In order to have calm kids, we must understand how we are calm adults. Obviously, we have given thought to personal balance, healthy environments, peace of mind. All we have to do is walk down Main Street, Anywhere, USA and count the spa, tai chi, massage, yoga, acupuncture and other studios that dot the body of merchants to see how important serenity is in our lives.

1. ENVIRONMENT. What our location looks like, how spacious it is, the surrounding smells, our comfort level in the space and more factors affect how calm we are. The temperature of the building we are in or the placement and type of lights in the classroom all have to do with our peace of mind. When these factors are physically built into the arena where our kids spend their time daily, we are using the first way to calm kids.2. POSITIVE SELF-ESTEEM. Although it is nice to be in a nurturing but empowering atmosphere, not all schools or institutes, where kids receive a large part of their education, provide these traits. Some believe in the tough love type of teaching, where the student must keep up with the teacher. Other teachers consider it a responsibility to reach the pupil. Depending upon how a student learns, these two standards make a tremendous difference in the peace of mind of the student. If the student learns and evolves well through “the very old school method” of getting the ruler to the hand for not understanding the lesson, and the school provides this; the student’s self-esteem will be positively affected by these lessons. Likewise, if the student learns well from an instructor who is determined to teach without embarrassment or learning from fear, and the school offers the more compassionate side, again, the student will learn. In the scenario where the student’s innate nature and the method are mismatched, the student can experience stress which may lead to negative self-esteem.

The fix lies with the discipline watcher, the teacher, the principal, the coaches who must be on the lookout for students in stress. Some students will act out; others will not; some will look stressed or sad or angry. The knowledge managers, meaning all the staff in a school, can notice, say a kind word and provide a program that addresses peace of mind. Having the “adults” take on the responsibility of monitoring their charges is what being responsible means But, once recognized, then what? And is it possible to be a diligent observer and provider with under-staffing and overwork? The answer, IMHO, is, “Yes.”

3. MIND-SET. It is the school’s responsibility to prepare the student’s outlook on socialization, commerce, art, and fitting in or out, whichever the student chooses. It is also the school’s responsibility to discuss the state of well-being. Yes, this is work for “at home,” but it is not exclusive and must be discussed in school. Many public and private schools have a difficult time with the fine line not to cross between what belongs at school and what belongs at home. Students can’t excel without personal balance. So the topic of how to maintain and accelerate calmness makes sense to be available at school.

Take writing and penmanship as an example. When we are in the process of learning it, we don’t really know how it will open up our lives. But after our knowledge of it becomes part of our life, only then do we see its benefit. The same goes for talking about the state of well-being. In school, we are told to put our heads down to rest, to run around the track, to eat nutritionally. Are we taught why all this is important? Do teachers realize that this has to do with mind-set as well as code compliance? It is crucial to mention the state of well-being topic so that the student knows it is normal to consider it and so that, when the student is offered a class in well-being (such as tai chi or yoga), the student will connect the training to the topic and both to her (his) life and gravitate toward it. Also, talking about the topic is an important part of generating the result.

4. STRESS RELIEF TRAINING. It’s one thing to talk about how we need to be balanced and another to be taught how to do it. Although a full-curriculum including mind/body training would be great in a school system and should be part of the elective class in phys. ed or health, the best training would be regular, start-of-the-day, daily exercise that became part of the standard day. It should be part of the routine that goes along with checking into homeroom, saluting the flag, placing books in a locker, sharpening pencils, erasing the blackboard. This activity would not be sporadic. It would be ongoing and is preparation for learning and responsible living. This 4th method, stress relief training for kids, is a way to erase the student’s internal blackboard so that the student is happy, healthy, feeling well before taking the first step into the daily school schedule. This regular mind/body daily training should be a standard in every educational institution.

5. KIDS CALMING THEMSELVES. The most important part of school relaxation training is for a youth or a teen to be able to take the lesson from school into her (his) own life. Translated, this means that kids hear about and are taught peace of mind at school, are exposed to physical training/mental exercise targeting stress and can easily use this training to balance their lives away from school.

