Expert / 9 March, 2022 / My Baba

Coping With Anxiety: Breathing Techniques For Kids

Can learning a breathing technique calm my child? When children become anxious or emotional, they often are not able to communicate how they are feeling. This leads to tantrums, over excitement, becoming withdrawn or crying. The behaviour they display comes out of the blue and can be exhausting or embarrassing for parents or those looking after the child. Being able to prevent or minimise those moments, would not only be helpful for the carer, it would help the child too.

How can I support my anxious child?

At the moment what’s happening in the Ukraine is bringing tension to many households, but there are many ways to support a child when they are not feeling their best. Finding out what may be troubling them is not always possible, however teaching them simple skills they can use when overwhelmed may help. One of these skills is easy and free. Simple breathing techniques for children.

Breathing techniques for children

It is helpful to practice breathing techniques when the child is relaxed and calm initially, as they are more likely to understand and enjoy the experience.

Set the scene carefully. Find a space that is calm and has little distraction. If possible outdoors, where it is safe and the child can sit or lie down. If this is not possible, maybe create a safe space that the child will begin to associate is their retreat, a place they can go to when they are overwhelmed. It could be a corner with cushions, pictures that remind the child of happy times (let them choose) placed on the walls, essential oils such as lavender, a blanket and a favourite teddy!

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Get the child to sit or lie down, join them if you can. Close their eyes if they feel safe to do so. Now get them to place their hands on their tummies. This will allow them to become aware of their tummies moving up and down when they breathe.

Children naturally breathe into their tummies which is great to expand the lungs. It is something we do less of as an adult and is a good skill to re learn. Request they try and breathe only through the nose. This, you can explain, is to clean the air, warm the air for the lungs and is better to increase oxygen uptake. This may take a bit of practice, however worth persevering.

Get the child to concentrate on breathing. Count the breath in for four, hold their breath for four, breathe out for four and hold their breath for four. Again this may take a little while to feel comfortable. If you are able to work alongside the child, they will generally copy quite happily. Repeat this five to six times. Notice if the child looks and feels calm. Suggesting that doing this, especially when we don’t feel great can help us feel better. If this can be practiced daily, when the child is calm, it will be easier to suggest, as soon as you are aware their behaviour is changing.

By doing the technique alongside the child you may be able to quickly change their state reminding them they will soon feel better.

Find a safe zone for your child

If the child is allowed to retreat to their calm corner when they are not feeling great, they will associate it as a safe zone. You may begin to notice a pattern and link it with the reason for the child’s anxiety. This may help you to discuss what you have noticed once the child feels better and allow them to understand that their feelings are normal. It will help to reassure them.

Prevent information overload

Whilst technology is a big part of a life child today, especially as online learning is the normal practice for them at the moment, it can also lead to information overload. A child’s brain processes and absorbs information far quicker than an adult. They fatigue quickly too. We, as adults, are noticing how tiring it is to look at a screen for a long time. Taking regular breaks from any screen will help. Encourage the child to do something active like a little stretch or walk. Get them to practice being present. Ask them to sit still and look around them. Think about what they see, smell and hear. Then, get them to close their eyes and concentrate on what they can hear and smell. Generally, they will notice different things because there is no other stimulus. This could be a good time to concentrate on breathing too, as they will be rested and calm.

Can learning a breathing technique help my child get to sleep?

If your child struggling either to go to sleep or have good quality sleep, creating a wind-down routine may help. Removing any stimulus i.e. games, television or computer an hour before bedtime. A bath, a warm drink and a story can help your child to relax. Try to practice the breathing technique now the child is relaxed. Hopefully, the child will fall asleep quickly. It may be helpful to repeat if the child wakes up, especially if they suffer from bad dreams or night terrors.

The benefits of breathing techniques from a young age

By starting this practice at an early age the child will have a great tool to use anytime they need to.

The breathing practice has many benefits to the body alongside calming us down. We benefit purely by increasing our oxygen levels. If we breathe through the nose it communicates with the brain monitoring our environment to keep us safe, it sends information to our nervous system, controls our emotions and wellbeing.

If we practice as adults in the morning before we get out of bed and at the end of the day before we sleep, we can feel the benefits within a few days. For adults repeat the technique up to twenty times (approximately ten minutes) if you struggle to keep count, play soft music in the background that you know is about ten minutes long, so you can totally focus on your breath.

Incorporating breathing practice in your day can really make a difference to the quality of your life.

Article by Mel Holliday, author of Breathe With Bruce

About Mel

Mel started her career in medicine. She set up voluntary projects in schools, advising young people on careers in business and construction. Mel was invited to become a member of the board for EBP (Education Business Partnership) in 2012 and helped set up and chaired the charity OneMe. In 2014, Mel started practicing NLP (Neuro-Linguistic Programming), and completed her masters in 2018. She became curious about stress management techniques. During her years helping and supporting young people, Mel became increasingly aware of how some individuals were struggling with managing their stress. Piloting the models for both adults and children alike, she designed sets of tailored workshops. After creating characters for each emotion the stories began to develop, Bruce and his friends were born.

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