How to manage fear and emotions in your child

Happenings like an earthquake, losing power at home, or getting stuck in an elevator: psychologists offer the keys to helping them manage their fear.

How to manage your child's fear in situations like these?

"In emergencies, children look at adults to understand what's happening. Beyond a technical explanation, what they need to feel is security, that there is someone calm, close, and available for them." The psychologists explain.

"Our calm is their calm".

When we cannot change external circumstances, our focus must be on protecting the children's emotional well-being and our own. We shouldn't deny fear, but rather transform it into serenity, empathy, and creativity.

Children are our emotional mirrors. If we remain calm, they will feel safer. As adults, and when around children, even if we are afraid, we must be their emotional support in that moment. Here are some tips to achieve this:

1) Breathe deeply. We must calm ourselves.

2) Speak with a calm and confident voice. Say things like, "Let's wait for help. We're not alone. Everything is under control, even if it takes a while, okay? I'm with you." Or, "It's just an earthquake, it's something natural that happens on Earth, but everything will be okay. I'm with you."

3) Distract children while they wait. Offer activities to keep their attention engaged and relaxed. For example: tell beautiful stories, sing songs, invent word games, or simple challenges, such as: How many animals do you know that live in water? What color names begin with the letter A?

4) Turn the moment into a game of imagination. Use creativity to imagine positive situations and even provoke laughter. For example: Can you imagine if Spiderman were to arrive to save us now? Humor reduces fear in children and helps adults defuse the situation, helping to build connection and rapport.

5) Validate their emotions. If your child expresses fear and feels it, don't judge or minimize it. Instead, tell them: "It's normal for you to be scared, honey, but we're together, help will come, and we'll be okay."

6) Pay attention to your own internal discourse: Visualizing help monthly, telling yourself that everything is okay and that nothing is wrong is essential.

7) If you still feel that the fear or the situation is overwhelming you, then step away from the children and ask for support from another, calmer adult to accompany them while you manage to regulate your emotions.