As parents, it is important to recognize the signs of stress and anxiety in our children and to provide them with the tools and resources to manage it.

The child of a divorced mother was studying in 10th standard at our school. The mother lived in very poor conditions and used to beg to teach her child. One day, the child was verbally abused in the house and that minor verbal abuse drove the child to commit suicide. The mother, who was living alone and begging for her son, lost everything in an instant. Similarly, another student of mine committed suicide due to not getting a bike at home. A 30-year-old friend of mine also lost his life due to similar circumstances, causing eternal pain to his parents. There are many such incidents, of which I have mentioned only a few. This shows that there is a lot of stress and anxiety in our society, but we don’t know how to deal with it. Young children, especially, do not tolerate stress and anxiety.

Stress and anxiety are a normal part of life, but when they exceed the limits, they can have a very detrimental effect on a child’s physical, mental, and emotional health, which may also result in accidents as discussed above. It is essential for parents to help children learn how to manage their stress and anxiety in a healthy manner.

Connect with your child

The most important step parents can take is to connect with their children and listen to them. It is important to be there to listen when a child is stressed, providing a safe place for them to express their feelings. Neglecting your child is the root cause of every bad aspect of their behaviour. If you are not present to listen to them and guide them, they will likely turn to someone else for support. This will not be you, and they will not have the same feelings of parental connection. In short, neglecting children destroys them and is the root cause of every bad behaviour they have.

If some ask me about children’s upbringing or discuss their childrens’ issues, I’ll suggest them to connect with their child. This is both the primary problem with children and its primary cause.

I Wish Every Parent Knew This- Dr Afzal Badshah

Validate the feelings

If the child is connected to you, they will come to you to share their bad feelings. As a parent, this is the time to start training them for these feelings. Validate their feelings and tell them that it is okay to feel the way they do and that it is a normal part of life. I have seen a number of parents who use harsh words or physical punishment for their children’s failures. This is not the correct way. As a parent, use this as an opportunity to encourage your children and to build them up so they can use this motivation to succeed. Children who are neglected are destroyed and are the cause of all of their negative behaviours.

Tell them about the stress

Talk to children about stress and how it can affect their bodies and minds. Help them identify their own stress triggers and develop strategies for managing them. Once they are guided and become aware of stress and their stress triggers, they can manage it effectively.

Guide them to divert the attention

Encourage them to take a break from the situation and go somewhere else if they are angry. Encourage them to divert their attention in other directions, such as visiting their friends, playing physical games, or watching movies. Tell them not to stream with their emotions because they are transient. To live a better life, manage or channel them. Also, let them know that not all balls need to be played; some can be ignored entirely.

Teach them problem-solving skills

Parents can help children manage stress and anxiety by teaching them problem-solving skills. Teaching children how to identify and address issues can help them better manage their stress and anxiety.

All of these are great ways to help reduce stress and anxiety. Once the child gets the skill to handle routine stress, they can have a happy life.

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