This 5th and most important method of stress relief for kids is also the most challenging. What’s easy to do as part of a class is not always easy to do for ourselves. The purpose of training a small segment of stress relief training every day as opposed to one 40-minute class once a week helps us in consistency training. The mind gets used to daily work, the muscles and the mind start to remember the daily calmness. Student gets to consider the topic of peace of mind, and the roller coaster ride of class, then no class, class, then no class is replaced with a daily, consistent body of work which makes the student comfortable with the training itself

CONCLUSION. Relating in-school training to external life is what every good teacher tries to accomplish. When schools openly talk about personal balance as part of life and give kids the tools to calm down, students can maximize these lessons and give them meaning.

Students realize that the way their parents go to the corner spa, tai chi, yoga studio is a type of stress relief. If some type of stress relief training is taught at school, kids can relate it to what their parents do as a normal activity and will be less likely to suppress their stress. They will be empowered, rather than ashamed of how they feel. They will have some idea that working on a mind/body lesson is about beauty on the inside, rather than who can be the most attractive externally. They will begin to establish a foundation in how to be calm through their program at school. Because of this, they will have the ability to call the training up when they are afraid to enter the next grade, when taking a test, to combat peer pressure or bullying, when going on a college interview. when going on a job interview and other times that call for feeling balanced and peaceful.

We, as adults, find many ways every day to keep our cool, calm ourselves, balance our lives. The same opportunities should be afforded our kids at a much earlier age than we had access to it, since we know how important it is. If children learn that stress is normal, they will be ahead of previous generations. When they begin mind/body training as 5-year-olds, they will have less stress at high school time and more temperance throughout their childhood, as teens and as adults. The purposeful experience of working on stress relief will account for greater personal balance in kids today and tomorrow.

Diane Gold has translated her Corporate Tai Chi into Kid Calmer, a 5-minute method of tai chi and chi kung for the purpose of stress relief and personal balance. Kid Calmer focuses on kids and getting the training through their schooling. The grand idea is that kids will become prepared to calm themselves by using a simple method they learn in school. This method will create more balance and less stress throughout the entire world of youth. Further information on Kid Calmer can be found at: Kid Calmer article at dianegold.com/corporatechi.

Diane has put in for a Pepsi grant to install Kid Calmer programs in the Florida school systems. The vote to fund it will end May 31, but the concept will continue to be viewable at refresheverything.com/kidcalm.

Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/?expert=Diane_Gold
http://EzineArticles.com/?Kid-Calmer—5-Ways-To-Calm-Kids-And-Teens-To-Reduce-Stress&id=6162538

Family stress management can be a big reason why everyone, including the children, is able to get a good night’s sleep. With a good night sleep children are better equipped to face challenges throughout the day, as well as perform better in school. By adding these simple strategies to your bedtime routine children will fall asleep easier and wake the next day refueled, refocused, and ready for the day creating a less stressful family environment.

Blowing your worries away

Before bed children often need to decompress about the day’s events. For young children a way to offer this is to blow some bubbles. Have children imagine putting their worries into each bubble and watch it drift into the evening sky. For older children journaling, worry dolls, or placing beads or any small object into a box or plastic bottle; one to represent each worry is a way to voice concerns and put it "away" for the night. Once children have rid themselves of the "weight" they can experience a peaceful rest and be ready to face the next day.

Learning to Relax

At the end of a long day, we all may find it hard to let go of the days stress, making it hard to fall asleep, get a good rest, or focus on a task. Learning to relax is a key family stress management skill that can be learned by all members of the family. Teaching children how to "let go" is as easy as pretending to be a wet noodle or a rag doll. Progressive Muscle Relaxation (PMR) walks the body step by step through each muscle, tensing then relaxing. Start by asking your child to make a fist and to straighten their arms out tight, as if they were a tall tree trunk and then release them; imagining letting go like a leaf falling from a tree. Follow with all parts of the body until the child has completely relaxed.

PMR also offers children the opportunity to learn where in their body they harbor tension allowing them to focus on that area. By taking deep breaths or imagining a soothing color offers kids a way to "wash away" the stress of the day leading to a better night’s sleep.

