School is winding down and that can mean stress — especially when you have an older kid in the house. Final exams and AP tests cause lots of worrying as the school year draws to a close. This makes me sound ancient, but I sure don’t remember high school being this tough way back when I was that age.
With test stress comes a bit more crankiness, back talk, and general grumpiness. There’s also a tendency to stay up late, forget about exercise, and snack on junk.
So maybe it’s time for forgiveness and a little gentle encouragement. Forgive the sass and edginess and help your kid avoid those unhealthy habits:
- Keep healthy snacks on hand. Make sure cut-up veggies and hummus or cheese and crackers are in the fridge and pantry instead of chips. Slice fresh fruit to plop in refreshing, cold water so they’ll reach for that instead of a sugary soda.
- Get them away from the desk. Even if it’s only for a few minutes at a time, call for an exercise break from studying. Have children run the steps, do jumping jacks, or dance like crazy to their favorite songs. Remember, exercise helps your kid’s brain.
- This one’s tough, but try to enforce bed times. Remind them that getting enough sleep will keep their brains sharp for tests. Sleep is always better than cramming. Here are tips for helping teens get enough sleep.
And, remember, this stuff also applies for Mom and Dad. Don’t gorge on ice cream because you’re worried about trying to calm your child. It’s a great idea for the whole family to shoot some hoops or take a lap around the block to blow off some steam.
For more advice, here are an expert’s tips on helping stressed-out kids.
Source: WebMD Blogs
