My daughter, like many kids, experiences stress physically with stomach aches and headaches.
In fact, headaches, stomach aches, vomiting and bed-wetting are all common manifestations of stress. Daniel Goleman’s book Emotional Intelligence revealed to the world that Emotional Intelligence (EQ) strongly predicts future success in life so it’s quite important we help our children manage their stress and worry. Plus, it’s just better for their health to not worry or fret, right?
How do I help her? Here’s what’s working for us.
PHYSICAL ACTIVITY
Make sure your children get daily physical activity. This is good for children with ADHD, too. Actually all children.
If it’s outside activity, even better! Both Vitamin D and outdoor green are mood-boosters. Spend time outside running, swinging, jumping and playing.
BREATHING AND VISUALIZATION
We try different visualization techniques at bedtime. One such choice is Stress Free Kids, a line of books, CDs and curriculum with characters and stories. A Boy and a Bear, The Affirmation Web, A Boy and a Turtle and The Goodnight Caterpillar are some of their options.
The book, Imaginations: Fun Relaxation Stories and Mediations for Kids by Carolyn Clark, has great visualization scripts that we read at bedtime. Our current favorite is about blowing up a balloon.
BOOKS
For books about emotions, I love the “When I Feel” books by Cornelia Maude Spelman. She also has other titles which include:
When I Feel Scared
When I Feel Jealous
When I Feel Good About Myself
When I Feel Angry
When I Feel Sad
When I Care About Others
What to Do when you Worry Too Much by Dawn Huebner is a good book. We’re halfway through reading it together. It talks about making a rule that you can only worry for 1 hour a day, and putting worries on a worry shelf.
How Else Do You Help Your Child?
Photo credit: Ignas Kukenys from Vilnius, Lithuania / Foter.com / CC BY
