What Are the Essential Components of Stress Management?

Parents and caregivers can help children manage stress by managing their schedules, promoting prosocial activities that benefit others as well as the individual, keeping the lines of communications open, and allowing unscheduled time for play and fun.

Establish a Daily Family Routine

Studies show that successful students have a family routine that includes eating meals together, a regular time for homework each afternoon or evening, and going to bed at a set time.

Just Say No

Set boundaries for your children. Children feel reassured and protected when guidelines are firm. Couching your "no" with care and concern is more likely to coax a cooperative response. Learn other ways to say "no," such as "Yes, after your homework is done." Help children learn to say no appropriately. This skill will be useful when difficult and stressful choices are presented during their teen years and throughout their lives.

Listen and Encourage

Listen to your child and encourage him to express his feelings, especially if you sense that he may be overwhelmed or experiencing stress. Respect her feelings and reassure her that everyone experiences nervousness, fear, and anxiety. It's okay to feel this way.

Offer Stress Safety Valves

Every child, teen, and adult needs a toolkit of stress safety valves-ways to relax or enjoy some downtime. Tried and true safety valves include taking a walk, listening to music, breathing slowly on a 1 to 10 count, even smiling at someone.

Help your children relieve some of the pressure they might be feeling by providing time and space for large-motor activities such as running and jumping. Having a special time and place for noisy activities is an excellent outlet for expressing aggression. Working with clay, hammering at a workbench, or engaging in other physically active play can help. Physical activity is a great way to relieve stress and an essential part of a healthy lifestyle.

Parents can model and teach their kids how to cope. Adolescents who feel stretched by the pressures of school, extracurricular activities, friends and family, and perhaps a part-time job can learn and practice stress management skills. For example, break a large task into smaller ones and take time out from stressful situations. Practicing healthy behaviors also helps in decreasing stress:

• Exercise and eat regularly.
• Avoid excess caffeine intake that can increase feelings of anxiety and agitation.
• Avoid alcohol, tobacco, and illegal drugs.

What Are Some Other Stress Management Tips?

Children who learn good stress management and good organizational skills can use them successfully today and forever. For example, by using a daily planner with a calendar and space for assignments, appointments, and other scheduled activities, your child can learn to plan ahead. And, make sure he marks in some moments for doing nothing at all, too.

Parents can serve as role models by managing their own stress and by setting priorities and limits, including bedtime. Scheduling time to talk and time to play helps both parents and their children handle stress.

For more tips, visit Combating Parental Stress.

Sources

Additional Resources

To help parents and teens develop resiliency and understand the role of stress in life, the American Academy of Pediatrics has created a Resiliency Web site. This site features additional information on stress reduction and coping skills, as well as a stress management plan teens can personalize to fit their personalities and lifestyles. Visit www.aap.org/stress for more information.

When To Say a Firm "No" to Your Child.

Childhood Stress.

National Institute on Drug Abuse.

How Am I? A Booklet About Stress for Kids.

Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. Feelin' Frazzled.? Stress-O-Meter.

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