Picking a dream

Have your children choose what they would like to dream about. Helping children to create in their mind a sacred place can lead to increased relaxation and a better night sleep. Create with your child a sacred space that they can go to anytime. Ask them to describe it to you, what would it look? Who would be there with you? What would you eat? The more detail you ask for, the more vivid the image, the easier it is to regain those peaceful feelings associated with the memory. Some children will combine more than one memory or include things they wished had happened or make up an entirely imaginary dream. Asking children to create in their mind a special place that brings them peace and comfort offers them an opportunity to experience tranquility and safety while falling asleep.

Family stress management is crucial in the times that we live in. Today’s children are more stressed out than ever before academically, socially, and physically due to increased media, school and social pressure. Providing children with a repertoire of tools to face challenges can lead to increase self-esteem, promote creativity, and build positive relationships with family and friends. By offering children strategies for falling asleep helps them to learn a lifelong skill and manage their own stress, all leading to a decrease in parental stress and a more peaceful home.

Genevieve M. Lowry M.Ed, CCLS has been helping children and families for twenty years. As a certified child life specialist at The Children’s Hospital of NY, she worked on a general medical floor providing therapeutic activities for children facing chronic or life threatening illness. Through play and preparation she encouraged self-esteem, mastery and control over their illness, as well as promoted choice in an environment that offers little or none. She also helped children and families cope with the rigors of a cancer diagnosis in an outpatient oncology clinic.

FOR MORE MORE STRATEGIES TO HELP WITH FAMILY STRESS MANAGEMENT, CLICK BELOW:
http://guidedimageryforchildren.com

Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/?expert=Genevieve_Lowry
http://EzineArticles.com/?Family-Stress-Management—3-Techniques-for-Getting-Your-Kids-to-Sleep&id=4952988

An increase in mental disorders, drug abuse and violence among teenagers aged 21, according to researchers can be traced back to failure of the child’s parents to respond to create "a secure attachment" in the child’s earlier formative years. There is a wide chasm of difference between a stressed, neglected and abused child and those who happen to experience love and security.

Neurobiological reactions in a person that results in prolonged stress exposure exerts much influence in a person’s personality. Post traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) normally associated with war veterans can be experienced by youngsters exposed to the stress of being partly ignored and abused by rod believing violent parents and their failure to satisfy the important needs of a growing child.

Researchers who tracked the lives of traumatized children born earlier until they become 21, found out the existence of behavioral and mental problems-antisocial tendencies characterized by irritability, aggression, and indifference to the welfare of others-their brains developed such high reactive state as if they experienced the way war veterans did. These children appears tensed, frightened and continuously prepared for imagined non-existent danger as those who have been in war. Veterans are well-trained but not these children.

Early childhood trauma from parental neglect, deprivation and mismanagement result in neurochemical reactions in the child’s brain. The brain undergoes rapid transformation in the early child’s life from two to three. There is brain damage; the more fear a young infant is exposed to, the greater damage to the brain function in latter life. Perpetual fear triggers "fight or flight reaction." Stress chemicals that put a child’s mind and body in a permanent alert status renders socialization and memory function dysfunctional. There is always an ever-present sense of danger hovering, nightmares, and lack of concentration (poor scholastic performance) and constant tension. They go around looking for trouble or hopes to find a violent incident in order for them to have satisfaction in it, and where they found none, they themselves initiate the violence which relieves their feeling of tension and fear. Attacking and attempting to kill someone brings to them a pleasurable soothing feeling derived from hormonal flow acting as natural opiates as drugs do. Violence tranquillizes them as it is a product of a natural neurochemical process in an abnormal brain function.

This problem behavior can be reversed in a situation where these youngsters could experience a form of "re-parenting" from loving supportive group of experts who become their new "attachment figure" in a rehabilitation center. They are helped to regulate their behavior, practice tension relieving methods, and acquisition of coping skills. And prepare them for future gainful employment in a highly competitive world.

Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/?expert=Mario_Castillano
http://EzineArticles.com/?Stress-in-Growing-Children&id=4811552