Top Tips To Calm The Kids Down At Christmas

How To Calm The Kids Down At Christmas

So how do you calm the kids at Christmas? Christmas is certainly a crazy time of year and is often anything but calm. Kids not only get excited about Santa or about spending time with family; grandparents or cousins. But are often over excited and over stimulated by the whole hype of Christmas.

So What Strategies Can You Use To Calm The Kids Down During The Festive Season?

Well the most important thing about learning how to calm the kids down, is to recognise what actually over stimulates your child or teenager. What over excites them and even what causes them anxiety or fear? Too much excitement can be stressful for the sensitive or anxious child, because their nervous system is much more acute.

Many adults want to relive the Christmas magic through our children’s eyes. But most children are far more over stimulated, over stressed than we ever were as children. So it’s always worth considering how your child naturally responds to the Christmas season. Thing about how they react to new events, surprises, change, basically things outside their comfort zone. It’s much easier to calm the kids down when you can cushion them from the impact of stressful situations.

Top Tips To Calm The Kids Down On Christmas Eve And Festive Season

Reduce Food Stimulants:

it can be more challenging at this time of year but do what you can to minimise stimulants. Sugar, caffeine, artificial sweeteners, even fats can seriously increase anxiety, stress symptoms. They are extremely stimulating and play havoc on the bodies sugar levels and digestive system.

Eliminate External Stimulants:

Encourage some seriously unplugging and time out. Information overload and blu ray from TV, computers and mobile devices plays havoc with the brain. Especially the melatonin and the bodies natural circadian rythm which is vital for good quality sleep.

Be Organised, Prepare and Plan:

If your kids are going to be out for the day or away from there normal routine. Get organised and prepare them and yourself for usual challenges. Especially if your child is extra anxious or sensitive, for example have a plan that includes some healthy cushioning from the impact of the situation. If your child is going to be exposed to a lot of noise, stimulation or lots of processed foods. Have some strategies in place to make it as less stimulating as possible. A contingency plan is key for young or sensitive kids with aspergers, autism who struggle with noise, lights, smells… E.g. take your child out for a short walk or to another room for a rest or for time out. Bring things like a book or colour-in book or a less stimulating game that can be a more healthy or balanced distraction. Bring things like healthy snacks, earphones or comforter or lovable toy for young children. These can help soothe anxiety levels and encourage a sense of security and familarity.

Boundaries:

As an adult you have to be the one that has clear boundaries that you stick to. It maybe deciding before hand how long you will stay or have your party. Clear boundaries on when your child has had enough to eat, drink, run about or when it’s time for bed. This in the long run can minimise a heap of drama, exhaustion and tantrums. Don’t be tempted to give in just because of the time of year etc. Christmas day, new year, family parties all play their toll on a sensitive or more anxious or stressed out child’s nervous system. In this state kids are often so confused they can struggle to recognise what they really need. Clear boundaries can help nip stressful or anxious situations in the bud before they get out of hand.

Be A Calm Parent Or Carer:

No matter if your their carer, guardian or parent, if you aren’t calm, you can’t expect the child your caring for to be calm. Don’t let your child feed off your emotions. Become a more calmer parent or guardian.

Manage Your Own Stress

Learn how to manage your own stress, learn to meditate properly, learn to relax properly.

Holistic Aids:

Holistic aids can be extremely useful for one off type of situations. Both lavender and chamomile essential oils can be soothing for some children. Simply add a few drops to their bath, check with children who are highly sensitive to smells. Here is an interesting article on the use of Chamomile Tea and Oil for ADHD. Lavender pure essential oil can also be added to a handkerchief and placed inside a child’s pillow slip, lavender oil is a great oil for the family first aid kit. Rescue remedy for kids is a powerfully soothing flower essence blend which can quickly reduce anxiety, stress and fear.

Teach Your Child How To Meditate:

Teaching your child how to meditate is a powerful life skill that supports children deal with stressful situations more effectively. Kids need plenty Rest, Relaxation and Repair so ensure they get enough good quality sleep. My FREE Guided Meditation For Kids can help your child relax, switch-off and set healthier energetic and emotional boundaries.

