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Nowadays, the level of competition is getting higher and higher as the days go by; on top of that many children also have to go through several stressful life events like anxiety, depression, deaths in their family, or their parent's divorce.

Additionally, after the pandemic, the situation got worsened for the young generation as it took a major toll on their mental health. Children have to go through all of it and a pandemic makes that situation worse. According to a recent survey of kff.org, parents reported that the mental health of children got worsened more during the pandemic.

Source: kff.org
 

All of these situations could make children act out in an uncertain way or they could go through several mental health problems as well. However, as a Teacher, you can help them to overcome stressful situations and help them to adopt a positive outlook towards life.

In your journey of helping the young generation Certificate in Counselling Course for Teachers could be of big help which will enable you to notice the difference in behaviour of children those who need special attention and help them to face their mental problems.

So without any further delay let’s get to know every little detail that what stressful life situations could do to children’s mental state and how you can help them.

How do Stressful Life Events Affect Children's Behaviour?

Stressful life events can have a profound effect on children’s behaviour. For example, a child can experience difficulties with concentration, memory, and decision-making. They may also have difficulty engaging socially, maintaining interpersonal relationships, and forming healthy attachments.

Moreover, a child may feel fearful, anxious, or overwhelmed by their environment, leading to feelings of isolation and self-doubt. The pressure of succeeding could take a toll on children’s mental health, which could lead to hampering their work completion capability and punctuality as well. Additionally, the children could also become aggressive and started to be on guard.

As a teacher, it’s your responsibility to notice any further changes you see in your young learners in terms of their behaviour, which could be affected by the stressful situations, they might have been dealing with.

It’s also your duty to create a helpful and safe environment and help them to come up with various skills and strategies to cope with whatever stressful situation they are dealing with. With the right kind of help, your young learner will be able to cope up with stressful situations with confidence.

Various ways you can help stressful children

Every teacher’s responsibility is to provide support to his or her young learners in any possible way. If your students are going through a stressful event that is affecting their mental health then you need to create a nurturing and helpful environment for them.

However, you can do that only if you are able to understand the need of each student who’s suffering from certain life events so that you can help them to create strategies to cope with stressful and challenging life events.

Below we have shared 5 simple but effective ways in which you can help your young learners to cope with challenging life events.

1. Teach them to understand their emotions:

Teachers need to take time to help children identify and understand their feelings, both positive and negative. It’s important to teach children what a healthy emotional response looks like, and that emotions can and should be expressed in an appropriate way.

2. Teach them to cope with emotions better:

Children are different from adults and their ways of expressing emotions is also different. Sometimes they become overwhelmed with emotions and may act out in an unexpected or inappropriate way. Teachers can help them to cope with challenging situations in life by giving suggestions like relaxation techniques, positive self-talk, affirmations, and journaling.

3. Create a nurturing supportive environment:

Help children create a support system of people they can turn to in times of need. Teacher can also provide children with emotional and social support. This can include developing a peer support group, finding a mentor, seeking out a therapist, and connecting the child with other adults in their community.

4. Encourage them to participate in extra-curricular activities:

Participation in activities and hobbies they enjoy can help children stay focused and engaged and can provide an opportunity for them to take their minds off from stressful situations.

5. Help children develop a positive outlook on life:

One of the most important things you can do for your children is to help them develop a positive outlook on life. This can be done through positive thinking, setting realistic goals, and encouraging them to pursue their dreams. It's important to instill in them a sense of hope and possibility, so that they can view the world in a more positive light. By doing this, you will help them to lead happier, more fulfilling lives.

Teachers could help students to deal with stressful situations

Stressful situations could cause a significant mental breakdown in children. It could affect their both emotional and behavioural development. As a teacher, you must be able to notice any changes in children’s behavioural patterns and help them to cope-up with stressful and challenging situations. You can follow the above 5 ways to help them and Certificate in Counselling Course for Teachers course also could be of big help in your journey of helping those young learners.