As adults, we think that stress is something that only we feel. Stress is related to adult things such as work, money, and relationships. Of course, this is largely true and we have reason to believe this. But, we should never underestimate how stressed out our children can feel too.
Stress can impact people at any point in their lives and there are a variety of reasons that someone may feel stressed. Whilst we may do our best, as parents, to limit the things that can make our children feel stressed, we can’t eliminate everything.
Children may be stressed out about their schoolwork, their friendships, or things that they have heard you talking about. Children may also be stressed out about having an illness or condition that requires treatment. This includes things such as pediatric audiology or having work carried out on their eyes.
If you think that your child may be feeling stressed out about something in their life, then the good news is that you can help them to make sense of the way that they feel and try and combat those feelings of stress. To help you to find out the best way to do this, we have put together our guide on helping your child deal with stress.
Stop planning in too much for them to do
We want our children to feel that they have plenty to do and keeping them busy also keeps boredom at bay. However, sometimes, planning in too many things for them to do can tire them out and leave them feeling burnt out. Whilst we do want them to feel that they can do after school clubs and play sports; if we notice that these could be having a negative impact on our children, then we should do whatever we can to stop planning in too much and leave their schedule a little more open.
Make time for play
When you make the effort to stop planning in too many things for your kid to do, you open up time for them to simply play and have fun. Playing not only lets of some steam, which is ideal if your child is feeling stressed, but it may also give them the chance to escape and leave behind any of the things that could be causing them to feel stressed out.
Remind them that sleep is important
If you have an older child who is feeling stressed out, perhaps about something like exams or schoolwork, then they are likely to find it hard to switch off and go to sleep. Much like it would be for an adult, their mind will be racing, and they will be thinking of all the things that they need to do and how they might not have enough time to do them all. It is important that you, as their parent, show them that sleep is vital for them. Encourage them to get to sleep when they need it and find ways to calm them down so that they find it easier to nod off.
Look at your own stress levels
So much of what our children think, and feel is down to us as parents, which means that if your child is finding stress something that is hard to manage, then it could be partially down to your own feelings of stress. It might not be a nice way to think but try to look inwardly at your own stress triggers. If your child sees that stress is something that is normal, then that is one thing, but if they can see that you manage your stress well, then they will in turn find ways that they can reduce the impact that stress has on their own life.
Try and minimize stress at home
If you are finding that your child is stressed out due to things at school, or outside of their home life; then it is a good idea to try and make things as calm as possible at home. This is particularly true when it comes to the mornings when everyone is heading off to work and school. If you try and make mornings as calm as possible, then this sets the tone for the rest of the day and you and your children will feel much more able to face the world.
We can’t remove stress from our lives and our kids’ lives, but what we can do is minimize its impact. If you notice that your child is showing signs of stress, then do what you can as soon as you can, and in time, they will start to feel better and that they are able to cope with their stress and live with it.
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