Many parents are surprised to learn that anxiety is not just an adult problem. In fact, it’s estimated that 4.4 million children live with symptoms or anxiety on a regular basis. In kids, anxiety may manifest itself in seemingly unrelated ways, including excessive energy, difficulty concentrating, using the toilet often, or constantly having negative thoughts. Children who are frequently anxious may also get angry or irritable quickly and may have trouble controlling emotional outbursts.
Fortunately, there are various things you can do to help your child, including giving him or her calming tablets for children and teaching mindfulness. Here’s a beginner’s guide to understanding mindfulness and how it can help your child become more calm and in control of his or her emotions.
How Mindfulness Works
Mindfulness is a type of meditation. It involves being intensely aware of what you’re sensing in a given moment. It helps promote intense focus and can assist children in forgetting about the thing, person or situation that is causing them distress. When used in combination with natural anxiety pills, mindfulness can be very effective at helping children find and maintain a sense of calm and well-being.
Mindfulness includes a variety of methods, including guided imagery, deep breathing and other techniques that can relax both the mind and the body. Often, children who are hyperactive and anxious are suffering from a heightened fight-or-flight response, which can cause the body to be unusually “wired” and energetic. This is because the sympathetic nervous system is ready to fight or flee at any moment in response to a perceived danger that may not be present. When done correctly, mindfulness can help calm this response and deliver the child’s mind and body into a state of greater awareness and calm.
To help your child practice mindfulness, have him or her sit in a comfortable position (many prefer to sit on the floor with their legs crossed). Invite your child to focus on the feel of his or her breath going in and out. If his or her mind wanders, that’s OK. Just continue encouraging him or her to focus solely on the breath moving in and out of the body. Set a time limit of 5 to 10 minutes for this exercise.
Sleep Meditation
Guided sleep meditation is one aspect of mindfulness that can help children let go of worrisome thoughts. If your child struggles to get to sleep at night or frequently awakes from bad dreams or feelings of fear, sleep meditation may help him or her develop healthier sleep patterns. You may also want to administer calming tablets for children as part of this method to encourage greater restfulness at night.
To perform sleep meditation, encourage your child to focus on his or her breathing. Encourage counting while breathing, which can signal to the body that it’s time to slow down and relax. Next, urge your child to imagine a peaceful scene and let go of any worrying thoughts. Talk your child through the scene with a calm, soothing voice to help him or her enter into a relaxed, trance-like state. Finally, instruct your child to focus on gratitude so he or she will learn how to recognize positive things in life instead of hyper focusing on negative things.