Consultation on the topic: Removing psycho-emotional stress in children. My baby is always crying! Ways to get your child out of stress

3 easy exercises your kids will love.

You will need:

• A4 sheet of paper
• Colored markers (thick or medium)
• Colour pencils

This exercise is great to relieve tension and calm the child if he is overexcited. Yes, and it will be useful for an adult to meditate with a pencil in his hands after a busy day.

This activity does not require prior preparation. In any house where children grow up, there are felt-tip pens and pencils, and paper can be borrowed from dad.

Preparing for the lesson: the main thing is the mood.

First make gentle flicking motions with your dominant hand and shoulder. These actions will help relieve muscle tension and focus on the feeling of your own hand.

1. Without taking your hands off

Let the child choose the color of the felt-tip pen (pencil). Show him how to put the pencil on the paper correctly, and offer to start moving in any direction. The hand moves smoothly without breaking away from the paper.
At the same time, it is very important to focus on what mark the pencil leaves on the paper and observe its movement. Help the child to tune in and relax so that there are no clamps in the hand, make sure that he breathes calmly and rhythmically.

2. Blind contour

Blind contour is drawing with eyes closed. You can turn away so as not to look at the sheet, or blindfold.

The exercise always causes a storm of delight - it's so amazing and unexpected what happens if you don't see the picture. It seems that the hand itself performs it, but in fact at this moment the brain and its analytical function are working with might and main, and body coordination is developing. The internal critic and secondary distractions are turned off, for example, looking at the picture “What am I doing?”, “What does it look like?”.

Start with simple exercise- Try to draw a circle. Laugh together at what happened. You can change places with your child, take turns drawing. Let him watch you do it. Please note that each time the movements will become more confident.

Try to repeat this exercise from time to time. You will see for yourself how wonderfully it trains intuition.

3. Coordinate system

Now let's make it harder!

Option 1:

We take a new sheet of paper. On it we will draw several circles without looking at once so that they do not go beyond the edges of the sheet. Now the task for the brain and the coordination system has become even more interesting: you need to feel both the shape of the circles and the space allowed for drawing.
If you wish, you can repeat the exercise or draw circles different colors. Just don't peek until you're done drawing 🙂

Option 2:

On a new sheet of paper, we will again draw a circle. But this time it should be as large as possible, at the same time, fit on a piece of paper. Concentrate well, turn on all non-visual orientation systems and create!

At the very end of the lesson, you can take one of the options with several circles and paint over them. Let the child choose the colors of the pencils, focusing on intuition.
Intersection areas also need to be painted over.

If the child wanted to mix colors, overlap one color with another - great. The work should turn out to be joyful and inspiring, like a fireworks display.

Even more art therapy techniques for children and other interesting creative exercises are combined in the Art Exercise course from

Symptoms of neuro-emotional stress in children

The fact that your child is under the influence of strong neuro-emotional stress can be judged by the following signs observed in him:
1. Frequent inadequate negative emotions (crying, whimpering, whims).
2. Decreased mood.
3. Unmotivated bouts of anger.
4. High index age-related fears or the appearance of fears that are not characteristic of this age (fears of a younger or older age).
5. Reduced sociability of the child (hard to come into contact with strangers).
6. High conflict with surrounding adults and children (he creates conflicts).
7. High level general and situational anxiety.
8. Absence or minimal manifestation positive emotions.
9. Decrease in cognitive activity (practical absence of novelty reaction).
10. Decreased play or learning activity.
11. Change motor activity(up or down).
12. Decreased or increased appetite.
13. Difficulty with sleep (up to insomnia).
14. Drawings on free themes usually in gloomy colors and have a pessimistic content.

Additional Criteria

1. Availability bad habits in a child (sucking a finger, tongue, biting nails, the habit of pulling hair, pulling out hair, eyelashes, eyebrows, shaking the head from side to side, the habit of fidgeting in a chair, etc.).
2. the presence of onanism.
3. The presence of enuresis.
4. Intermittent stuttering.
The presence of these additional criteria indicates that the neuro-emotional stress in the child is chronic.