Solutions For Anxious, Stressed Out Kids

by Eileen Burns | 0 comments

Solutions For Anxious, Stressed Out Kids

Top tips for stressed out kids, children and teenagers. Looking at why so many children are anxious, stressed and depressed than calm, happy and content. Many struggle to fall off or achieve good quality sleep and most struggle to relax and switch off.

Why Is There So Many Anxious, Stressed Out Kids Today?

Well there is a variety of reasons but one of the biggest causes is information overload from technology another is toxic overload from our environment, food and substances we take in internally.

Unhealthy Conditioning And Stressed Out Kids

There is also a major problem with modern day conditioning, where we believe we are more important or are of more value in doing rather than just relaxing and just being.

Society as a whole is struggling to be present, struggling to switch off and move from that active, doing state to our more natural state of being.

When a baby is born it doesn’t need to try to relax or be calm and content it just is. But with a world based on fear and distraction particularly stimulation overload, the child becomes exposed to more anxiety and stressful environments which trigger off the stress response.

Why Sensitive Children Are More Likely To Be A Stressed Out Kid

This is an inherit problem with sensitive children who are naturally more sensitive to their environment around them, including other’s peoples physical and emotional pain.

How To Nurture A Calmer Kid Than A Stressed Out Kid?

Well the first thing you the carer or parent of an anxious, sensitive or stressed out kid, is manage your own stress.

Manage Your Own Stress

Learn how to live your own life as a more calm confident parent. Kids and teenagers feed off of their parents fear, anxiety and stress as well as their unhealthy trauma and distorted beliefs. So it is so important to address your own challenges, manage your own stress and heal your own inner child trauma.

Teach Your Stressed Out Child How To Relax

The next important thing is to teach your child simple but effective life skills that will help them experience more calm and peace. One of the most powerful ways to do that is to teach your child meditation and other forms of relaxation strategies like guided meditations. Which most children love and find easy to do.

Teaching your child how to meditate as in more traditional meditation techniques, can seriously help your child to stay centered, present and calm within them self no matter what is going on around them.

Guided meditations are also extremely helpful in supporting calmer kids, encouraging deeper states of relaxation but they are also very powerful at helping build self-esteem, confidence and creativity.

These strategies can be really helpful at teaching your child how to switch off, relax and have time out which is so important. And is a key part of ensuring a child is relaxed enough to achieve deep quality sleep.

Encourage More Relaxing Hobbies

Encouraging more relaxing hobbies for the whole family can help everyone feel more calm and relaxed. Some activities the whole family can take part in is jigsaws, mindful colouring activities, yoga, meditation or a family walk.

Reducing Overwhelm And Overstimulation In Stressed Out Kids

So many kids are in a constant state of overstimulation they suffer from overwhelm, hyperactivity and hypersensitivity to their surroundings, the information overload, the noise and toxins around them and even in them.

Most kids playtime or relaxation time is not very calming or relaxing, but full of technological devices and distractions that overload the mind. Activities that trigger all sorts of hormonal and emotional over reaction that is anything but healthy.

Just look at how much time young children and teenagers spend today on their phone, i-pad, x-box or computers. And how little time they spend out in nature, that is why it is important to…

The Importance Of Grounding For Anxious Stressed Out Kids

We might think of grounding as something new age hippies do, but there is science around benefits of grounding.

Our natural state of being is to be connected with nature, with the earth not spend most of our waking day behind a screen, sitting in a concrete home that only garden is artificial grass and artificial plants.

Just like the electricity in our home needs earthed, needs grounded so do we, that is a big reason for so many stressed out kids, teenagers and adults.

So get out into nature, take a walk in the countryside, the local park, help your family get more grounded.

Essential Oils For Kids That Are Anxious Or Stressed

Check out my blog Essential Oils For Sensitive Kids to learn about some great essential oils that are great for children that are anxious, stressed or sensitive.