Just like adults, children face stressful situations. Stress comes in the form of bullies, schoolwork, insecurities and academic frustrations. According to the Child Study Center at New York University, stress is "the innate reaction to everyday challenges or threats." Also, children feel stressed whenever they fail to get what they want or when they feel overburdened with parental pressure. To prevent any negative developmental issues, there are many exercises you can teach children to help them better cope with stress.
Basic Meditation
Meditation is a spiritual practice borrowed from Asian cultures, which calms the mind by focusing it on the moment. To do this exercise, have your children take a comfortable spot on the floor. Start by stretching the muscles lightly and then having your children close their eyes. Tell them to try as hard as they can to put their worries out of their head and to focus on one thought, sound or object. Mentally saying "In" on the inhales and "Out" on the exhales helps the focus. Have them sit quietly for two minutes, and when they are done, evaluate how they feel. Meditation might not work for all children, but it can be more successful if you make it sound fun and cool by engaging in the activity with them.
Belly Breathing
Belly breathing is a childlike way of describing deep-breathing exercises. Tell your kids to focus on their bellies as they inhale deeply through their noses for five seconds, holding their breath for three, before letting it out through their mouths. Have them repeat this activity a couple of times, and warn them that if they do it too frequently they may become light-headed. Also, encourage them to focus on their breathing in the same way they would focus on one thought to clear their mind during meditation. The University of Maryland Medical Center says deep breathing exercises help individuals to unwind, relax and calm down during anxiety-raising situations and stressful events.
Unplanned Playtime
Sometimes children can become stressed out by overly hectic schedules. The occasional break from a routine can provide a beneficial release of stress. Before your children burnout, surprise them with an unexpected vacation from their work. Playtime, especially physical activity like running and climbing, can improve your children's health and reinvigorate their drive to keep working. Sometimes the best way to deal with life's stresses is to temporarily distract your mind so that you can rebuild and handle your problems better at a later time.
Creative Hobby
Kids will benefit from learning to handle stressful situations by turning to hobbies which may aid them later in life. For example, have your children draw a picture of how they feel at the moment or even a picture of some beautiful place they would rather be. If they can write, have them learn about poetry, story writing or song writing, so that they can vent without hurting anyone. Hobbies, like playtime, distract the mind from its worries to provide temporary relief from stress.