Mental stress symptoms in adults

1. Constant irritability when interacting with people.
2. Feeling like you can't handle the day-to-day tasks that you've always done well.
3. Loss of interest in life (statements confirming this).
4. Constant or occasional fear of getting sick.
5. Unconscious guilt.
6. Constant expectation of failure.
7. Feeling that I am bad.
8. Difficulty making decisions.
9. Feeling unattractive in one's appearance.
10. Loss of interest in other people.
11. Constant feeling barely contained anger or rage (willingness to "explode" at any moment for no reason).
12. Inability to show genuine feelings.
13. Feeling that you are a target, an object of hostility from other people.
14. Loss of sense of humor and ability to laugh.
15. Indifference to many worldly concerns.
16. Fear of the future.
17. Fear of your own failure.
18. Feeling that no one can be trusted.
19. Reduced ability to concentrate.
20. Inability to complete one thing without leaving it and starting another.
21. strong fear open or closed space or fear of solitude.

The more you find in your this moment of these symptoms, the higher your stress index, of course, provided that the identified symptoms are not associated with any diseases. The higher your stress index, the less favorable the atmosphere in the house for the child, of course. Therefore, at the very first signs of “knocking” stress on you, it is urgent to sound the alarm and try to eliminate its cause.

(A. Barkan " Practical psychology for parents, or How to learn to understand your child")

With any strong nervous tension, not only in adults, but also in children, stressful condition. It is a physiological response to exposure. environment which evokes different feelings in children. What causes stress in children?

The main factors in the occurrence of stress in children can be, for example, the beginning of kindergarten attendance, school enrollment, the transition to a more adult period, and many others. Stress affects the psyche of each of the children in different ways, since each child is an individual.

It is impossible to completely protect children from all life difficulties. But the parents of the child, by their behavior and calm reaction to various circumstances can significantly reduce the level of anxiety and nervousness, along the way teaching kids how to properly respond to life's challenges.

Under stress in the body of a child, minor temporary adjustments occur. After the termination of the stressful state, it is restructured to normal functioning.

Causes of stress in children

The appearance of stress in a child can be determined by his behavior or health status. Children can be completely out of control. They get tired quickly, weakness, nausea, even fever may occur.

There are two categories of causes of stress in children. These are reasons that depend on age and reasons that depend on the situation in the family. There are also common causes stressful conditions, such as the appearance of another child, moving, divorce of parents, domestic violence.

Up to two years, a stressful state can come from separation from parents, especially from the mother. Children are also very sensitive to the feelings and anxiety of their parents. In such cases, you should distract the baby from the home environment with a walk in nature, drawing, exciting games. This will help overcome stress.

A preschooler can get his first stressful sensations when he enters playgrounds, where he has to get acquainted with a new environment that is different from his family. Here the baby first communicates and interacts in games with his peers.

Kindergarten is a new social environment for a child and it takes time. Therefore, the first visits to this preschool always cause stress for the child. After all, in the family he was surrounded only by people close to him, who constantly pay attention to him. Now he sees around new environment, many of his peers, the experience of communication with which he will have to acquire on his own. Here stress can also arise due to conflicts with other children or caregivers, coercion to observe the daily routine, fear of loneliness.

The next stage in a child's life is school. At this stage, the causes of stress in children are many. These are relationships with classmates or teachers, competition between children, possible academic failure. Understanding that a child may be inferior to peers in some actions and not understanding that this is normal can plunge him into despondency and depression.

Toddlers in primary school age are very impressionable. They may be worried and nervous about negative information from videos on the Internet, messages about natural disasters, wars. For this age, the cause of stress in a child may be misconceptions about himself as a bad student, an unlucky comrade or remorse for committing any misconduct.

Kindergarten and stress

Many psychologists rightly consider the attendance of preschool institutions by children under three years old as harmful to the child's psyche and his development. The speech of a baby attending a nursery develops more slowly than at home with parents due to communication with peers with the same level of speech. Insufficient development of speech leads to the fact that the child does not have the opportunity to express his feelings. Therefore, he experiences even more and falls into a state of stress.

Long-term stay of babies outside the usual family environment can further affect all communication with parents. Due to the inability to compose phrases and sentences, children can hide their own experiences and anxieties. In the future, they will also not share them with their parents. Kindergarten and stress contribute to the fact that children begin to keep their anxieties and thoughts to themselves.

A child's stay in kindergarten is separation from their parents. For a baby, this can be proof of his own uselessness or betrayal. Fear of losing parents, fear of the unknown further stay in the kindergarten provokes the baby severe stress. Therefore, adaptation to new conditions can be difficult and lengthy.

