Ways to help your child or teenager respond to stress

No one feels calm all the time, but we can work on reacting to stressful events in a balanced way. These activities and ideas can also work for teenagers. It helps them see how different states of mind influence their reactions.

Talk to your child or teenager about different states of mind. Encourage them to consider the rational side of things and to spot when they’re in an emotional state.

Ask them to think about a recent time when they felt stressed. What thoughts did they have at the time? Looking at the situation again: could they see it in a different way?

What kind of response would validate how they feel about the situation, yet be easier for them to deal with?

Both emotion and logic have an important place in our lives. But when your child or teen feels stressed, emotions can take over. Emotional and physical wellbeing are connected, so it can help to focus on physical sensations first. Then, when things are calmer, it’s easier to think logically. Help your child to:

• slow their heart rate by taking slow breaths
• write down what’s making them stressed

If your child can identify what’s making them stressed, ask them if it’s something they can control. A tool that can be helpful for this is the ‘circle of control’.

If it’s something your child can control, help them decide what to do about it and when. If not, encourage them to create a worry tree. They can use this to cross the worry out, or put it in the bin and let it go.

Encourage your child or teen to take a walk outside when they are feeling stressed. Ask them to focus on their surroundings – what do they see, smell, hear and touch? How does this make them feel? Younger children should be accompanied for this, but teens may prefer to go alone if it’s safe.

If they’re not able to go outside or walk away from the situation, suggest they take a few moments to breathe deeply. It can help them feel more grounded.

Sometimes the stressful thoughts and feelings may return. Explain to your child that this is normal and to acknowledge the thought or feelings before returning their focus to what’s around them. This process should help them to gradually move their attention away from the cause of the stress.

Page last reviewed: February 2026

Next review due: February 2029