall positive attitude towards life and helps curb stress and anxiety.
- Keep The Door Open – Oftentimes, children are not vocal about their concerns to parents which keep them in the loop of being anxious. This when remains unsolved, gives way to stress. This is because parents tend to keep the door close for their children to be vocal. Even though, they might say they want to communicate effectively, they tend to scold them or scare them away. This has to be rectified in order to make room for effective exchange of conversations.
- Problem-solving Attitude – As humans, we become anxious and stressed when we cannot solve a problem or do nothing about it. For children, set examples of a problem-solving attitude for them to follow. Also, help them identify resolvable problems and teach them to ditch anxiety or stress of things they cannot control.
At MS Dhoni Global School, we aim to incorporate such measures to help students open up with their peers and educators. We aim to nurture a stress-free learning experience for students with the best of educating techniques.
