Tips to Improve Stress and Anxiety in Children

Stress and anxiety are such a common part of today’s world. These emotions can start to impact our lives from early childhood onwards to adulthood. We believe that the key to improving levels of stress and anxiety starts with learning mindfulness skills from an early age.

There is over 40 years of scientific data proving that meditation, mindfulness and heartfulness can:

·      Reduce stress and anxiety and in turn reduce the risk of illness and disease

·      Prevent depression and reduce the symptoms of depression

·      Increase stress threshold and improve resilience

·      Improve working memory

·      Increase positive thinking, feelings and emotions

·      Promote mental wellbeing

Below we have a few simple tips to support your child's brain and nervous system using mindfulness, meditation and heartfulness activities:

Connection - Make an effort to connect with your child verbally and physically. Connect with physical touch by offering hugs, hand holding or stoking their hair - whatever works for your child. Connect verbally by acknowledging how your child feels.  Provide reassurance while showing empathy and compassion.

Mindful Breathing - Encourage your child to breathe slowly and deeply in through their nose, hold the breath for a moment, then slowly exhale out through their nose or mouth. Breathe with your child and have them copy you. Repeat five times or until calm.

Positive Self-Talk - Have your child acknowledge how they feel and say it out loud e.g. "I am nervous," or "I am frustrated." Then ask them how they want to feel and have them repeat that to themselves five times or until calm e.g. "I feel calm" or "I can do this."

Mindful Looking – Get your child to choose a colour or shape that they like and complete a one-minute mindful looking treasure hunt with them. Tune into your sight sense and look around you to see how many objects you can see that are your chosen colour or shape.

Mindful Movement - Encourage your child to physically move the built-up energy that they are experiencing from their emotions in an appropriate way. Guide them through movement and join in with them. Examples include punching a pillow, stomping feet, dancing, running, jumping, tickle game or any movement that the child respond to.

Visualisation - Have your child close their eyes and imagine a calming scene that makes them feel happy. Then have them imagine that they successfully and calmly complete the task that is making them feel stressed or anxious.

If you want to continue practicing mindfulness at home, but don’t know where to start, we have a website full of mindfulness resources, services and products. Visit www.headandheartmindfulness.com.au for all your mindfulness and mental wellbeing needs.