Tips / Ideas When
Dealing With Stress
HOW TO HELP YOUR KID WITH STRESS
Notice out loud. Tell your child when you notice that something's bothering him or her. If you can, name the feeling you think your child is experiencing. ("It seems like you're still mad about what happened at the playground.") This shouldn't sound like an accusation (as in, "OK, what happened now? Are you still mad about that?") or put a child on the spot. It's just a casual observation that you're interested in hearing more about your child's concern. Be sympathetic and show you care and want to understand.
- Pay attention to what kids are saying is "worrying" or "bothering" them, or are things they "don’t like." All these words could be code for stress.
Listen to your child. Ask your child to tell you what's wrong. Listen attentively and calmly — with interest, patience, openness, and caring. Avoid any urge to judge, blame, lecture, or say what you think your child should have done instead. The idea is to let your child's concerns (and feelings) be heard. Try to get the whole story by asking questions like "And then what happened?" Take your time. And let your child take his or her time, too.
- Listen first, and then talk. Help kids understand that feeling stress is a normal part of life. Remember that what children find stressful might not seem stressful to you or even to other children, but it’s real to them.
Comment briefly on the feelings you think your child was experiencing. For example, you might say "That must have been upsetting," "No wonder you felt mad when they wouldn't let you in the game," or "That must have seemed unfair to you." Doing this shows that you understand what your child felt, why, and that you care. Feeling understood and listened to helps your child feel supported by you, and that is especially important in times of stress.
- When you talk to your kids, resist the temptation to multi-task. Sixty-two percent of the kids we surveyed told us that their parents are sometimes distracted when they try to talk to them. The number one distraction? Their parents’ cell phones. Kids also told us that they know their parents are listening when their parents make eye contact with them, and they told us that dinner time and bedtime are two of the best times to talk together about something important. But any time when you can be focused solely on your child is a good time.
Put a label on it. Many younger kids do not yet have words for their feelings. If your child seems angry or frustrated, use those words to help him or her learn to identify the emotions by name. Putting feelings into words helps kids communicate and develop emotional awareness — the ability to recognize their own emotional states. Kids who can do so are less likely to reach the behavioral boiling point where strong emotions come out through behaviors rather than communicated with words.
Help your child think of things to do. If there's a specific problem that's causing stress, talk together about what to do. Encourage your child to think of a couple of ideas. You can start the brainstorming if necessary, but don't do all the work. Your child's active participation will build confidence. Support the good ideas and add to them as needed. Ask, "How do you think this will work?"
- When talking about tests and grades with children who stress over them, keep the focus more on learning and improvement than on grades. Resist asking, "What grade did you get?" after a big test. Instead, try "Do you think you did your best? How do you feel about it?" Be positive and forward looking, even when the grades are less than desirable: "Let’s talk about how you might do better next time."
Listen and move on. Sometimes talking and listening and feeling understood is all that's needed to help a child's frustrations begin to melt away. Afterward, try changing the subject and moving on to something more positive and relaxing. Help your child think of something to do to feel better. Don't give the problem more attention than it deserves.
Limit stress where possible. If certain situations are causing stress, see if there are ways to change things. For instance, if too many after-school activities consistently cause homework stress, it might be necessary to limit activities to leave time and energy for homework.
Just be there. Kids don't always feel like talking about what's bothering them. Sometimes that's OK. Let your kids know you'll be there when they do feel like talking. Even when kids don't want to talk, they usually don't want parents to leave them alone. You can help your child feel better just by being there — keeping him or her company, spending time together. So if you notice that your child seems to be down in the dumps, stressed, or having a bad day — but doesn't feel like talking — initiate something you can do together. Take a walk, watch a movie, shoot some hoops, or bake some cookies. Isn't it nice to know that your presence really counts?
Be patient. As a parent, it hurts to see your child unhappy or stressed. But try to resist the urge to fix every problem. Instead, focus on helping your child, slowly but surely, grow into a good problem-solver — a kid who knows how to roll with life's ups and downs, put feelings into words, calm down when needed, and bounce back to try again.
And remember that children are always watching us. Model healthy ways of dealing with stress. Make sure your children see you exercising, relaxing, and making time for fun and laughter.
Here are a few other resources:
https://www.wristband.com/content/suicide-awareness-and-prevention/
https://counseling.online.wfu.edu/mental-health-managing-stress/