Last week Tanya Byron had a piece published in the national press all about children suffering from executive burnout. A weird use of words I thought however, having read it I realised that Tanya was talking about stressed children and the pressure that some children are feeling. She says that some children are suffering similar symptoms to stressed adults who are working incredibly hard and trying to fit in the demands of a family too. We all know how hard that is! Life is a real juggle sometimes but should we allow our children to worry about things and get stressed. It is not very healthy for their small or growing bodies to hold stress and we certainly don’t want them to take on stress that is not for them. Stress that parents should carry.
Helping Stressed Children Avoid Burnout
Children may be pushing themselves too hard and are possibly being pushed too hard too by their parents or teachers. I see many children who are feeling like they are carrying a heavy load and find themselves tired, not sleeping and anxious about things going on at school, with friendships and possibly at home too. Small minds have quite a lot to contend with and so we must be able to help them.
Feeling strongly about this whole subject area I fed my thoughts into ParentDish and they have posted my thoughts on how we can help young people cope with the pressures of modern day life. Have a read of the article here: Tips for Helping Stressed out Children and Teenagers. I think the most important thing we can do is give them strategies to relax and encourage them to have a balanced life. Work hard – yes but play and don’t put unnecessary demands on yourself too.
Have a read of The Parent’s Toolkit for more ideas on reducing stress and worries.
Image courtesy of David Castillo Dominici at FreeDigitalPhotos.net