It is very difficult for children who often get sick to adapt in kindergarten. Therefore, it is recommended that such children not be separated from the family for as long as possible. At the age of about three years, the child already feels like a person and tries to prove it to others. This is a kind of developmental crisis that increases the sensitivity of the baby, which can further aggravate adaptation in the kindergarten.

There are three groups of risk factors that contribute to severe adaptation to kindergarten. The first group refers to the prenatal stage. This includes harmful conditions work of a pregnant woman, alcoholism and smoking, stressful situations during pregnancy, toxicosis and illness. Even the use of alcohol by a husband on the eve of conception can lead to a complicated adaptation of the child to a preschool institution.

The second group refers directly to childbirth. These include incompatibility of the Rh factor of mother and baby, asphyxia, birth trauma.

The third group includes postpartum factors risk - prematurity or postmaturity, drinking and smoking during lactation, feeding artificial mixtures, depression, poor material and living conditions, incomplete family.

Some of these factors associated with pregnancy and childbirth are irreversible and cannot be changed. But the factor of influence of smoking can be completely excluded. In the presence of several of the listed risk factors from visiting a child under three years of age preschool better to refuse.

Stress in a child from visiting the hospital

After visiting the hospital, children become irritable, withdrawn, whiny. Appetite may be lost and sleep disturbed. The reason for this behavior is the stress in the child from visiting the hospital. He feels betrayed by his parents, who allow him to be hurt in their presence.

To get a child out of a state of stress in this case, you need to provide him with a calm, familiar home environment as soon as possible, give the baby more attention, captivate him with his favorite games, creativity. You should follow the usual daily routine. It is necessary that the child feel the care and love of adults for him. All these actions will contribute to the speedy exit of the child from a state of stress.

Regular physical activity, thoughtful daily routine, full-fledged healthy eating, deep sleep are an excellent prevention of stress in children and increase the possibility of easy and quick adaptation.

Ways to get your child out of stress

The main task of parents is timely detection symptoms of a stressful state of the child and its withdrawal from this state. Signs of stress common to all children include depression, insomnia, headache, anxiety. These symptoms depend on the age of the child. Rarely seen individual symptoms- stuttering, hair loss.

Two methods of getting the child out of stress are determined. The first method involves eliminating the causes of stress. The second method is to develop in the mind of the baby a certain strategy for dealing with stress.

If the reason depressive disorder is a failure homework due to the heavy workload of extracurricular activities, the child's participation in clubs or other activities should be limited. This will free up time for the main activities and save the child's energy. The cause of stress will be removed.

It happens that the cause of stress in children cannot be removed. Then, after finding out all the details of the child’s experiences, you need to explain to him that it’s not worth making a tragedy out of trouble, but out of all difficult situations there is always a way.

Parents should remember that they need to constantly openly demonstrate concern for the baby, listen to his opinion and desires. Before forbidding something, it is necessary to clearly explain to the child why it is necessary. Otherwise, the ban will be perceived as pressure on his freedom. It is very important for the baby to carry out relaxation well thought out by the parents.

For this, outdoor recreation with the whole family or watching your favorite movies together is well suited. And the most important thing for a child is the feeling that dad and mom are always there, always support. Then he is not afraid of any stress.

The main manifestation of stress in a child is abrupt change his behaviour. Some babies may behave like babies: they begin to suck their thumb, wet the bed. Older children become withdrawn and silent, avoid communication with peers and adults. Stress can manifest itself in frequent drops moods, outbursts, loss of control over their behavior. A sign of stress is a convulsive tic: twitching of individual muscles, frequent swallowing, winding strands of hair around a finger, etc. Against the background of stress, a child may develop fatigue, nausea and psychosomatic disorders.

What are the causes of childhood stress?

Stress in a child is a reaction to something new, with which the baby, due to lack of experience, cannot cope. Mechanism child stress triggers an intrusion into the child's life of something unfamiliar and unpleasant, which may haunt him in the form or memories. The causes of stress reactions largely depend on the age of the baby.

In newborns and children under 2 years of age

in a newborn or small child stressful conditions can provoke illness or separation from mom (or other loved ones). The kid is sensitive to the experiences of adults and can "infect" their stress.

In children aged 2 to 5 years

Stress in a preschooler can be caused by short-term or long-term separation from loved ones, visits to a hairdresser or doctor, as well as other disturbances in the usual way of life.

In children of primary school age

In a child under the age of 10, failures in school, difficult relationships with classmates and teachers can become causes of stress. Another reason may be internal conflict when the kid blames himself for committing a misdemeanor.

