How To Help Your Kids Navigate Anxiety And Fear

When people start to feel anxious or tense, they naturally tend to take rapid, shallow breaths. The simple act of breathing slowly and deeply can reduce feelings of stress. Have your child practice this move: Breath in slowly through the nose…hold for a few seconds…and then slowly exhale through the mouth. Repeat several times.  

Children need to feel heard, especially when upset. Eye contact dramatically helps them feel that way. Allowing them to talk about how they are feeling without judgment will help make leaps and bounds when learning how to relax and control oneself.  Reassure them of your continued pursuit to keep them safe and secure. Create an environment that fosters play and movement.

Think about all the stress you deal with throughout the day.  Now think about the demands that are put on your child. As adults, we know how to (or at least how we should) deal with stress, but our children are not yet equipped with all of the resources on how to manage their burdens.

This would be a great time for us to teach our children the practice of meditation . Mediation is such a powerful stress-relieving tool.  We can help them understand how to set intentions and the ability to help adapt to the changing and stressful world around us.

Link to Mindfulness/Meditations For Children exercises to get you started:

Remember, everyone thrives on a routine.  Make sure that you try to keep the “normal” schedule during the next several weeks.  With that being said, your kids may take time to adjust to all of the events that are taking place, such as social distancing, quarantine, and possible preschool cancellation.  Give them and yourself a break and just do the best you can! Keep your children close, only separating if needed and relying on the family as caregivers. Ensure that regular contact continues if a family member is hospitalized.  Reassure your preschooler they are loved and being protected.

Try to keep to a regular routine during this time of transition and disorder.  You may find yourself needing to adapt to a new routine as far as childcare & preschool are concerned.   With public school cancellations & distance learning days from home being advised in states all over the country, e-learning is a time of reflection and time to bond; slow down.  Keep things simple and remember that self-exploration in a safe environment is what you can provide. When learning is fun and enjoyable it creates well-adjusted individuals with a purpose in life. Children who experience the joy of learning are happy, confident and fulfilled.

Free at-home learning resources:

Talk openly with your child.  Give them facts and try to explain in an age-appropriate manner what is going on and the steps you are taking as a family to do your part to help keep YOU safe as well as other members of the community.  Talk about the precautions to take and hygiene steps, the symptoms of the virus and why we need to all practice hygiene and social distancing.  

Be honest about how it could potentially affect older family members if they were to contract the virus and what to plan for in that event.  If a family member does get sick, encourage your child that there are helpful medical professionals that will help, who are there to provide services in order for everyone to feel better. 

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