Life is stressful! In our modern society, children seem to be experiencing stress and anxiety. Sensitive children seem to be affected frequently. As parents and caregivers, we need to learn physical, nutritional, and supplemental ways to help our anxious child.

Personal Story

I was an anxious child at certain times of my life. When I was young, I remember noticing my leg rapidly moving up and down. I became aware of the nervous tension in my body and I told myself to stop my leg and take a deep breath and relax. It helped. I don’t remember if someone taught me that trick or if I figured it out on my own, but I have repeated the process many times over my life to help me reduce my anxiety.

Physical Interventions

• Pray- Teaching children to pray in times of anxiety is a useful tool. Philippians 4: 6-7 is a good verse to learn and apply.
• Relaxation techniques- Teach children to manage their anxiety by using controlled breathing, muscle contraction, and exercise.
• Aromatherapy- Diffuse 5-8 drops of lavender oil into the air each morning and night.
• Magnesium oil for kids- Roll oil between the child’s shoulder blades when they are anxious or before bed.
• Bath therapy- Taking a bath in warm water can help a child relax before bed.
• Limit screen time- Studies are showing a link between screens and anxiety and depression in children. Current guidelines are: 0-1-year-old, no screen time; 2-5-year-old children, less than 1 hour per day; and school aged children, less than 2 hours a day.
• Help children learn to ask for help when they are overwhelmed, stressed, or anxious.

Nutritional Interventions

• Whole foods diet- include proteins, vegetables, fruits, healthy fats, and complex carbohydrates. For more information on a whole foods diet, see my Blogs 8, 14, 20, 26, 32, 38, and 58.
• Eat regular meals and snacks to keep blood sugar levels even- Eat something healthy about every three hours.
• Eliminate or limit these foods: refined sugars, food additives, fried foods, and spicy foods.
• Good food to combat anxiety: The B vitamins must be taken in daily because they cannot be stored very long in the body. Choose these vitamin b-containing foods: meats, sea food, eggs, lentils and other pulses, nuts, seeds, green vegetables, dried fruit, and whole grains like brown rice.

Supplemental Interventions

• Quality multi-vitamin/multi-mineral
• Vitamin C- This is a good choice to help with stress reduction.
• Magnesium- Calm for Kids is a product that contains the calming mineral magnesium.
• Chamomile tea- Chamomile, German is an herb that has been used with children for centuries. It has a calming effect on the body. People should avoid chamomile if they have severe allergies to asters, chrysanthemums, and ragweed.
• Passionflower- Passionflower is a useful herb for anxiety. Passionflower uses is supported by clinical studies for anxiety disorders. There are no safety concerns.
• Ashwagandha- Ashwagandha is an adaptogen that helps the body adapt to stress. Use caution if there is a nightshade sensitivity.

Action

Don’t ignore the anxiety symptoms your child has. Take steps to become educated and seek help immediately for the well-being of your child.

Resources:

For Magnesium Oil: https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B013PNZE22/ref=as_li_tl?imprToken=bgIcKiL77eVqpkx6qO6YYA&slotNum=15&ie=UTF8&camp=1789&creative=9325&creativeASIN=B013PNZE22&linkCode=w61&tag=anxiotoddl-20&linkId=ZHYDQMPI6K7UEI4J

May God bless your healthful endeavors!

Joni

P.S. What experience do you have with this?