5 tips to help your anxious child and improve their mental health
On Monday 23rd March in the UK our lives were turned upside down and we were told we needed to stay indoors to protect each other and the NHS and what a roller-coaster it has been. Whether you are still working as key workers, working from home or suddenly have more time on your hands than you know what to do with, we have all felt the effects of this lockdown, but have our children?
Children are incredibly resilient and some bounce back easier than others, however, anxiety can show in many ways and it is certainly something that we need to look out for and catch as in children it can escalate due to their vivid imaginations. Therefore, we have researched some behaviours to look out for and some simple free techniques to help ease their worries and get them through this tricky time.
Anxious behaviours to look out for are: –
-Becoming irritable, tearful and clingy
-Having difficulty sleeping
-Struggling with eating
-Angry outburst
-Starting to wet the bed
-Negative thoughts in older children
-Lacking in confidence with everyday challenges
What can we do to help? –
Talk it out
A problem shared is a problem halved and when it comes to children this is half the battle! Calmly talking to them and let them use their own words to explain how they feel. Try not to squash their thoughts as silly or wrong. Nine times out of ten you will not be able to give a solution, however by saying that you understand how they feel will lift their burden and help them to feel lighter.
Exercise
There have been many celebrities giving their time throughout lockdown with free online workouts to help keep us all moving. Exercise releases a chemical in our bodies called endorphins and it is proven to help anxiety, so find an exercise that works for you and your family and do it as much as you can.
Get to nature
Woodland walks or beachy strolls will do wonders for little one’s minds. Connecting with tangible natural surroundings helps to calm the mind and in turn helps logic take over.
Tech break
Taking a break from technology can help massively with anxiety. Mobile phones, tablets and computer games create a world that doesn’t really exist yet it can be all consuming as if it were. Putting a cap on usage time or a break all together will reduce anxiety and create healthy habits for the future.
Listen to music
Music has the ability to take us straight back to happier times. When we listen to music, we also relax which improves our mood so, put on your favorite songs, dance and be silly, you’ll soon find the whole family is smiling.
Try at least one of these a day and we guarantee the whole family will be feeling better in no time and hopefully any anxiety your little ones are experiencing will start to ease.
Baa for now x
