At the current moment in society is living, we are constantly subjected to a lot of pressure and demand, both social and personal, that leads us to a state of permanent stress. Children and tennagers are not unaware of this situation and are also victims of states of anxiety and depression, caused by daily activity, school, family dynamics etc. For that reason it is very important, from a young age, provide them with relaxing experiences and gradually through special techniques, make them aware of the importance of relaxing both physically and mentally, this helps them to have better social relationships, overcome shyness, strengthen their self-esteem and react efficiently to the anguish, sadness and those emotions that cause discomfort.
As parents, it is important to analyze those circumstances and attitudes of ours, which produce stress and discomfort in children and teenagers, how we relate to them, how we exercise authority, our tone of voice, etc.
There are very effective relaxation techniques to work with the little ones, for example:
Massages
Using scented oils, massages are performed throughout the body with gentle movements and connecting affectively with the child, muttering loving words or a song.
Jacobson’s Progressive Relaxation Method
This is one of the most widely used methods worldwide. It is based on relaxation from the contraction of the muscles in order to relax them afterwards. The children lie down on the floor in a suitable place for it and we will tell them to tense and relax different parts of the body. You can start with individual parts, with wide groups: hands, arms, shoulders, neck, jaw, nose. Gradually, the different muscle groups can be grouped together. We’ll tell them to press to feel the tension and after a few seconds, release to notice the bloating.
Balloon Activity
We must ask children to become balloons. To do this, they must both inflate and deflate by imitating balloons.
Breathing techniques
One of the easiest relaxation techniques is to concentrate on breathing, consciously realizing inspiration and exhalation. They are asked to sit comfortably in the butterfly position, legs bent to meet feet in the center, they are placed soft music and asked to breathe deeply through the nose, counting up to 4, retain the air counting up to seven and exhale through the mouth, Counting up to eight, this technique is called 4, 7, 8 , they can be told to place one hand on the stomach and another on the chest and feel the movement that produces inhalation and exhalation in these parts of the body.
Guided Imagination
This technique is very useful for reducing tension and anxiety, especially in children with a high level of imagination. It is about creating in the imagination of the child a safe and relaxing environment where the cause of anxiety cannot affect them. For example, a wooden house on the mountain, a jungle full of animals or a beach. This process of imagination is to be guided by the therapist, teacher or parent in a way that provides an environment with elements that are pleasant and reassuring to the child. Relaxation can be enhanced with soft music and a calm, deep tone of voice.
Mandalas
Painting mandalas is an oriental relaxation technique. We don’t need to know any concrete style, because the one who colors it does it according to his tastes and imagination. They can be performed at any age, encouraging creativity and aesthetics.
LARM, your home away from home!
Key words:
Family, children, teenagers, relaxation, massages, mandalas, imagination, LARM.
You can find more articles like this by clicking here .
This article is intellectual property of LARM Colombia SAS. It is forbidden to reproduce partially or totally the content of this post.
