7 Ways to Improve Your Grandchild’s Emotional Well-Being

Instead of creating a perfect world for your grandchildren, focus on giving them the skills they need to solve problems and conflicts. Without emotional intelligence, your grandchildren may not be able to handle or overcome the stress, disappointment, or adversity that is also a part of life. Before you turn to medication or an emotional support animal for a grandchild with anxiety, try these seven ideas to help your grandchildren develop emotional well-being.

Feeling the Feels

As grandparents, you want to protect your grandchild from sadness, hurt, anger, and pain. As unpleasant as negative emotions may be, they are just as valid as happy emotions. Children should learn how to express all emotions and process how they feel. Encourage them to talk, or, if they prefer privacy, to draw or write about their emotions.

Learning Mindfulness

Dealing with anxiety is difficult for many children, and since it can persist in adulthood, it is important to have techniques to manage it. Meditation is just one method; you can also try breathing exercises, taking a time-out or break from a situation, and staying present in the moment. Mindfulness can also work for ADHD; imagine how these exercises, along with natural ADHD medication for kids, could make a difference in school or with friendships.

Being Honest

Lying to your grandchildren, even if they are little white lies, is a temporary solution, and ultimately, most children find out the truth about situations sooner or later. By maintaining a positive outlook, even when explaining unpleasant truths, your grandchild can learn to temper reactions.

Creating Healthy Habits

Emotional and physical well-being go hand in hand. Model those behaviors that you would like your grandchild to adopt, or make these self-care tasks a part of your family’s everyday life:

• Eating whole foods
• Enjoying treats in moderation
• Exercising regularly
• Getting proper rest
• Spending time outdoors
• Maintaining structure or routines

Emphasizing these lifestyle aspects of wellbeing also reinforces the importance of self-care, which can only help your grandchildren when they grow up.

Limiting Social Media or Screen Time

Every member of the family benefits from less time spent in front of a screen. Practice what you preach and set an expectation of time spent away from computers, phones, or video games as another part of your routine. The same goes with too much news; control how much news coverage your grandchildren see to prevent fear of local or world events.

Being Consistent

One of the best parenting hacks is consistency. Grandchildren like to push boundaries, and if you do not stick to them, they may not learn to accept circumstances as they are. Reliability does not come naturally for all parents, and this may be a learning curve for you as well as your grandchild.

Getting Help

Recognize when your grandchild needs more than you can give. Whether it is seeing a counselor or checking Brillia reviews for anxiety supplements, know when your grandchild may benefit from the advice of a professional to manage emotions.

Addressing emotional wellbeing may not feel like a priority, but if you do it when things are good, your grandchild can handle those times when things are not so good. These approaches are healthy for you as well, and they provide another way to stay connected to your grandchildren as they mature.

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