Children experience stress just as adults do, and sometimes have a harder time dealing with it because they may not understand the situation as well or have well-developed coping skills. They may act out or develop physical symptoms, such as upset stomachs, unexplained pains, or poor sleep. Naturopathic medicine has many tools for helping children cope with and understand stress, and helping your children deal with stress early on will be a gift that lasts a lifetime.
1. Get regular sleep. Being well rested will make it easier for children to think clearly and feel less overwhelmed. If sleep gets disrupted by stress, try a hot bath, relaxing music, calming herbal tea, or warming socks (see reverse page) before bed.
2. Exercise regularly. Exercise comes in many different forms and children can benefit from both relaxing forms, like yoga, as well as aerobic forms, that help them to get out frustration. Try both and see which type or combination suits your child best.
3. Breathe into your abdomen with your diaphragm. Deep, rhythmic breathing puts the nervous system into a restful state, which will reduce stress, improve immunity, and provide greater mental clarity. This type of breathing is especially effective when combined with meditation. Teaching your child to breathe deeply while upset will help to calm him/her down faster and communicate to you what he/she is feeling.
4. Healing touch. We all like massage and children are no exception. Touch is very healing- it creates relaxation, supports immunity, detoxifies, and reconnects us to our bodies. Healing touch can immediately reduce stress to break the stress-response cycle where feeling stressed out generates more stress. A back rub before bed can also help sleep.
5. Limit dairy, junk foods, and sugar. Stress is hard on the body, and these foods don’t provide a growing body with the nutrition it needs. Sugar may give an energy burst at first, but causes energy crashes later. A whole foods diet is your best bet, especially with warm, cooked foods as the weather gets colder. Make sure your children eat breakfast and have snacks and enough protein during the day!
6. Drink enough water. The body and brain are made up primarily of water and when you are feeling “fried” from stress, there’s a good chance, you’re dehydrated. Dehydration can also cause fatigue, so give your children water before a sugary snack. A good rule of thumb is to drink the number of ounces of water equal to one half your body weight, as measured in pounds (e.g., a 50 pound child needs 25 ounces of water every day).
7. Take extra B vitamins. B vitamins are essential to many enzyme reactions and systems. Stress depletes B vitamins and being deficient in B vitamins will make it even harder for you to handle stress. Food sources of B vitamins include seeds, legumes, meat, eggs, many dark green vegetables, yeast, and many whole grains. A B-complex is the best supplement to ensure the correct balance among all the individual B vitamins.
8. Talk to your children. Often misbehaving is a way of getting attention or trying to express an unresolved emotion. Giving your children time to express themselves and tell you what they are feeling will help to forge a strong family bond, let your children know you are there for them, and help them deal better with stress.
9. Give your children creative outlets. Sometimes children are better at expressing themselves through pictures rather than words. Find out what creative activities your children enjoy and set aside time for them to create and to talk about their projects.
10. Have down time through the day. It is easy to go through a whole day without taking a break, but this will only increase stress. It is very easy to over schedule the day, especially with busy families. Make sure your children have some quiet time to read or play to help them relax and unwind.
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