Coping with Stress: Helping Young People Feel Safe with Their Emotions
Stress, sadness, and anger are a natural part of growing up.
For children and teenagers, these emotions can sometimes feel overwhelming, especially when they don’t yet have the tools to manage them.
At EMBRACE, we believe it’s important to start with reassurance:
It’s okay to feel what you’re feeling.
Coping skills are not about controlling or suppressing emotions.
They help young people regulate their emotional responses, keeping themselves at a safe level when situations feel too intense.
Simple Coping Skills That Can Help
Breathing exercises
Slow, deep breathing helps calm the body and refocus the mind. For younger children, “belly breathing” (imagining the stomach as a balloon) can make this easier and even fun.
Positive thoughts and affirmations
Repeating a calming or encouraging sentence can help shift anxious thinking. Gratitude lists or positive reminders can gently reset the mind.
Visualization
Imagining a safe or happy place helps redirect attention away from worry and toward calm, comforting images.
Creative activities
Drawing, writing, singing, or listening to music gives kids’ emotions a safe outlet, especially for those kids who find it challenging to express their feelings with words.
Physical movement
Walking, stretching, sports, or even simple movements like lying on the floor with feet against a wall can help release tension and reset the nervous system.
The Role of Adults
Parents and caregivers play an essential role.
Listening without judgment, offering reassurance, and gently reminding children of the coping skills that help them most can prevent emotional overload from turning into a crisis.
Encouraging young people to discuss their feelings (even when it feels uncomfortable) builds emotional confidence over time.
Building Emotional Safety
When children and teenagers are given space to feel, reflect, and cope, they become better equipped to handle stress in healthy ways.
At EMBRACE, we aim to support this journey, helping young people feel understood, supported, and empowered.
Source: LCMC Health, Five coping skills to help manage anxiety and stress
