Help you children cope with fear and anxiety

New Delhi, Aug 12 People are developing idiosyncratic habits to cope in a world overwhelmed by a pandemic. In a matter of days the rules have changed, and continue to disrupt our daily lives to a great deal.

Although each one has a different quantum of impact, nonetheless one is still affected to some degree. Economic slowdown, the bombarding of information, a Covid-19 curve that continues to go upwards has a devastating effect on our social fabric. As adults many are extremely anxious and worried; it can be difficult to rely on usual coping strategies relating to mental wellness because we've never experienced a situation like this before. But have you ever wondered, what our children's state of mental health is?

The world is now a place wherein the mere interaction with another could be a potential threat. Children have been physically separated from their peers, teachers, grandparents, neighbours and communities. Children haven't had many experiences to help them go to a reservoir or internal "tool box" of positive energies to manage intense fear and anxiety. Any time a child faces significant change it can lead to the feeling anxiousness which can be frightening. The predictable routine which stimulates resilience to overwhelming events is missing.

A child dealing with stress may have the symptoms which approximate or mimic those of adults; they may experience anxiety, foul mood, guilt, anger, disorganisation, exhibit disruptive behaviours, increased arousal and hypervigilance, experience somatic symptoms, disillusionment and fear of a limited future.

Importantly, young children do not recognise the existence of chance events and may attribute the disaster to something they have done. Children often tune into our distress and in the absence of proper, clear, understandable information, they often make up their own exaggerated stories which may even be worse than reality.

While we may feel sanguine about protecting our children from worry by not talking about our reality, perhaps it more important to help them manage their fear and stress by being honest with them about the crisis. Age-appropriate activities and mindful manifestations can be more fruitful during this Pandemic.

So here are some tips to help children cope up with issues:

"Cloud Meditation or Sky Gazing" - Let your child become more relaxed and peaceful with this delightful experiment. A traditional Tibetan calming meditation technique called sky-gazing or cloud meditation works wonders. Cloud meditation is a great tool to develop mindfulness and it can be practiced by kids. Gazing out the window early morning is calming and soothing and helps heighten awareness to the stillness, provided you can spot a cloud in the sky. Ask them to sit in deep silence while watching the clouds, settle their attention on their breath and with each inhale and exhale let their gaze expand into the spaciousness of the clouds. Whenever their attention wanders, gently ask them to let those thoughts go, and come back to the phrase. Practice this for 10minutes every day.

"Worry Bubbles- on the relief" - This mavellous technique is designed to assist children with letting go of any worry and capture happiness. This activity is designed to help us release worry bubbles so that they feel more calm and relaxed. It is a visualisation-relaxation technique that combines thought and action to assist the child in letting go. This technique not only helps the child to visualise worries as they drift away, but it also promotes deep breathing as they are blow bubbles. Deep breathing automatically sends a message to the body to relax and calm down.

Steps: Explain to your child - "Sometimes worry feels like little bubbles inside our mind. We can feel worry in our tummies, in our brains, or pretty much anywhere inside our bodies.

1. Find a bottle of bubbles

( With inputs from IANS )