How To Build Resiliency In Children

Let's start with what Resilience is, Resilience is the ability to bounce back from adverse(otherwise intense) events that life throws our way.

Challenges in life are inevitable. As parents, you will see your children finding certain situations difficult. This may make you feel like you should do everything for them, so they don't feel the need to struggle or to hurt. This will cause detrimental effects on your child later on in life. There are many tools that can help your child navigate through these difficulties.

Here is a list of some of the things that can make challenges easier:

1. Encourage your child to make friends: Social support make others feel better in adverse situations, hence it is very important that your child builds a social group. As a parent you can help your child build social skills, encourage friendships that you believe can support your child's wellbeing and explain importance of such connections

2. Encourage your child to help others: This is especially useful for children who feel helpless. The act of helping others will make them feel empowered and confident. How can you do that? It depends on your child's age. It could be volunteer work, asking for assistance in your tasks, playing on sports teams etc.

3. Keep a daily routine: Children thrive in stable environments. Make sure to include your child in building a routine. This way they are more likely to feel comfortable with it. Discuss topics such as wake up times school time and activities, play time, other responsibilities. It is all age dependent.

4. Teach your child the difference between things they can and can't control: Some anxiety can motivate us to get more done, sometimes taking a break and assessing what can and cannot be done can be necessary. Challenge unrealistic thinking by asking your child to examine the chances of the worst case scenario and what they might tell a friend who has those worries.

5. Teach your child self-care: Self-care is important for adults as well as for children. This can include teaching your child to eat mindfully, sleeping hygiene, taking time to rest, the importance of brushing our teeth etc. This may be making more time to eat properly, exercise, taking the time to shower, wash ourselves, and brush our teeth, get sufficient sleep and time to have fun.

6. Nurture a positive self-view:

Remind your children about the events and ways they have successfully handled them, as well as how these events help to shape us.

7, Expose your child to safe risks:

We want to avoid situations that can create trauma for them however, we need to challenge them one step further. For example, a child who is afraid of walking on the wobbly bridge, won't be ready to just walk by himself on it. However, offering to walk on it with your child or holding his/her hand while he walks on it can be a first step to build this confidence. Our jobs as parents is to ensure that we help our children to face these fears, conquer them, and to never look back.

Never Push your child to limits they are not ready for, everyone has a different pace and is unique in their own way. Encourage your child to strive and be anything they want to be in life(DO NOT PUSH THEM TO BE WHAT YOU WANT) Encourage your child to see the world, explore different opportunities, giving options and allowing your child to decide for themselves what they want in life. Then encourage them to continue and help them along their path, never pushing them or expecting more then what they are trying to do.

I Hope to hear all of the stories how your children faced their fears this week along with you as parents, because everyone as fears, the learning never ends whether your a child, a adult, or a senior. How have you built Resilience in yourself or your children in the past? I hope to see you all following along and stay tuned for the next post on how we can build up ourselves as adults and our children to be the best version that we can be.

Growth4Life