5 Effective Ways To Help Your Kids Cope With Stress
And these are not just the usual ones
43% of people in over 100 countries feel stressed out.
And that figure goes as high as up to 57% in the US and Canada, the highest levels of daily stress figures ever recorded.
Stress is becoming one of the major problems of this decade.
According to the World Economic Forum, one in four people will experience mental stress in their lives, costing the global economy an estimated $6 trillion by 2030.
But what about our kids?
When we talk about stress, we usually start by talking about the work pressure.
But what about the teenagers? What about the people who haven’t even started working anywhere as of now?
Teenagers are much and more stressed these days, and no one is talking about it.
The worst part, however, is that most adults are only minimally aware of the stress levels of their kids, let alone the things that stress them out.
A survey by The American Psychological Association’s Practice Directorate indicates that teenagers are stressed out about their homework, the peer pressure, the expectations and pressure from the family and whatnot.
More than 1 in 3 children reported experiencing severe headaches due to the stress, but only 13% of parents knew the reason behind it.
When you analyse that figure you start wondering whether there’s something wrong with our generation of parents.
It feels like we don’t even understand our kids, let alone their aspirations.
And this is just about the US and Canada. Imagine how high the stress level would be among kids if we walk around the Eastern side of the hemisphere.
In countries like India and China, kids are ruthlessly molded by their parents to be more competitive and to have an edge over other students.
From French class in the morning to singing class in the evening and various other subject tuitions after school, it feels like we’ve slowly ingrained what the British aristocrat kids used to go through.
You’d think that the stress levels might not be huge in upper-middle-class families kids. But that’s where you go wrong.
Rich people have the resources to not just send their kids to school, but also to make them go through various other classes, hence tying up the kids’ schedules.
When a kid is made to go through such a rigorous routine with not even a single second of his day spent playing in the parks, then it is obvious that he is going to suffer.
Not just physically, but also mentally.
Just in case you’re one of these parents, then I hate to say it but you’re the reason why your kid is so stressed out. And the worst part, well you don’t even know it yet.
Enough about the reality check now.
Managing stress in teenagers
All work and no play make Jack a dull boy and Jill a dull girl. (See what I did there?)
Even though stress is becoming such a huge issue, here are things that can help you in keeping your kids’ stress in check.
- Give them the time to play
It goes without saying that it’s undeniably important for a teenager to exercise and play their favourite game.
But with the continuous classes, and the constant workload of homework, kids don’t get enough time to play.
It’s hard to believe that kids here in India leave their homes at 7 a.m. and come back at 7 p.m.
That’s even worse than a 9–5 job. What are we preparing our kids for if they aren’t even given the chance to live their childhood?
Many studies have indicated that the parts of the brain that controls thinking and memory have greater volume in people who exercise.
That means regular exercise doesn’t just help in improving memory but also keeps stress in check.
Two stones with one bird. Now, who wouldn’t want that?
2. Allow your kids to be creative
I don’t know why a lot of people haven’t been able to figure out this point yet.
But when you’re being creative, your body releases dopamine hormone which ultimately helps us to be happy and keep the stress away.
Think about how doing something you love (let’s say playing the guitar) makes you happy. It is exactly like that.
During their teenage years, kids have a lot of aspirations. Their creativity level is at its peak and they want to try a lot of things out. Don’t discourage them from doing that.
Creativity is like a goldmine, especially in today’s era.
From creating youtube videos to writing articles, everything can be monetised in today’s world.
And if something makes your kids happy as well as helps them generate revenue at a later stage, it shouldn’t be looked down upon.
3. Talk to your kids and encourage them to make friends
But what if my kid is an introvert?
I completely get it. Even I’m an introvert most of the time.
But even introverts love to be surrounded by their best friends.
We might hate going out or making new friends, but more often than not, we like to be surrounded by people who we know best.
Talk to them like a friend would. That’s the best way to know what’s stressing them out and they will ultimately find a safe home in you.
Talking about stressful situations helps teenagers put things into perspective and find solutions to them.
4. Help them overcome negative thinking
“I suck at maths.” “I don’t think I’ll be able to do it.”
Chances are you have already heard your kids saying these things.
Whenever something like this happens, try to inculcate a positive environment.
Don’t just tell them that you disagree with them. Teenagers often go through the path of self-doubt and negative energy traps them.
Remind them about the things they’re really good at.
“Oh my goodness! Look how incredible you scored in English.”
That way you not only teach them to look at the positive side of things but also show them how to deal with negativity.
Looking at things in a positive way helps kids to build a positive mindset.
5. Less usage of Social Media
It’s not a secret that social media ruins mental health.
Various leaked documents have proved how Facebook (Ugh! Meta) knows Instagram is toxic for teen girls, and yet, it isn’t doing anything to stop it.
Why? Because toxicity becomes a habit and that ultimately brings revenue to the company.
With the consumption of social media increasing day by day and the so-called ‘perfect looking’ models flaunting all over the place, it’s no wonder that it’s going spiral us down a worrisome lane.
When teenagers access Instagram, they start developing negative thoughts regarding their own body and their ability.
It has even happened to me quite a lot of times. That’s why I had to delete my personal account.
Let your kids use social media, but put some restrictions around it. Like, let them use it for half an hour to one-hour maximum.
Stress is not just a ‘working people problem’ now. It has come far ahead from that.
And the worst part is that a lot of people or even their families don’t know they’re stressed out.
But it doesn’t mean that it will always be there. With the support of one’s family and taking proper steps, one can easily leap out of it.
And if anything doesn’t work, there is no shame in going to the psychotherapist and talking to them about it.
I talk about Writing and Self-Improvement on Twitter. Let’s connect there and learn something from each other.
If you enjoyed reading this, you might find my most-read article helpful: