Helping children handle stress

Worry and stress happen to all of us; even children can feel worried and stressed — especially when faced with a pandemic.

Stress can come from external factors, like family, friends and school. Children can also put very high expectations themselves that lead to worry and stress when they feel that they have failed.

There are many ways parents and caregivers can help children and youth cope with the stress:

Reduce the amount of stress in your lives

• Acknowledge your child’s feelings. Tell them you notice that they seem sad or scared.

• Develop trust and be supportive, and let your child know that mistakes are learning experiences and listen to your child’s concerns.

• Show love. Hug your child often!

• Have clear expectations without being too strict.

• Don’t over-schedule your child with too many activities.

Build positive coping skills

It is important to help children learn positive coping skills. These skills are often carried into adult life.

• Provide a good example. Keep calm and express your anger in appropriate ways.

• Teach consequences. Children need to learn there are consequences — good and bad — to their actions.

• Encourage rational thinking. Help your children understand what is fantasy and what is reality. It can be easy for a child to build up things in their mind that add to their stress.

• Provide them with some control. Allow them to make their own choices where appropriate. • Encourage them to eat healthy foods, and exercise.

Get the stress out

The best ways to relieve stress are different for each person. Try some of these ideas to see which ones work for your child:

• Exercise. For children, try activities like walking, bikeriding, outdoor play and individual and group sports.

• Do something fun! Write, draw, play a game, start a hobby — let them be creative!

• Let feelings out. Invite your child to talk, laugh, cry and express anger when they need to.

• Learn ways to relax. Yoga, massage, aromatherapy, meditating, praying or relaxing exercises like Tai chi and qi gong can all help reduce stress.

• Laugh. Look for the humour in everyday life — laughter is the best medicine!

Stress is a part of life — it is important to remember that there is a lot we can do to help manage that stress! For more information about stress management and mental wellness for the whole family, visit MyHealth.Alberta.ca

Amanda Poll is a Health Promotion Facilitator with Alberta Health Services. She can be reached by e-mail, amanda.poll@ahs.ca