Anxiety sucks! I’ve suffered from anxiety for years but seeing my kids experience anxiety in the past year because of the pandemic has really been difficult.
The pandemic turned the world upside down. I thought that my kids were adapting well until I started seeing some signs: one of my twins started worrying about little things and continually asked the same questions, my teen, who was ripped away from his social life, was having belly aches and took 3-4 showers a day, my daughter would wake up crying and lashing out. I also found they had difficulty focusing.
With the challenges the pandemic lockdowns brought on, I went on the hunt to find new ways I could help my kids. I’ll be sharing natural remedies as well as some new habits we incorporated into our day-to-day life in order to decrease the anxiety levels of our household.
CUT THE TV
We did something drastic! We cut the cable at home. I found that listening to the news had a negative effect on all of us especially the kids. With a pandemic, it was hard for us not to listen to the news every single day but what I realized was that my kids were experiencing more and more anxiety.
Once we decided to cut the cable I saw a huge difference in their moods and stress level. They were less agitated. I started putting on more zen background music throughout the day, as we homeschooled, ate, or when they played with their toys.
CHANGES IN OUR ROUTINE
It's no secret that a proper routine helps kids feel safe. They know what to expect of their day and that makes them feel in control.
I used a huge chalkboard to write our daily activities. This set the tone for the day; they knew what to expect and looked forward to fun activities and the weekend.
We added more family games and movie nights which gave us a chance to connect and encourage conversations.
MOVEMENT
Lounging at the beginning of the pandemic was okay but when anxiety sets in, that’s the last thing you want your kids to be doing. We incorporated more movement.
We took advantage of all the time we had at home by teaching them how to skate, discovered new nature trails and snow activities, took longer walks… whatever we could to make them move throughout the day. We live in Quebec and winters are rough. When it got colder, we bought them indoor scooters, moved furniture around, and made use of our air hockey tables.
Diet
When the pandemic first started, it was all about Netflix and take out but after a few days of eating just about anything, we decided to get back on track with meals. I printed out a weekly meal planning sheet that allowed us to get much more organized with home-cooked meals.
More home-cooked meals meant more conversation about what was going on around the dinner table. We answered their questions and encouraged them to share how they were feeling.
JOURNALS
Journaling for me has been a great way to put my worries, thoughts, and fears ideas out on paper. Since I've begun journaling every single morning I have found that my stress level has decreased which is why I bought them all their own age-appropriate gratitude journals and I encouraged them to write in them every single night before they went to bed. Here are a few of my favorites.
MEDITATION
There's no doubt that the effects of meditation on your kids are gianormous:
Kids feel calmer and can control their emotions better.
Kids have an increased emotional capacity to deal with stressful events such as exams or personal problems.
Behavior is improved.
Lower levels of depression and anxiety.
Improved memory.
Here is my favorite app with kids-friendly guided meditation under 5 minutes for the younger ones.
Getting my teen on board with meditation was a bit more difficult. Since he does have an iPhone we downloaded an affirmation app that he likes and uses every morning.
Products
Therapy Balm from Scentered
I discovered this company inside a subscription box that I bought for myself. You can read more about their company here. I have their balm handy and rub it on my temples, wrists, and neck when I feel stressed. The ingredients are toxic-free and 100 % natural.
Diffusing Oil:
I must have an oil diffuser in every single room in my house… our favorite scent is lavender. I diffuse lavender pretty much daily but especially every night to help us all sleep better.
The pandemic has definitely brought on strong feels for everyone but I find it empowering to be able to help my kids through this difficult time with simple changes in our routine, new habits, and natural remedies.
Tell me in the comments how you help your kids deal with anxiety!
Be well
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