how do I help a child deal with stress?

We all have emotions. Knowing when, where, and how to appropriately display certain emotions is part of effective communication. While some emotions are okay to display in certain situations others may be inappropriate, hurtful or harmful when we don't understand how to control them. There are three steps we can use to help children deal with strong emotions or stress.

Three Steps To Helping A Child
Deal With Stress:

1. Think
2. Feel
3. Act

Part of helping a child deal with stress means coaching them to regaining control. Much like a volcano, our emotions can get bottled down and eventually erupt if we don't have the skills to regain control.

THINK= Think about what has happened, what is it that I have done, what is happening right now
FEEL= What am I feeling right now, name the emotion(s) I am feeling
ACT= Using the information I now have, I can chose an appropriate reaction

Reassure the child that everyone has to manage their emotions and work out stressful situations in life. Thinking about how we will think, feel and act will keep us from becoming a volcano of emotions.