<p>Calm down’, ‘Just relax’, ‘Cool it’, ‘Take it easy’, these are all sorts of things that parents tell their kids. Most children adapt to natural ways of self regulation, but many also need to learn appropriate ways to respond when experiencing anxiety. <br /><br /></p>.<p>As children evolve from infants to toddlers to preschoolers and so on, they constantly improve their understanding of various emotional states. When your child is in need of any kind of stress relief, there are easy-to-do calming down strategies that parents can use with children. Anamika Yaduvanshi, life coach and motivational trainer, shares some tips. <br /><br />Sing out loud: Everyone is aware about the sweet relief associated with rocking out to your favourite tune. But the physical act of singing out loud, even if it is off key, has been shown to release endorphins, the “feel good” chemical in the brain.<br /><br />Role play: Role playing gives children an opportunity to explore a situation, concept or social skill through play and to find different ways to handle stressful <br />situations. The experience can be enhanced by using puppets, props, dress up <br />and toys. <br /><br />Repeat a mantra: Create a mantra for your child that you can use it during an emotional outburst. “Just calm down” or “All is good” work well, but create your personal line which is between you and your kid. <br /><br />Name your emotion: Often children become overwhelmed because they have difficulty identifying the negative thoughts they are having.<br /><br />Whether your child is quick to anger, panic or obsess to ensure things are perfect, ask them to give this feeling a name and help them talk back to it. For instance, by asking your child, “Is Mr Perfect bothering you again?” you can work together to help them challenge their perfection, rather than create a fuss over it.<br /><br />Blow bubbles<br /><br />Blowing bubbles can help children feel calmer and gain control of their breathing and thus their mental state. For very young children, simply seeing and popping bubbles can be distracting enough from whatever originally triggered t he upset. For children a bit older, blowing bubbles can encourage the deep breathing that will help bring about a sense of calmness.<br /><br />Watch fish<br /><br /> Have you ever wondered why there is always an aquarium in medical centers? This is because watching a fish swim in an aquarium reduces blood pressure and heart rate. The larger the aquarium, the larger the effect. The next time your child needs to calm down, take them to the local lake, hatchery or aquarium for fish-watching therapy. <br /><br /><br /><br /></p>
<p>Calm down’, ‘Just relax’, ‘Cool it’, ‘Take it easy’, these are all sorts of things that parents tell their kids. Most children adapt to natural ways of self regulation, but many also need to learn appropriate ways to respond when experiencing anxiety. <br /><br /></p>.<p>As children evolve from infants to toddlers to preschoolers and so on, they constantly improve their understanding of various emotional states. When your child is in need of any kind of stress relief, there are easy-to-do calming down strategies that parents can use with children. Anamika Yaduvanshi, life coach and motivational trainer, shares some tips. <br /><br />Sing out loud: Everyone is aware about the sweet relief associated with rocking out to your favourite tune. But the physical act of singing out loud, even if it is off key, has been shown to release endorphins, the “feel good” chemical in the brain.<br /><br />Role play: Role playing gives children an opportunity to explore a situation, concept or social skill through play and to find different ways to handle stressful <br />situations. The experience can be enhanced by using puppets, props, dress up <br />and toys. <br /><br />Repeat a mantra: Create a mantra for your child that you can use it during an emotional outburst. “Just calm down” or “All is good” work well, but create your personal line which is between you and your kid. <br /><br />Name your emotion: Often children become overwhelmed because they have difficulty identifying the negative thoughts they are having.<br /><br />Whether your child is quick to anger, panic or obsess to ensure things are perfect, ask them to give this feeling a name and help them talk back to it. For instance, by asking your child, “Is Mr Perfect bothering you again?” you can work together to help them challenge their perfection, rather than create a fuss over it.<br /><br />Blow bubbles<br /><br />Blowing bubbles can help children feel calmer and gain control of their breathing and thus their mental state. For very young children, simply seeing and popping bubbles can be distracting enough from whatever originally triggered t he upset. For children a bit older, blowing bubbles can encourage the deep breathing that will help bring about a sense of calmness.<br /><br />Watch fish<br /><br /> Have you ever wondered why there is always an aquarium in medical centers? This is because watching a fish swim in an aquarium reduces blood pressure and heart rate. The larger the aquarium, the larger the effect. The next time your child needs to calm down, take them to the local lake, hatchery or aquarium for fish-watching therapy. <br /><br /><br /><br /></p>
