These days, children and teenagers are under more pressure than ever to perform well and achieve, in and out of school. During term time in school they are being challenged by increasing academic targets year on year, which contributes considerable stress for them; and out of school the relentless peer pressures from our society’s ever-reliance on social media for communication and social interaction, can – and often does – take a heavy toll on their physical, mental and emotional wellbeing and health.
With exam season currently weighing heavily upon them, this time of year is especially difficult. Not only do revision programs and study times need to be factored into any already packed timetable, we can now also add parent pressure to the mix! Yep – with the best of intentions and nothing but our children’s academic welfare and future at heart, we too are guilty of contributing to the pressure. All of this can be incredibly overwhelming. It is therefore little wonder that anxiety and stress is an ever-increasing problem for our kids.
What can you do to help?
Children (especially teenagers!) seldom shout out to us for help and can be even less reluctant to tell us that they feel under pressure. For some children, asking their parents for help is the last thing they want to do. It can often be up to us to make sure we know our kids well and see when they are struggling. Again this isn’t always easy. Where is the balance between leaving them to get on with it; helping them; and being overbearing? Is a sulky or sullenness just a ‘moody teenager’, or the sign of something more serious? As parents, we will always try all we can to ‘be there’ for our children, but is that enough? Are we actually there for them when we aren’t able to interpret when they are suffering?
One way we can help them is to point them in the right direction to acquire the tools, exercises and self-help they need to feel empowered enough to confidently face the stresses head on. In this respect, the benefits of instilling the virtues and benefits of self-care, self-awareness and maintaining self-wellbeing cannot be overestimated. Encouraging this from a young age can benefit both you and your family to lead a more stress-free life.
Therapy Life Centre
We like to think that we understand the pressures that children face and we try to recognise the symptoms of resultant stress and anxieties. We then work with the children and parents to alleviate those symptoms; or help them understand the symptoms of anxiety and stress and even embrace them so that they can help themselves manage them earlier and indeed more effectively. Our experienced and competent therapists offer a great many treatments, therapies and workshops specifically for children (and parents) who are either seeking solutions and remedy for the symptoms of stress, anxiety and mental and emotional turbulence; or are simply looking for an oasis of peace and calm and some downtime in the midst of the hurly-burly of their daily lives.
The therapies, treatments and workshops offered by the Centre for children that we find are extremely effective for understanding and managing stress and anxiety includes;
Sensory workshops, Art therapy and Psychotherapy.
All of the above are specifically aimed at helping children through the great many ups and downs of growing up. There are no upper or lower age limits for the sessions and workshops offered (with the possible exception of Teen Yoga!) and all are welcome. There are also regular workshops and sessions that can be very beneficial to both children and adults. All is aimed to ease the pressures of daily life that today's living brings.
Therapy Life Centre 01702 433959
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By Kim Bidmead