- Behavior
- Health
- Parenting
Discover calming ways to help your family manage stress
In this article, you’ll find answers to questions like:
1. How to ease stress?
2. How to self-soothe?
3. Who can help?
There are many calming options to explore with children of all ages — and also for yourself. Let’s face it: Your stressed child can make you stressed.
Parents can help pre-teens and teens identify stressful triggers at school, says Amy Simpson, former executive director of Boys Town South Florida, an agency funded by Children’s Services Council.
1. HOW TO EASE STRESS?
“Ask what bothers them most — being called on to read in front of the class, taking tests, or deciding where to sit at lunch?” Simpson says. “Next, prepare your child by practicing — taking a deep breath, introducing himself or herself to a potential friend, or talking in front of an audience — so they are ready when the real situation arises. For homework, have them prioritize their time and decide what’s most important for effective time management.”
Just like us, the children we love may get angry, upset or frustrated when things don’t go their way. It’s important that people of all ages learn foundational calming skills to foster positive and healthy relationships for a lifetime. Even the most low-key parents need help managing family stress at times.
2. HOW TO SELF-SOOTHE?
“Deep breathing, counting backward, squeezing a stress ball, applying hand lotion, excusing oneself to the bathroom, washing the face, and walking away to a quiet place can all be very calming activities for parents and adult caregivers,” says Deborah Newell, director of Positive Parenting Program, known as Triple P, for Community Partners of South Florida.
“Relax,” a book by Catherine O'Neill and Toni Goffe, is filled with fun ways to teach children to calm themselves and offers advice on where to start with role-playing, suggests Renée E. Layman, chief executive officer for the Center for Child Counseling in Palm Beach Gardens, an agency funded by Children’s Services Council.
3. WHO CAN HELP?
Does the drama worry you? Do you think your teen is overreacting? If you're concerned your teen's behavior is causing strife at home, there is help.
Five local organizations provide a variety of compassionate outpatient services to children of all ages, as well as counseling for parents, through the Children’s Behavioral Health Collaborative. A grant from Palm Beach County’s Community Services Department funds the collaborative. For more information, click here or call 561-588-3477.
You can also reach out to Triple P programs, which are free and focus on positive parenting and family strengthening. Triple P, funded by Children's Services Council of Palm Beach County, is provided by:
SOURCES:
• Deborah Newell, program director of Triple P, Community Partners of South Florida
• Renée Layman, chief executive officer, Center for Child Counseling
• Amy Simpson, former executive director, Boys Town South Florida
• Children's Behavioral Health Collaborative
You May Also Like
-
- Behavior
- Parenting
- Safety
Help, my older teen is spiraling out of control! Where do I turn?
Of course, it’s natural to have questions and concerns if your older teen is skipping or flunking school, running away or becoming physically threatening. Read on for insightful gu …
Read More -
- Behavior
- Education
- Parenting
7 smart tips to get your teen to put down that phone and READ!
With the rise of smartphones and video games, it's more challenging than ever to entice teens to read for pleasure. Here are seven smart ways from a local expert to get — and keep …
Read More -
- Behavior
- Health
- Parenting
Tips to communicate with your partner while raising a teen
Honesty and support are a couple of key ingredients in these three expert tips to boost harmony with your partner. …
Read More
Related resources
-
- Behavior
- Health
- Other
National Alliance on Mental Illness Palm Beach County
Family-to-Family — free 12-session course for caregivers of family members with severe mental illness
561-588-3477 Website Email -
- Behavior
- Health
- Parenting
Children's Behavioral Health Collaborative - Palm Beach County
A collaboration of five local mental health agencies that assess and treat children's serious behavioral, emotional or mental health problems
561-244-9499 Website -
- Behavior
- Parenting
Center for Family Services of Palm Beach County
Positive Parenting Program, known as Triple P, offers free seminars and one-on-one guidance to help families improve the parent-child relationship
561-616-1222 Website Email -
- Education
- Parenting
- Things to do
BRIDGES of Palm Beach County
Ten neighborhood hubs help parents raise children healthy, safe and strong
561-740-7017 Website -
- Behavior
- Parenting
Community Partners
Positive Parenting Program, known as Triple P — free seminars and one-on-one guidance to help families improve their parent-child relationships
561-841-3500 Website Email -
- Behavior
- Parenting
- Safety
211 Palm Beach Treasure Coast
Teen hotline, including online chat from 10 a.m. to 8 p.m. daily. Or, texting available 24 hours a day by texting your ZIP code to 898211.
2-1-1 Website Email