Stress, Kids & Families–What to Know!
Stress Happens! And when it does we have a lot of power to claim our calm and rebalance with ease.
Children and teens feel stress, just as much as adults. Adults may worry about finances and adult relationships. Youth may worry about school expectations and peer friendships.
What causes us stress isn’t as important as understanding that the intensity of the feelings and physical toll stress can have are common, regardless of age. We all have stress hormones that get set off when we feel or perceive danger. Danger can be physical, social, emotional or other ways, too. The real or perceived threats activate our bodies’ nervous system. We feel stress and anxiety.
If there is high stress within the family dynamics or neighborhoods children pick up on those cues. They perceive danger or unease. They also have their own stressors, while caring about those of their parents and caretakers. As a matter of fact, babies growing inside a womb get the direct dose of stress hormones that momma is experiencing and this can make children more highly sensitive to stress hormones across their lifetime.
Encountering a child’s claim of stress, should be met with compassion and understanding. Tell kids you care. Tell them that stress is a normal part of life, but that coming to trusted adults is important. They don’t need to manage it alone. As a matter of fact, stress runs on a continuum from positive to toxic. Positive stress motivates us to pay the bill, make the call to apologize, or to get our homework done. Moderate stress is buffered by support and caring relationships and we have time to recover. Toxic stress is frequent and lacks social supports or the buffering from caring, trusted relationships. Toxic stress can make us ill.
Aim to become the best trusted adult for the kids in your life and give them access to other caring, trusted adults—because sometimes, even when we are trust-worthy, a child needs a different adult to go to for certain issues.
Model and offer healthy coping strategies, like breathing exercises, creative outlets like coloring or crafts, a walk or fun physical activity, a long 20 plus second hug, sitting quietly with good posture and humming a favorite tune. There are lots of healthy ways to claim our calm and teach kids along the way.
As an adult, how we model coping with stress matters. It is important not to associate your stress with behaviors such as use of substances (alcohol, nicotine products, cannabis) or yelling, arguing or driving mad. Kids will learn from us. Instead, we can use techniques to help us rebalance stress with ease in our lives, to activate our biological systems for calming.
Treat Yourself to Learning!
Save The Dates! WFCN offers a series of community trainings designed for adults who are care about and for children—at home, in the community or through work. All three courses will be offered in October 2024. Register soon and www.wfcn.org/events
Power of Connection: October 22 and 23 from 5:30 to 7:30 p.m. via Zoom.
Attend both sessions to learn what research tells us about why toxic stress matters and how understanding neurobiology, epigenetics, adverse childhood experiences, positive childhood
experiences, resilience and hope can mitigate impacts. $40 per two-session series.
Power of Hope: October 15 from 3 to 5 p.m. via Zoom.
Learn how hope is the most reliable predictor of thriving in the lives of individuals, families, schools, organizations, neighborhoods and other communities. Hope is measurable and it can be
learned. This two hour session allows you to measure your own hope, understand the principles and elements of hope and tools to help you be a hope giver! Free. Funding from Whatcom County Health & Community Services supports this work.
Power of Ease: October 4: 18 and November 1:
Attend all three sessions to gain knowledge and skill- building to activate your parasympathetic system in order to claim your calm, restore balance to stress cycles, and lend your calm to others when stress takes hold.
$60 per series or $20 per session.
For more information contact info@wfcn.org
Find Us At the Trick or Treat Fair on Halloween!
M.A.D. H.O.P.E. Youth Mental Wellbeing and Suicide Prevention Program, a program of WFCN, will share at table with Mount Baker Community Coalition at the EWRRC’s Trick or Treat Fair on Thursday, October 31 from 5 to 7 p.m. Come to pick up information about how to help yourself and others when they are dealing with anxiety, depression and suicidal thinking. These are skills for everyone to know! When a community feel confident, capable and supported, we can make a difference. Connection Saves Lives!
M.A.D. H.O.P.E. provides in classroom training at the middle and high school levels to all Whatcom County Schools and youth organizations. To request a training contact Sav Schell at volunteermadhope@wfcn.org
For more information about M.A.D. H.O.P.E. visit www.madhope.org