For many parents, it’s common to have children who experience different levels of anxiety and stress. It can often be disheartening to see your kids feel anxious or worried at such a young age. When you want to help your kids find inner peace, there are a few essential steps to take.
Set the Example
Kids follow our lead when it comes to how they handle stress each day, making it necessary to set the example. Remain calm in stressful situations and practice breathing methods to slow your heart rate. Avoid yelling, crying, or fretting in challenging circumstances, which will teach your child the wrong way to respond when encountering stressful situations.
Unplug from Technology
Make it a point to limit how much your child is connected to technology, whether they’re surfing the Internet or are watching movies on their tablet. Too much time on electronics can cause them to become overstimulated, making it necessary to set rules and boundaries that protect their emotional well-being.
When your child has the freedom and luxury of spending time on their electronics, download apps that will continue to promote peace. The apps can promote sleep and will allow them to stay calm. Everything from meditation tracks to inspirational affirmations is available, which will slow down your child’s body and mind when used each day.
Establish Quiet Time
Consider creating quiet time with your child where you can spend an hour reading, writing, or drawing without making any noise. Quiet time will allow your child to slow down and practice times where they have peace throughout the day, which can reduce their stress levels.
Create a quiet corner in a playroom or living room where the child can have personal space and slow down. You can add a few pillows to the area to make it easy for the child to relax and unwind in a comfortable setting that is cozy. Add a blanket and headphones where they can listen to slow-paced music and focus on their inner peace without any distractions.
You can also create a place where they can relax outside while still having peace. Choose a spot under a tree where they can sit and listen to the birds chirp. Adding a hammock will also help them take a nap or enjoy staring at the sky as they reflect on their day. Creating a space for them to slow down will make them have more of an appreciation and a need for their alone time.
Offer Encouragement
Encourage your child with affirmation each day to help them feel more confident in who they are as an individual as they spend time in the outside world. Anxiety in children is common when they begin to develop and are unsure of how to interact socially with different surroundings. Make it a point to encourage your child and point out their unique giftings, which will allow them to feel better about themselves.
Your encouragement will offer support to your child and can silence any negative thoughts that they have throughout the day when they spend time with their peers. Teaching them how to speak positively about and to themselves can also offer relief on days where they may be feeling insecure or incompetent.
Although you may not be able to have complete control over your child’s emotions, there are still ways that you can influence the amount of peace that they experience on a day-to-day basis. By taking the right steps, you can foster your child’s development and allow them to grow into a calm and composed individual.
