How To Calm A Stressed Kid

One of the things I feel most strongly about as a parent and an educator is the unnecessary stress high stakes tests place on kids. Putting aside the fact that standardised tests do a terrible job of preparing kids for the real world, kids are (unnecessarily) put under immense pressure by parents and teachers to perform well in these tests. Increasingly, kids are stressed out and, in more severe cases, suffer from mental health issues.

A recent study by Stanford researchers has shown that taking a few slow, deep breaths significantly reduces young children’s physiological arousal. Out of 342 young children (7 years old on average) recruited by the Stanford researchers, half were assigned to watch an animated video with deep breathing guidance. The other half watched an informational video that featured similar animated images but did not involve the breathing exercise.

Researchers used two biomarkers to measure the effect of deep breathing exercises on the children: heart rate and respiratory sinus arrhythmia (RSA), which refers to the changing pace of the heartbeat when a person inhales and exhales. RSA has been linked to children’s ability to regulate their emotions, focus their attention, and engage in tasks.

The change in the measures was profound: RSA increased and heart rate decreased only in response to the deep-breathing video, and the effects were greater during the second half of the video, which included most of the deep breathing practice. The children in the control group showed no change in either measure.

The findings of the study show that a guided one-minute deep-breathing exercise can significantly lower physiological arousal in young children.

Or, to put it in simpler terms, a few deep breaths can do wonders for a stressed kid.

It’s important to note that deep breathing does not come naturally to young children. They need help learning how to do it. The Stanford researchers produced a one-minute animated video showing young children how to slowly inhale by pretending to smell a flower and exhale by pretending to blow out a candle.

Mindfulness apps like Headspace and Calm have been in vogue for a few years now with the growing awareness of mental health issues in adults. The Stanford researchers have flagged the need to help young children as well, and preliminary results of the deep breathing exercise they developed are promising.

Try it with your kids and see if it helps them manage their stress levels.

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