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How do I help destress my 7yr old?

378 views 4 replies 5 participants last post by  mamarhu 
#1 ·
My oldest stresses out fairly easy. Nothing major but I would love to find some methods to help him relax. He's been chewing on his fingers when he gets stressed. He has 2 younger brothers who are twins so having a younger sibling is hard enough but having 2 at once has been really hard. They are almost 4 so they are way more fun now but still stressful. We are also expecting another baby this coming Feb. Its only one this time!

He is homeschooled and we typically work on school in the afternoons while my twins are napping so it's just he and I and I know he enjoys it and so do I!

He loves to read and play on the computer or play with is legos so I know all those 3 seem to relax him but I would love to find other ways to help him relax. Something that doesn't require the computer, wii or tv. I would love to stay away from those. We let him play or watch in moderation.

I have thought of finding a hammock/swing like this one: Hammock/swing I think he would LOVE to take his books and sit in that and read. He loves to swing at the park and we have a swing in the basement but not like this.

What about aromatherapy? Anything you would recommend?
 
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#4 ·
what are the things that stress him out? is it say the loudness of his brothers play. if he has sound sensitivities then no matter what you do you wont be able to relax him without taking away the source of the stress.

does he have anxiety?

also wanted to tell you, the stress usually goes down with age and maturity - whether you do anything or not.

for dd one main one was water. even today that really helps her out. she would take multiple long soaking baths on hard days - 2 or 3 a day.
 
#5 ·
Music? For my kids, I found that gentle, instrumental music (classical, Baroque, various world music types) was soothing to the whole atmosphere of the house. Just playing in the background; not sitting down to "listen to". I am a bit over-sensitive to sounds, and I find the pitch, volume, and excitement level of TV makes me stressed. Even if it is on in the other room. Even if it is a show I wanted to watch. Now that my kids are teens, they can each have a TV in their room, so I don't have to hear it in the rest of the house. Sometimes, I find myself stressed, and am not always conscious of the cause - then I realize the washer/dryer/refrigerator/furnace are all running. I can turn on Public Radio to the classical station, and drown out all that (not blasting, just enough to cover it up), and my blood pressure must drop by 20 points.

When I had a bunch of kids (I was a foster parent), the volume in the house was often pretty high. I don't mean fighting or anything - just the regular activity level was up there. While I do miss many aspects of having such a busy household, both of my remaining kids comment on how quiet and peaceful the household is now.

I wonder what the ambient sound in your house is like, and if your child is reacting to that?
 
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