According to a recent survey, more and more children are feeling a lot of mental stress. How can parents help their child protect themselves from constant stress, overload and the feeling of helplessness?
Young people in Germany feel increasingly mentally stressed, as the results of the seventh study showTrend study “Youth in Germany”. Since 2020, the survey of adolescents and young adults between the ages of 14 and 29 has been carried out at regular intervals.
The results of the 2024 trend study show that of the 2,042 people surveyed, many feel primarily psychologically stressed. And unfortunately the trend is increasing, as study director and youth researcher Simon Schnetzer said in an ARD interviewexplained.
Young women and men feel increasingly stressed (51%), exhausted (36%) and helpless (17%), with a view to their personal development, but also to the economic and social situation in Germany.
So what can you as a parent do to help your child find strategies for dealing with psychological stress?
1. Emotional support
Every person reacts differently to stress and stressful situations. What already makes one person's blood boil, another can smile away wearily. That's why it's important that children can recognize their own limits and learn that they decide for themselves where these limits are.
Feelings play a big role here. Stress, for example, makes us short-tempered or mean. Anyone who can recognize this also recognizes the stress and, very importantly, the trigger for this stress.
Children must therefore learn to recognize their own feelings. You have to know what they mean. This can be achieved with open and honest communication. Parents who listen to their child, show understanding and offer help give them emotional security. He feels taken seriously and knows that his opinion and feelings count. This strengthens self-confidence and resilience.
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2. Self-confidence and self-worth
Those who know what they are capable of and what they are worth, i.e. those who have good self-confidence, are less susceptible to psychological stress.and self-esteem are what parents should pass on to their child.
This can be achieved by trusting a child to do things according to their age. Letting it do it yourself and also letting it make mistakes. Allowing him to make decisions, even if they seem hopeless. It encourages you to try and achieve the things you want to achieve over and over again. And it praises and gives recognition when it works hard for something, even if (big) success doesn't happen at first. True to the motto: The journey is the destination.
3. Learn to deal with stress
Constant stress and pressure make you sick. We have to protect our children from this. Nevertheless, we must give them opportunities to master challenges independently and take responsibility. We can and must trust them with things so that they can grow.
Only those who learn to deal with difficult and sometimes stressful situations have the confidence to tackle problems and work on a solution.
4. Healthy lifestyle
Mental health is also related to good physical health. That's why it's important to model and teach your child a healthy lifestyle. This includes a balanced and varied diet, regular exercise and sufficient sleep and rest breaks.
5. Media consumption and literacy
Digital devices and social media can cause stress when consumed excessively. Social media in particular can disrupt and distort a child's self-image.
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Parents should make sure that their child does not come into contact with Instagram, TikTok and Co. too early. When the time comes, digital media should be introduced carefully and in an informed manner. This means it has to know how to behave, which data you should never reveal and where dangers lurk. Ideally, children discover digital media and offers together with their parents and thus learn to understand them better. And the amount of time a child spends on screen should always be appropriate for their age.
Also very important: Children who are on a PC, tablet or cell phone should always have a balance for their screen time.
6. Social contacts
A supportive environment contributes significantly to psychological well-being. Family, friends and all the positive relationships in a child's life help him do this. That's why parents can always encourage their child to maintain social contacts and experience things together with friends and/or family.
At the same time, parents show their children what healthy social relationships are and how they can actively participate in a community. As a rule, children also copy this behavior.
