As much as people desire to nail the urban lifestyle today, research has proved time and again that it is the biggest contributor to stress. And the newest victims that this deadly disease has claimed – our kids! Thanks to childhood stress, kids today are becoming more and more susceptible to mental health issues, chronic illnesses, and so on.
I want my kids to be super successful and happy in life, but at what cost? Will he excel in life if I constantly nag him or will he simply crumble under the pressure? Will the ends justify the means? My 8-year-old is already starting to show signs that he’s stressed, and honestly, it’s so disheartening that I had to intervene. My research, unfortunately, only revealed that Aarav isn’t the only kid who gets teary-eyed at the drop of a hat, freaks out over the smallest inconvenience and has a pathological need to get everything right.
Late-night conversations with Aarav over multiple cups of hot chocolate suggested that his stress was stemming from innumerable external sources that I really couldn’t control. As a concerned mother, I wanted to help him overcome these dreadful emotions in a healthy way.
Here are my thoughts about what causes stress among kids and some of the more helpful stress management strategies that parents can adopt.
Reasons your kid may be stressed:
- Academic pressure and unintended competition: Parents’ obsession with the perfect grades and scores often generates a stressful environment for kids where it becomes difficult for them to thrive.
- Over-stuffed timetables: The level of activity that I had as a kid is nothing compared to Aarav’s. After-school activities such as sports, music, etc. can overwhelm kids to a point where they get stressed eventually.
- Fewer outlets for relieving stress: Remember playtime? Your kids might not! With schools’ reduced break time policies, children have fewer ways of relieving the built-up stress which affects them in life.
- Media saturation: Thanks to the advancement of digital media and constant connectivity, kids these days are more exposed to news stories that are likely to induce stress and anxiety!
Teasing or bullying: The age of social media (more particularly, the world posting on social media) causes a certain fear of missing out (FOMO) in kids, especially if they have been left out of a social event. A nasty habit that kids often indulge in, that ultimately results in stress.
Signs that your child is stressed:
Monitor your child’s behaviour closely to understand if he’s stressed. These are the symptoms you should look for:
- Unrelaxed or agitated
- Anxious
- Recurrence of childhood fears
- Aggressive behaviour
- Unwillingness to socialise
- Increased usage of gadgets and devices
- Headaches
- Reduced appetite
- Bedwetting
You can always provide your child with the kind of help he needs to get destressed and take it down a notch in life. Here’s what I think about how this can be done.
- Family routines are the true gems. Have a regular family dinner or some other activity, make it a compulsion for every member. It will help your baby relieve his stress and open up about what’s been bothering him.
- Be the best when it comes to leading by example. Try to keep your own stress under control (especially around your children).
- Be mindful of the kind of books, TV shows, or media that your kid is exposed to. Violence portrayed in films and shows can often be huge stressors and cause anxiety in kids. Media, after all, is as consumable as food.
- Meditate, it DOES help! It certainly helped Aarav, calmed his nerves and made him more easygoing.
- Be a listener. It helps in the most unexpected ways. Do not dismiss your child’s problems or try to provide a solution right away. Talk to them about their feelings and come up with a concrete solution thereafter.
- Boost his self-confidence and help him build a positive self-image through activities and hobbies.
- Indulge in physical activities. Play ball with your kids, go to the park, take a trip to the amusement park. It all helps reduce stress among kids.
- If the level of stress is freaking you out, immediately consult a medical expert or a health care provider and take it forward from there.
- Read to your kids or with them for at least 30 minutes every day. Reading is a known stress reducer and works with adults too.
I’m confident fellow parents will agree with me on the fact that watching your kid turn into a stressed-out individual is heartbreaking and we want to do everything in our will to make them feel otherwise.
These stress management strategies helped Aarav a lot, even though the journey still continues. Let me know in the comments below if you guys have any other techniques that can help reduce stress among kids.
