THRIVE
Use guided imagery to help kids deal with stress and anxiety
Guided imagery is a simple, powerful
technique that can have many health-related physical and emotional benefits. It
can help people feel less nervous or upset, be less bothered by pain or achieve
a goal such as an athletic or academic achievement.
Through guided imagery you can learn to
work through turmoil from the inside out as you use your imagination to
actually change how you are feeling and what you are focused on. Even very
young children can begin to learn this skill by linking images in their minds
with feelings and experiences.
One way to introduce guided imagery is
to use a rubber band and ask your child to stretch it as far as it will go.
Then point out that if we keep it in this position too long it will snap.
Explain that the same thing is true for humans, we need to be able to relax,
calm, down, and get rid of our tension in order to be well.
Guided imagery is a great tool to help
with all different kinds of stress kids may face, including:
- Anxiety
- Self-esteem
- Emotional
health
- Difficulty
showing empathy
- Social
stress
- Low
energy and lack of motivation
Encourage
young people to take time to practice guided imagery. Let them know it can be
done almost anywhere at any time and can be done to help them face a particular
challenge (such as an upcoming test), or just because it's healthy and feels
good.
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