Performance evaluations. Rude colleagues. Projects. Presentations. Demanding boss. Deadlines. Lunch on the fly. Take-home work. TGIF!! Sounds like a typical week in the life of a career woman, but it could very well be an average week in the life of a school child.
According to Canadian Mental Health Association,"Stress costs Canadian business an estimated $12 billion every year in health claims, lost productivity and absenteeism." Although it may not be quantifiable, stress takes its toll on children too.
As an adult, it's hard to conceive of school, a place where kids play, make friends, and learn, as a stressful place. But, consider the following realities in the life of a schoolchild:
Fitting in, dealing with bullies, and navigating friendships all need to be managed.
Pressure from parents, teachers, and children themselves to succeed academically is ever increasing.
Large class sizes makes it harder and more intimidating to ask for help.
Add to that list scheduled after-school activities and homework, and it makes for a very hectic life.
Employers are paying a lot more attention to the importance of supporting a work/life balance for their employees. Maybe we parents should borrow a page from the corporate world, and do the same for our kids.
In a parent-child world, that starts with not over-programming. Understand your child's temperament. Some kids are high energy and thrive on activity, while others need more down time. One child may easily handle four activities, while another may only handle two. Either way, make sure activities are not cutting in to key elements that promote a balanced lifestyle: Having family meals together, getting a good night's sleep, down time, and exercise.
Most importantly, listen to your child.
Learn to recognize the signs of stress and help your kids deal with it by tapping into great resources, like this one.
And don't forget to take care of yourself and relax! Chances are if you're struggling with managing stress, so are your kids.
This is proudly sponsored by our friends at Pfizer Canada.
Created by the Psychology Foundation of Canada in collaboration with Pfizer Canada, Stress Lessons is a free resource designed to help you teach children how to manage stress today, and for the rest of their lives.
www.morethanmedication.ca/en/stress_lessons
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