When, as a parent, we notice anxiety in our child, countless feelings and thoughts come to mind. I can certainly say that among the first things is to help him deal with this feeling and alleviate his suffering. Since anxiety has no object, we cannot name exactly what we are anxious about. This feeling is full of restlessness and tension, sometimes accompanied by physical symptoms. You can find out how to recognize that your child is anxious from the previous article: What is childhood anxiety? – Part 1: How to recognize when your child is anxious!
In this article, we have collected some methods that can help you overcome mild anxiety.
Relieving babies' anxiety
For babies we can also often see that they are restless or tense. The earliest anxiety in our lives is a separation anxiety, which appears for the first time at the age of 8 months, when the mother, who provides emotional security, physically distances herself from the baby. In the case of such little ones, rocking, hugging, reciting rhymes, and singing relieve this tension most effectively. Physical contact has many positive effects, biochemical processes are initiated in the nervous system, endorphins are released, which serve to calm and reduce stress. Hugging can relieve inner tension at any age.
Relieving anxiety in kindergarten and elementary school children
Preschoolers and preschoolers In the case of
Talk to your child a lot!
Children's speaking skills develop a lot at this age, so a talk it can be one of the terrains that can be used to express bad feelings. Then you can talk about emotions and feelings, name them and act them out.
Read a story and play role-playing games!
Especially with preschoolers the story and the game is decisive in everyday life. These two things help you learn to manage and resolve tensions. In the game, the things that the child cannot or does not want to show spontaneously in "reality" become visible, but in his "as if" world it is completely natural. For example: The dragon attacked the castle in a rage. The game gives this emotion and feeling the safe space in which it becomes manifest. During the stories, the children learn that the youngest (king, princess) can cope with the "trials" set before them and everyone will receive their deserved reward.
Release the tension!
For preschool and elementary school age groups the movement is also key. Just think about the fact that a child experiencing great emotional stress certainly stomps, sometimes wags his hands and feet. For the anxious child who expresses his negative inner states in this way, we should provide the space for movement, e.g. run, climb, swing to release your tension through movement.
For small children who do not experience anxiety so intensively, we should also provide physical activity, such as e.g. swings or children's yoga.
Photo: He's extraordinary (translated by Viktória Szabó)
Photo: Positively Present (translated by Viktória Szabó)
Create and be creative together!
At this age, the hands become more skillful, so a creative techniques are also added to the palette. Children still have concrete thinking, so they can best express their inner emotional states through actions. Kneading, painting, cutting, gluing. These act as self-soothing while the child looks inward, focuses, ponders and concentrates on one thing. If a child has expressed bad feelings, then even a to a caretaker can also give you this "delicious bite". The drawing does not have to be "artistic", it is enough to draw out the bad feeling. Even if the problem is not solved immediately, it can still bring him relief. Later, if you want, we can sit down and talk with him about what he drew and what he thought and felt when he drew it.
Teach him to relax!
In all cases, relaxation techniques help to calm down and consciously focus inward. Relaxing and stretching the muscles, and the conscious use of the appropriate breathing technique help to relieve stress, reduce anxiety and the occurrence of aggressive behavior, and support calming and self-control. For children, relaxation is of shorter duration, includes more movement and story elements, and requires the presence of an adult.
And during meditation, we teach our child how to observe himself and his surroundings in a calm state.
The above methods can also be used for older children, especially the method of creative techniques, movement activities and progressive relaxation.
Summary
In this article, we have collected tips and tricks for dealing with milder anxiety that you can try and apply at home. If it occurs to you that your child is particularly anxious, it is worth contacting your family doctor or psychologist about the problem. You can learn how to recognize that your child is anxious from this article: What is childhood anxiety? – Part 1: How to recognize when your child is anxious!
