Salam Alaikum sisters🌸 How are you feeling today?
Today about -How to help a child overcome worries ?
Once you understand what specifically worries your child, it will be easier to find appropriate solutions.
But before giving some tips, I’m encouraging you to stop.🛑 Rethink how you reacting to stressful situations. Do you know methods how to calm down yourself?
So first YOU need to relax, trust child’s natural development and don’t rush. Again, it’s all about us first.
So the biggest step towards peace and harmony and reduction of child worries is FOR YOU TO SLOW DOWN!
✅ Talk about feelings: Help the child name his feelings: "It seems that you are worried about the test. Is it true?". This will help the child understand that his feelings are natural and understandable to his parents.
✅ Create positive rituals that will help the child feel safer before going to club or school. For example, drink tea together in the morning, talk about plans for the day, say positive words of support. And the most important don’t rush! Usually parents rushing and stressing kids in the morning and in the afternoon. All the time kids hearing “quick, quick, quick… we will be late…”.
✅ Teach relaxation techniques. Teach your child simple ways to calm down, such as deep breathing or using imagination to relax. These skills can be useful in managing anxiety in public places. Use the "Five Finger Breathing" technique together with the child.
✅ Encourage taking small steps. Sometimes big tasks can seem very stressful. Help your child break them down into smaller steps. For example, if the child is afraid to go to the club, first go together and spend time there. Gradually increase his time to be on his own.
✅ Provide positive feedback. Encourage the child for each step he did. Say, “I'm so proud of you for going to club today. You was doing great!" But also be honest. If you do that just to cheer up, and fake- kids will feel.
We should teach our kids in advance how to cope with a stressful situations. So one of the methods is positive visualisation. Encourage your child to imagine that the place where he feels uncomfortable (whether it's school or soccer club) is good place and calm. This can help the child reduce their fear and make the situation less frightening.
🔸 Encourage positive thinking. Mention positive experiences when he previously overcame his fear and successfully overcame challenges. You can create with your child his "Adventure Book", in which the child will write, draw or illustrate with clippings and photos his daily achievements, challenges and adventures while overcoming them. This book can become a source of pride and motivation, reminding of a child's courage.
You can also try a "Gratitude Diary", where the child writes or draws things he is grateful for, what he learned and what challenges he overcame at school, club or elsewhere.
🔸 Time management. Teach your child to plan his time so that he does not rush and feel overwhelmed. This will help reduce stress and worries.
🔸 Preparation is very important. Encourage your child to practice something that excites him. For example, if your child is preparing for a public speech, let him say it to you or family members.
🔸 Realistic thinking. Help your child understand that stress is natural and that a little stress can even be beneficial. Teach your child to accept his feelings and manage them.
Your support and understanding are very important for your child to feel safe and confident.
But always see that particular child and don’t compare with siblings or other children.
There are so many techniques, tips and methods what you can teach your child. But even if you do only one step: SLOW DOWN, and will change communication style with a child you’ll see how relation with a child improves, how will change his behaviour and how child becomes more stronger emotionally.