Stress Busters for Kids

BY CAROL L. RICKARD, LCSW

A contractor CAN'T build anything without "tools"! A fireman CAN'T put out a fire without "tools"! A person CAN'T get control of stress without "tools"! This book is to make sure YOU get the "tools" needed to get control of STRESS. There are two parts to this book: Part 1: Now You See It! And Part 2: Now You Don't! Together they give you all you need to be a Stress Buster!

PART ONE: NOW YOU SEE IT!

Imagine this… I hand you a big bottle of root beer and ask you to shake it up – A LOT! Maybe you even drop it on the floor… So, what do you think will happen to the bottle of root beer? You're right! The PRESSURE builds up inside! And once the pressure gets built up It stays there… It won't go away on its own. The fact is the PRESSURE doesn't go anywhere until we so something to let it out! And, it's not good to have too much PRESSURE build up inside the bottle. Two things can happen… #1) It comes SPILLING OUT & leaves a big mess. #2) It STAYS In and ends up ruining the root beer. It's best to avoid both!

People are just like the bottle… Things happen in life that shake a person up. And…just like the pressure built up inside the bottle, STRESS builds up inside people! And once the STRESS gets built up – it stays there. It won't go away on its own. In fact, the STRESS doesn't go anywhere until we do something to let it out! (We'll talk about this in Part 2). And just like the bottle, it's not good for too much STRESS to build up inside of people! Here's what happens to people when too much STRESS builds up… #1) It comes spilling out and leaves a BIG MESS. Have you ever: Said mean things or things you wished you hadn't said, yelled, got in a fight, broke things, or got in trouble? #2) It STAYS IN and ends up ruining your health. Have you ever: Felt anxiety, can't sleep, gotten headaches, ate too much or not at all, felt sad & depressed, couldn't concentrate, or worried a lot?

Do any of the following things STRESS you out? Going to school, being bullied, homework, family members, rules to follow, friends, being around people, disagreements, teachers, getting sick, parents, tests, running late or waking up late. Important news: A situation that causes one person stress may not cause you stress! Everyone is different! Can you think of other things that are stressing you out? What do you think will happen if you plugged the drain of a tub, turned the water on and then walked away? Eventually… it would OVERFLOW, right? Once it did – there's be a HUGE MESS!

Does this make sense? A tub can only hold so much! Two important points: Point #1 - Once the level starts to rise – It will keep rising until it is shut off. Point #2 - The tub ONLY has so much room - It can only hold so much then it's OVERFLOW! Some people think the solution is to just turn OFF the water. You'll see later why this won't work! When it comes to STRESS… People are just like a tub: 1) once you wake up – your STRESS level starts to rise & it will keep rising until it is… shut off. 2) You only have so much room - You can only hold so much STRESS until you will be at OVERFLOW! So, I hope you can see how STRESS creates problems. And how it won't go away until we… release it! Now that you can "see it" – Way #1 as a shook up bottle of root beer, Way # 2 as a tub filled to overflow – it's time to learn how to "release it'!

Title: stress Busters for Kids: How to Get control of stress, anxiety, and Worry! Author: carol l rickard Paperback: 78 pages Publisher: Well yoUniversity Publications Publication Date: september 2018 ISBN-13: 978-1947745117 Available at amazon.com and barnesandnoble.com

PART TWO: NOW YOU DON'T!

This is where almost everyone gets it wrong! Because you're reading this… you'll know the secret to success! What you are about to learn is my DO60 System. It doesn't take a lot of time! It will work for everyone! And, it can be used everywhere! There are two steps to my DO60 System. Step 1 – STOP the level from rising. Step 2 – RELEASE so the level will drop. Important: each step must be done in order… Step 1 then Step 2. Each step must be done for 60 seconds. Just so this makes sense… In order to STOP the level form rising, you must do something that is calming for you! Calming = activities that require NO energy or muscles be used! I'm afraid I have a little bit of bad news: you can only use your cell phone for this first step! Cell phones do not require enough energy or muscles to be used for Step 2. Now, in order to do something to RELEASE and drop the level, you must do something you like that is active! Active = activities that DO require energy and muscles be used. So let's apply this to our stress bottle… Step 1 – STOP the pressure from building up! Step 2 – RELEASE the pressure that's been built up inside! Each step must be done in order and each step must be done for 60 seconds. **Otherwise the system won't work** And applied to our stress tub…Step 1 – STOP the level from continuing to rise! Step 2 – RELEASE the level that's been raised already. This is where most people get it wrong! They only turn it off. They don't do Step 2 and release!

HOW TO RELEASE – STEP 1

On the following pages are a bunch of "tools". Each one is good to use for Step 1- STOP things from rising. There are four keys to success: Key #1 is to try out each one (even if you don't think it will work for you!). Key #2 is to do 60 seconds ((if you can go longer – do it! 30 secs. is better than none). Key #3 is to keep a list (write down tools that end up working best for you). And the last key, #4 is to have more than one tool (don't set yourself up to fail - the more tools the better!)

Remember, you must do Step 1 before you do Step 2. Otherwise, the system won't work for you. It could even make things MORE stressful. Tool #1: Read: Grab one of your favorite books! Either a real version or the Kindle version – either way you are reading! Comic books can be a great read too!

Tool #2: Music: Listen to one of your favorite songs or artists. Set up a playlist of the songs beforehand then you have them ready to go when you need them. Tool #3: Breathe: 1) Count your breaths. There a couple ways to do this. You can track the number you do in 60 seconds. 2) Set a specific number of breaths to do like 12, 15, or 20. Belly breathing is best! This gets lots of oxygen in to our brains. Oxygen is kryptonite to stress! 2) Do Square Breathing. This is a specific way of breathing & here's how to do it: 1) Breathe in & count to 4 in your head (1,2,3,4) 2) Hold it & count to 4 in your head (1,2,3,4) 3) Breathe out & count to 4 in your head (1,2,3,4) 4) Hold it & count to 4 in your head (1,2,3,4) 5) Repeat! Tool #4: Take a Time Out: Remove yourself from the situation. Create space between YOU and the situation or person. Either go outside or in to another room.

Tool # 5: Mind Push Ups!: Here's how to do them: 1. Find a quiet spot to lie down. 2. Set a timer for 60 secs. (or more!) 3. Put a book on your belly. 4. As you breathe in, make your belly & the book rise up! 5. Breathe out like your blowing candles. 6. Repeat breathes until timer goes off! Tool # 6: The Serenity Prayer: 1) The Real One: "God grant me the serenity to accept the things I cannot change, the courage to change the things I can, and the wisdom to know the difference." 2) Carol's "In the Moment Serenity Tool: "Ask yourself the following question: "Can I do anything about it RIGHT NOW?" If yes, DO IT! If no, LET IT GO! Here are a few more tools for Step 1 – STOP: 1. Watch Guided Imagery on YouTube 2. Count to 10 s l o w l y ! 3. Watch a favorite show or movie 4. Blow bubbles 5. Lie down & look at the sky 6. Picture a STOP sign in your mind 7. Make a "Calm Jar" - Google It! •

ABOUT THE AUTHOR: Award-winning author and speaker Carol Rickard, LCSW has written over a dozen books and spoken nationally on stress and wellness. She's appeared as a guest on the Dr. Oz Show, been a featured expert in several publications including The Good Life, Readers Digest, and Esperanza Magazine. She also created and hosts The WELL YOU Show, a nationally syndicated wellness show, on Princeton Community TV.