Stress Management for Children

December 15, 2006 by Vishal | No Comments

Unlike what some may like to believe, stress is not dependent on age. It can surface at any age and for any individual if the environmental demands get too taxing. Children are more than ever prone to stress since the environment around them is extremely taxing. They constantly face situations like separation of parents, divorce, changes in environment and school, peer pressure and at times even violence in the neighborhood and in the house.

How well a child can cope up with stressful situation depends on the specific intensity of the situation and also the individual personality, maturity and coping skills of the child. Parents need to be aware of the fact that children may not be able to communicate and verbalize what they feel very effectively. They may talk about a churning tummy when they are actually feeling too tense about a visit to the doctor. Some children cry incessantly or become irritable when they are stressed and the physical symptoms may vary from one child to another. What parents should be aware of is that any change in normal behavior needs to be examined so as to unearth he cause behind the change.

If unattended, stress in children can cause illnesses like asthma, hay fever, colitis, migraine, peptic ulcers and irritable bowel syndromes too. It is only an aware parent that can help their children by diagnosing the issue and resolving it from its roots. This is because any such symptoms are bound to reoccur if the cause of the problem is not solved.

Parents should check their own stress levels and try and be happier at home even if there is a genuine problem. If parents have a mature stress management technique, children are bound to follow that and on the contrary if a father comes home and drinks just because he is tense or shouts at his wife, the children will pick up similar signals and adopt them unknowingly.

Communication lines between parents and children always need to be kept open. You should be a supportive parent and not resort to harsh punishments at the drop of a hat. Rather harsh punishments should be avoided at all cost since they do not serve any purpose.

Good friends can help in a positive release of stress. Encourage your children to make good friends by scheduling play dates, allowing sleepovers and encouraging and participating in fun activities with them.

Make sure that whatever schedule and plan you make for your child should be in line with his capabilities. Don’t overload him with extra-curricular activities like sports, music, gold, swimming and the other when you feel that he may not be able to handle all that along with academics.

And irrespective of everything else, ensure that you child has enough time to relax and play and don’t force him to get competitive at an early age.

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