Back To School Stress Relief For Parents
Back to school time can bring added stress to both parents and children. Many parents welcome this time after a long summer of having the kids in the house but may feel anxious when they consider the challenges their children will be facing. Kids are faced with many social and educational stresses of going back to school as well as many other issues such as drug use, suicide and bullies. These stress induced fears and anxieties can adversely affect a child's performance.
Stressed out parents who are not emotionally available for their children or lack positive coping skills can often pass their stress on to the children without even realizing it. Children have their own ways of dealing with stress and internal conflict. Stressed children may show signs of emotional disabilities, aggressive behavior, shyness and sometimes a lack of interest in otherwise enjoyable activities. Many children simply don't know how to process their complex feelings. Research shows that children that are forced to live on prematurely adult levels sometimes become oppositional to following the parent's rules or those of society.
So what can you do to ease the stress for yourself and your children during this time? The good news is that there are many things you can do that can make a big difference. Here are a few ideas to get you started.
Show your child a lot of love and affection. Giving them a caring, stable environment at home can help to better develop many skills including their memory recall and problem solving skills.
Set a good example for your children. By demonstrating self control and coping skills your child can benefit by seeing how you cope successfully with stress. Using humor in stressful situations can help a child learn to use humor themselves and to better be able to keep things in perspective.
Don't overload your child with too many after school activities and responsibilities. Let your children learn to pace themselves at a rate that is comfortable to them.
Talk with your child often. Find out what is happening in their life and encourage them to talk about their problems. Whatever situations your children may be facing can often be eased with honest communication.
A well balanced breakfast rich in carbohydrates, fiber and protein can help your child have a better attention span, enthusiasm, concentration and memory skills.
Be sure your child is getting plenty of good restful sleep every night. This will help keep them healthy as well as helping them stay mentally and emotionally well grounded.
Kids need to make as many of their own decisions as possible. Avoid power struggles by letting them make small decisions for themselves often.
Physical exercise and sports are good stress reducers as long as there isn't a high stressful level of competition, pressure to perform or fear of failure.
Although the use of aromatherapy is usually associated with adults, children can also benefit from the healing and soothing scents. It can have a great impact on the emotional and mental issues children face on a daily basis. Children are much more sensitive than adults so the concentration in their blends should be at least 3 times less than adult blends. Lavender and Chamomile are excellent oils that are gentle enough for children.
Growing up and being a grown up in today's face paced world is not easy for anyone. Just being aware and taking a few simple steps can go a long way in easing your stress as well as your child's stress. And it is well worth the effort for everyone concerned.
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