As an adult we’re all too familiar with stress. We all go through this phase where we may feel tense, nervous or on edge and everything gets a little too much.
Stress is not just felt by adults but our kids suffer from it too.
The stress rate among kids and young adults has been surprisingly increased during the years. The journey from school to college and then to university is a prime time for stress overload. So are the first few weeks of midterms, send-ups, pre-boards and lead-up to final exams.
For most students exams are among the most stressful life events. There may be days of restlessness in there somewhere, but who can tell?
Children usually don’t come up to their parents and share every single thing with them but if they’re freaking out and they come to you and start to share their hectic experience, the last thing they want to hear is a lecture on ‘how important it is to do your homework’ or ‘how important it is to plan out your future’.
We’ve seen so many parents complaining about how their children don’t share anything with them, how they keep on hiding their personal life from them.
The biggest and the most common reason is that parents, instead of listening to the problems of their children, they start lecturing them and that’s the least your child wants from you.
All he wants is somebody who can understand the situation in which he is caught up, all he wants is somebody who could make him feel better.
So, parents, you have to show your friendly side when your kid is stressing out. Be your kid’s best buddy and help him get through his stress.
Here’s a list of things that you can do to help your child feel better:
Be supportive
Kids these days don’t open up with their Parents because they think what they’re going through is not something their Parents would understand, so there are not going to be a lot of days when your child shows up and tells you about how stressed out he is. So if he comes to you, be supportive.
Ask him about the problems that he’s facing at college or school. If they are struggling to concentrate when they are trying to study? Is he worried that he might fail? Is he weak in some subject? Is he anxious to meet his deadlines? If your kid has kept things to himself for too long, been bottled up then it will definitely help him if he lets his thoughts out and talks about his concerns.
Let him know that you’re always going to support him and help him out in any way possible. Do not pressure him or scold him, just give him some space and time to figure things out. Tell him that he’s got this, he’ll pull it off.
Advice him to sort his sleeping habits
We often think that it’s a good idea to sleep less and study more during exam season but it’s very unhealthy. According to a study, students require around 8 to 10 hours of sleep [2] in order to carry out daily routine tasks. Missing even a few hours of sleep can cause sleep deprivation.
You, as a parent, need to make sure that your child is getting his sleep. He needs his beauty sleep if he wants to get a good result. So ask your child to go to bed on time and wake up early in the morning, it’s a first step to a healthy lifestyle.
Ask him to prepare a ‘To Do List’
Ask your child to prepare a ‘to do list,’ so he can keep things in check. He should prepare a timetable to sort out that which subject is he going to study first, when is he going to complete his assignment and when is he going out with his friends, because he has to party to get over his stress. When he’ll start scheduling things then he will not stay behind.
Help your child to sort out his priorities
Kids need to set their priorities right. They should figure out which subjects are difficult and time consuming so they work on them first and then move on to the easy ones.
If he’s stressing out because he has too much work and not much time then just tell him to take it easy, It’s not going to be the end of the world if he doesn’t perform good in one of his tests. When he’s stressed your job is to help him calm down and show your support.
Make sure he is not skipping the meals
Usually during exam seasons students are being burdened by their school/college work so they just lose appetite.
They often get too busy in performing duties of a student and managing their routine that they get sick. Most kids, instead of eating healthy start consuming junk food or too much caffeine that their health gets affected.
You, as being be a good parent, make sure that your kid is taking his vegetables and proteins if he wants to do good in studies.
We all know how they say, health is wealth, so if your child wants to make a better future then he has to eat healthy and eat well and certainly no caffeine for the little ones.
Basic steps that might help your child to release stress
It’s very common for students to get stressed but there are some ways by which they can release stress. Though not all of these coping mechanisms work for everyone but some of them might be helpful.
• Tell your child to be optimist, he will do well in the tests, he will finish his homework on time.
• Ask your child to develop a habit of rising early in the morning and going for a jog. It is a way to release stress.
• Meditation is also a very effective way to release stress. Advice your child that if he starts to feel stressed out while studying then he should take a break of at least 5 minutes and concentrate on his breathing. It will surely help him calm down and restore his inner peace.
• Tell your kid that it’s okay even if things aren’t going right and accept that there are some things he can’t control, and so it’s not his fault.
There are lots of different exercises that can help your child release his stress but the most important thing is your support.
If you will pressure him to do good in school no matter what, then this might stress him out and results will be opposite to what you expect from him. It’s not a bad thing to have high expectations from your kids but what’s more important is that you understand them even if sometimes they fail.
The most important thing a child yearns for is unconditional love and support from his parents, so like any good parent just be there for your kid and accept him for what he is, and what he may want to become
