Holidays can be a great time for enjoying family rituals, get-togethers, and gift giving and receiving. The holidays can also be stressful on families especially families that experienced dramatic changes during the past year. Some changes might be a death, a divorce, a loss of employment, financial changes or military service overseas to name just a few. Like adults, kids experience their own special stress.  To help your child, yourself and your family navigate through the holiday season, www.vivenow.com offers these 10 tips.

1. Recognize the signs of stress in children. These may include:

  • Tears for seemingly minor reasons.
  • Nervous behaviors such as nail biting and hair twirling.
  • Physical complaints, such as stomachaches, headaches, fatigue, diarrhea, etc.
  • Regression to younger behaviors: bed wetting, eating with hands.
  • Withdrawal from school friends or siblings.
  • Any behavior that your child doesn’t normally do could be a sign of holiday anxiety.

2. Take it easy. This might require taking children out of the spotlight during holiday plays or performances at relatives’ homes; reducing the time you spend at parties by combining parties and get-togethers; and limiting travel plans.

3. Take care of your children and yourself. Make sure kids (and you!) get plenty of rest. While it may be exciting to stay up late, lack of sleep often leads to increased irritability. If you don’t already know, ask your kids what is fun and relaxing for them. Do they wind down with music, reading, spending time with you, playing with siblings or doing fun activities like watching movies and sledding? Remember also, if you feel stressed, it increases the pressure and tension on your children. Cope with your own holiday anxiety. Try to avoid getting overloaded with obligations. The less holiday stress you feel, the more relaxed your children will be.

Also keep good eating habits in mind. Between parents being too busy to cook a nutritious meal at home and all of the sugary holiday treats, kids and parents end up with a stressed out, hungry family. Plan at least one healthy meal as a family everyday. Remember to toss in a healthy snack while you’re visiting the mall.

4. Remember routines. During the holidays children find their routines disrupted as they are often dragged along on shopping expeditions or taken to events over which they have no control. Especially for small children, when a routine is broken, stress can result.

5. Plan early and include your kids in the planning. Kids need some degree of control and predictability. Prolonged uncertainty, constantly changing plans or last minute decisions can all increase stress. Early planning may also help with sticking to routines.

6. Family traditions. Uphold and maintain family traditions as much as possible. Kids count on certain traditions. They can have an important grounding effect by letting kids know that even though some things have changed, other things have remained the same.

7. Limit television and video games. Limit the amount of time kids spend alone watching TV or playing video games. Encourage physical activity and interaction with peers. Need help with a teen breaking a video game habit or addiction? Check out our blog post, “Helping a teen with a video game addiction.”

8. Don’t compensate with empty promises or lots of gifts. Continue honest communication with your kids, including about holiday plans, holiday expectations, and who will be around for the holidays. If you are missing a family member this holiday season, for example, don’t promise he or she will be home in time for the holidays if the decision is really out of your control. Also, don’t compensate with lots of gifts either. What most kids really want is your time and attention.

9. Give back. Volunteering has been shown to be as good for the volunteer as for those the volunteer helps! Volunteering often relieves feelings of holiday anxiety. This holiday season consider volunteering at a food bank, kids’ hospital or community center. Check out Volunteer Match and local nonprofits for volunteer opportunities.

10. Attitude check. Both you and your children may need an attitude check before the holiday season begins. Take a deep breath, and have everyone in the family pledge to make the holiday season a time of joy and peace. Remind everyone that with the right attitude that goal can be met. Remember to laugh together and to focus on time together.

Have a wonderful Christmas and Holiday season!

Source: http://vivenow.com