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Beyond The Self-Imposed Barricades: Teaching Your Children Techniques To Be Safe In A Stressful World

We are the main form of guidance in our children's lives, from toddler to teen, but we can be a bit overprotective. While there are certain things that we can teach them that gives them a handle on progressing through life, whether it's through practical skills like teaching them to drive or paying bills, if you're a parent that is concerned about the state of the world that we live in, you are not alone! Rising costs, more stress, and a very anxiety-inducing atmosphere means that you may worry a lot. But what is the answer to this? While teaching them to be safe is is a worthwhile idea, if we shelter them too much, they won't be able to cope. So how do you teach your children the benefits of helping themselves and keeping safe in a stressful world without covering them up?



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Teaching Resilience

While we live in a world where stress can gradually eat away at us, we have to look at the ways in which we all cope with things as we grow up. Modern children have more to contend with, whether it's bullying, divorce, or the ever-increasing pressure of education. But this means that we need to give our children the ability to bounce back from adversity. It's not just something that they have or don't have, it's a skill we can help them to develop as they grow up. Building resilience is, in one respect, about problem-solving, but you have to remember as well that you shouldn't jump in. We need to give our children minimal exposure to discomfort so they can learn to problem-solve effectively. We can give them the tools, but it's all about them doing it themselves. But you have to remember that as a parent, you need to give them a caring environment because they will then remember that whatever the problem, that you are there. But this also means that you've got to develop your own problem-solving skills. So if you don't have them already, learn some, and then this will send the right message to your child. 

The Power Of Outside Help

Encouraging our children to cope in a stressful world is not just about doing it themselves. While previous generations were all about the “stiff upper lip” attitude and doing things yourself, you should never underestimate the power of what outside help can do. The power of outside help comes in many forms, it could be counseling, personal injury lawyers, or just a good conversation with someone when you're feeling down. When we live in a stressful world, our support network is everything. But it's also about the power of knowing when we've done our best and we need a little bit more support. For some reason, previous generations felt this as a sign of weakness. And we, as our child's parent, want them to ask for help if they can't do anymore. But while we feel that temptation to jump in, this doesn't help them solve their own problems, but we have got to gauge each situation on its own merit. Outside help is beneficial because sometimes it's about a different perspective. 

Arming Them With Stress Coping Techniques

If we don't give our children the tools to problem solve, then it's futile. One of the biggest problems that we all feel these days is the symptoms of stress and anxiety. Many schools are now pretty hot on stress-relieving techniques, but sometimes stress just bubbles away at us and we don't address it; we get to the point where it becomes too much for us. It's important that we give our children the tools to cope with stress, not just so they can manage their anxieties, but if they are faced with inexplicable trauma, that they can rationalize it, processes it, and go through it in a healthy way. Coping with stress is not just all to do with meditation, it's about recognizing the symptoms of stress, the fight or flight response. And if we can rationalize it and realize that it's a way that our body deals with a really stressful situation, we learn not to sweat the small stuff.

And this is something that we can all learn from. If we are teaching our children how to be safe in a stressful world, we can take this information on board. We have to remember that our children look up to us, and view us as the blueprint for living their lives. If we stress out about the most minuscule of things, how can we expect them to thrive? Perhaps it's worth going through this together, so everybody can benefit.

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