4 Tips for Helping Your Child Cope With the Stress in the World Today
Being a kid has always been stressful, no matter what decade you grew up in. However, today’s world with it’s cyber/school bullying, new drug addictions, and untold peer pressure, stress seems to be worse on children than it ever was in the past. While parents may feel helpless, there are quite a few ways that you can prepare your child to cope with the stresses that are present in the world today. With that being said, read on below for a few of the top tips for helping your child cope with stresses in the modern world.
Don’t Just Talk…Listen
While it’s extremely important that you talk to your kids, it’s just as important that you listen to what they say as well. Studies show that listening to your kids and keeping up with their daily activities, can help you spot signs trouble like extreme stress. You can also look for symptoms of drug addiction, which will give you the time you need to get your teen into a reputable opioid addiction and treatment center if the situation warrants. Listening to what your child is saying, instead of just telling them what they should or shouldn’t do, goes a long way towards not only getting to know your child but relieving stress as well.
Avoid Your Own Stress
Believe it or not, when you’re stressed, even if you don’t let on to your teens, they can feel it and they get stressed out as well. There are some things that fall under the category of being done for your child’s own good and then there are those that aren’t really necessary and stress you needlessly. The most important thing to remember is that if you want your child to be happy and healthy, avoiding stress yourself is one way to help them, since they worry about you more than you might think.
Prepare Them to Deal With Mistakes
It’s important to note that nobody is perfect, and you shouldn’t expect your child to be. Let your teen know that it’s okay to make mistakes, that it’s just part of the process of growing up and being human. If your child is constantly worried that you’re going to be upset with them for not being perfect, they will stay stressed and that leads to problems a parent doesn’t want to have to deal with. Learning to cope with the mistakes they make is just as important as making them, and you can help with that by preparing them ahead of time and letting them know it is okay to not be perfect.
Make Regular Bedtimes a Priority
All parents tend to become slack on bedtimes as their kids hit the teenage years. That’s fine, but it’s also important to ensure your teenager makes sleep a priority. If your child isn’t getting enough sleep, it is a clear sign that they are overscheduled and need to cut back on some activities. Being overscheduled leads to stress, it’s a fact.