What to Do When Your Kid is Losing Their Cool

Uh oh. Your kiddo is super stressed, feeling anxious and getting emotional. Telling them to “calm down” doesn’t work. And what stressed kid likes to be told that anyway? I have a cool trick that you can do anywhere, any time that will help them feel better fast.

• It’s so simple but can be really powerful.
• It’s a very gentle and drug-free technique to soothe stress and relieve anxiety in your kids.
• It’s focused on pressing gently and slowly on certain joints.

I’ll tell you exactly how to do it and then we’ll look at why it works.

To start, you just hold your kiddo’s wrist and press gently and slowly. Switch to the other wrist with gentle pressure. Move up to their elbow and switch arms and joints until they are less anxious. You want them to feel more stable and calm.

This works by affecting the autonomic nervous system. When we’re stressed kids (or adults!), our body goes into fight-or-flight mode, making us feel more anxious. But this gentle pressing activates the parasympathetic nervous system, which is our body’s chill-out mode. It helps balance out the stress response and makes us feel more peaceful and centered.

And it’s not just for kids! Anyone feeling stressed can benefit from this trick. It’s like a comforting hug that helps you feel steady and secure when things get tough.

You might be in a place where you can’t get or give a comforting hug, like in a busy crowd or public area. That’s when this technique is extra helpful because it’s easy to reach out to your child’s wrist or your own. It’s a portable way to calm down and get back to feeling okay.

While we don’t want to use this trick too often, it’s great to have it in our toolkit for when we do need it. I want you to see it as an important tool for taking care of your children and yourself.

So when you’re looking for a quick, simple, drug-free way to find peace and balance or help a stressed kid, remember this gentle pressing technique. When you know how your body and your nervous system work, you’ll also know how to use such powerful and simple actions.