4 psychological techniques to calm nervous children

Dealing with our children can be complicated at times. Especially in moments when their emotions are triggered and they are not able to control them. When our children are nervous, we see them suffering and we want to do everything possible to calm their negative feelings as soon as possible. However, sometimes we need some outside help to calm our children. Therefore, in this article you will find 3 effective psychological techniques to calm nervous children.

The best psychological techniques to calm nervous children

We are going to list some prior considerations so that you can choose the technique that can help you most at all times:

Depending on your own personality, the relationship you have with your children and their way of being, it will be more useful for you to use some techniques than others. That’s why, It is important that you try several of them until you find the one that works best in your specific situation.It is essential that stay calm throughout the entire process. When your child is nervous or anxious, he needs you, who are his reference figure, to reassure him that everything is going to be okay. Therefore, you may find it helpful to use techniques such as deep breathing or meditation before trying to calm their uncontrolled emotions. Remember that no matter how good a technique is, you will need a little patience. Techniques to reduce your children’s anxiety or nervousness will not work by magic. Sometimes your emotions will simply be too intense. Right now, your job will be to wait for the storm to pass and accompany him during the process.

Technique 1 for nervous children: name what worries them

One of the most common problems suffered by nervous children with their uncontrolled emotions is that they see them as something very powerful and terrifying. That’s why, The first of our psychological techniques to calm nervous children is to help them de-dramatize their anxiety (Céspedes, A., 2007).

The operation of the technique is very simple. You only have to Ask your child to come up with a funny name for the unpleasant emotions he or she feels. It is important that the name be as non-threatening as possible.

Once you have found a name that seems suitable to you, All your child has to do is tell his emotions to go away. For example, if you have decided that your emotions are going to be called “Pepe,” you could say something like the following:

“Leave me alone, Pepe!” “Pepe, stop making me feel like this!”

By giving your feelings a ridiculous name and talking to them out loud, Your child will be able to downplay what he or she is feeling. and you will be able to calm down much more quickly.

Technique 2. Listen to your child

When someone tells us about their problems, usually one of our first impulses is to help them with whatever is troubling them. But in the case of our little ones, because they act less rationally than adults, Applying logic to explain to them that everything is going to be fine does not always work.

Therefore, with our children trying to prove that nothing bad is really happening can even increase the anxiety they feel. In stead of, Try listening to them actively and showing them all your affection. For example, through physical contact, with kisses and hugs. In general, if your child feels heard and protected, his nervousness will subside almost immediately.

Technique 3. Give your child an object that calms him

Several studies show that it is possible to associate an object with a specific emotion. For example, if your child has a special stuffed animal, or some accessory that gives him security (like a scarf or bracelet, for example), take advantage of it!

For example, recent research indicates that Sleeping with a stuffed animal helps children overcome night terrors. This same principle can be applied to many other situations. If your child is afraid of their first day of school, why not have them bring something with them to put them in a good mood? If it’s something small enough, the other kids don’t even have to notice he’s carrying it.

This technique will be even more effective if you tell your child what you intend. Also, if you ask him to choose an object to accompany him in his bad moments. Thus, the child will be more involved in the processand the positive feelings will be more intense.

Technique 4. The balloon

When the child is nervous, explain to him that he is feeling like a balloon. Next, give him one and ask him to blow it up until it bursts. This will help you explain to him that this is how we all feel when we are nervous or angry: we get inflated until we burst, which is not good.

Then ask him to do the same thing again, but this time without the balloon exploding. Later, tell him to let the air out little by little, without letting the balloon escape and fly away. This is how you can explain to him that, whenever he feels nervous or anxious, he can take a breath and release it very slowly to avoid exploding.

In conclusion, in the face of inaction or consent There are several techniques you can do to avoid or reduce anxiety in your children.. Therefore, we recommend putting these ideas into practice. Finally, if the situation warrants it, it is better to go to a child clinical psychologist.

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