Anxiety Busters for Kids #1

It’s no secret that kids today are more stressed than ever. If children and teens don’t learn healthy ways to manage their stress, it can have both short-term consequences (bedwetting, short-temperedness, inability to focus on schoolwork, sleep-deprivation and weakened immunity from illness), as well as serious long-term health implications that can increase their likelihood for depression.

Luckily, stress reducing tactics for children can be easily taught and done at home. In this series, we will share seven different ideas for you to work on with your kids (young and old) and today we will kick of with the first: 

Teach young children to blow their worries away by pretending to blow up a balloon in their tummy as you slowly count to three and then let it out with an exaggerated “ahhh” sound like they use at the doctor’s office. Place your child’s hands on their stomach for them to feel their own breaths. Too often kids try to take quick, fast breaths from their chest instead of their stomach. Say, “Taking a slow deep breath is an easy way to reduce your stress and let your worries out.” Kids can also practice taking slow, deep breaths using a pinwheel or bubble blower until they get the right “feel.” Young kids like to pretend that the bubbles are their worries blowing away.

Stay tuned for more stress-busters for kids.