Entries in Stress (1)
Stressed Out
Our children experience more stress than we might imagine. To me, the idea of childhood stress seems contrary to the very nature of childhood, which is supposed to be a carefree time filled with opportunities for play and friends and joyful experiences. But in fact, my own children lived through many stressful events as they were growing up, not the least of which was the period when their father and I were separated and on the verge of divorce.
I imagine most parents have known times when their children suffer from anxiety at night or tummy aches in the morning due to issues at school or incidents with other children. And I think many of us forget that we can teach our children ways of talking themselves down from stressful situations in their lives.
I have just found a program that offers some tools for dealing with childhood stress. The three CDs, created by Lori Lite, are available separately from many sources (see my resource page). They are Indigo Dreams, Indigo Ocean Dreams, and Indigo Teen Dreams. The CDs contain “c hildren's stories designed to decrease stress, anger and anxiety while increasing self-esteem and self-awareness.” That does sound like a dream! On the CDs, m usic is combined with a relaxing voice telling brief stories. Many parents say their children emerge from listening to the CD feeling more positive about themselves. Others report that their children ask to listen to the CD several nights a week. I have not tried them yet, but I intend to use them in the groups of children and youth I work with. I will report the results later in this blog.
Kathleen Capcara
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