How to help your child deal with stress

Let the emotions out

The child does not yet know how to control his emotions. Frank conversations with adults, keeping a diary, any hobby will help to solve the problem of negative accumulation.

Solve the problem together

Feel free to discuss his problems with the child, if necessary, seek help from psychologists or those people who are an authority for the baby.

Compensate for emotional stress

Moderate physical exercise are good prevention. emotional stress. A child can attend a sports section or a swimming pool, ride a bike, etc. All these activities contribute to the production of “happiness hormones” (endorphins) that help to cope with stress.

Follow the regime

Compliance with the daily routine helps to normalize the mood and behavior of the child. Nutrition should be balanced, exercise should be moderate, and sleep should be full. It is important to avoid situations when the child refuses to eat, sleep or rest, misses school.

Instill confidence in your child

A child needs support and faith in the future even more than an adult. Tell your child that difficult periods in life are always replaced by bright and joyful ones.

Help your child relax

Communication with friends, shopping, cartoons, computer games or a massage session. Invite your child to choose one of these activities and teach him to pay attention not only to negative, but also to positive points.

In some situations, the above measures may not be enough, since the child's body cannot cope with the consequences on its own. nervous tension, emotional experiences and overwork. In such cases, experts recommend taking medications from stress for children. Such funds are subject to increased requirements, in particular, they must have a high safety profile, not cause dependence and addiction.

• a wide range of effects (the drug soothes, relieves external signs stress, improves memory and concentration);
• not found side effects drug.

Tenoten Children's - peace and cheerfulness of your baby!

The main way to deal with stress in children under two years of age is increased attention, caress, care of parents. Already with a child of 5 months they help in overcoming stress joint games, for example, hide and seek. While playing, the child understands that parents do not disappear forever, that soon they will appear. Parents always appear, they are somewhere nearby, even if the child does not see them all the time.

Influence matters a lot breastfeeding to the child's stress. For a small child, being at the mother's breast is the best sedative. Breastfeeding both mother and child is forced to distract from problems, focus on each other. The child thus feels protected.

The mood of the parents matters a lot. Aggression, depression of adults only exacerbate the condition of the child.

Children 2-5 years old

Very common at this age is stress in a child after kindergarten. Parting with parents for the whole day, new conditions, people - all this is stress for the baby. The child is faced with the need to communicate daily with peers for a long time, and the experience of such communication is usually not enough. The child feels insecure in the new environment, and there are no parents around to hide behind.

Signs:

• Regression in behavior: return to the nipple, the child again urinates in the bed, in the pants.
• fear, aggression, uncontrolled seizures rage, bad mood.
• Hyperactivity. At increased activity the temperature may rise from stress in a child.
• Stuttering, nervous movements.
• Tears in response to everything new.

You can help your child in the following ways:

At any age, stress can occur in a child after the hospital. Often, calm, balanced children become capricious after a stay in the hospital, cry at night, ask to be held. At this time, you need to be very attentive and affectionate to the child, not to overstrain him with active games, new impressions. We need to help him regain his confidence.

junior schoolchildren

The most common causes:

• Difficulties at school: poor progress, grades, competition, fear of teachers.
• Problems in communication with peers.
• Home Changes: Birth younger brother or sisters, divorce of parents, moving.

Symptoms:

To overcome stress in younger children school age need to find out its cause. This can be helped by casual conversation during a walk, drawings in which children often depict their fears, role-playing games in which the child must show how he would behave in a certain situation. Using abstract examples, you need to teach the child to cope with unpleasant situations.

Teenagers

Signs of stress:

• Loneliness. Withdrawal from communication with peers and family.
• Uncertainty.
• Absent-mindedness.
• Fatigue, bad sleep.
• Irritability, aggressiveness.
• Restlessness.
• Overeating, smoking, drinking alcohol.
• An obsessive desire to lose weight, build muscle.

To help a teenager overcome stress, you need to give him the opportunity to speak out. How more baby says, the faster the emotional sharpness of what happened is lost.

A good method is to model the situation, that is, the child should imagine that the traumatic situation was resolved by others, less in a painful way. It is important to make it clear to the child that no one is immune from mistakes, stressful situations. You can talk about your childhood, experiences and experiences.

Not all teenagers are easy to contact. AT special occasions You need the help of an experienced psychologist.