Are your children or students on the verge of burnout or ready to cave under the pressure of perfection? Do you know the signs and what can we do as parents and tutors to help give them adequate and effective coping mechanisms for life.
Here are some classic manifestations of chronic mental and physical exhaustion to watch out for in in general but in particular leading up to more stressful times such as examinations.
Chronic fatigue
Insomnia
Lack of motivation
Detachment
Lowered immunity
Loss of appetite
Anxiety
Depression
Pessimism
Isolation
Overthinking and analysis of worst case scenarios
For more on student, burnout check out this article from love to know
Here are some of my tips and strategies tried and tested as a parent that can assist in times of increased mental and physical stress and to help them let go of the pressure of perfectionism.
1. Teach your children to lose the fear of being wrong and that it is okay to make mistakes in life re frame it as their first attempts in learning not a fail as such.
2. Get them to practice daily affirmations to train the brain and improve mental and emotional fitness “I’ve got this” is one of my personal favorites I have passed onto my son.
3. Increase their optimism by encouraging them to believe with conviction that everything will be okay even if they can’t currently see the solution we can help them to take small steps towards finding one that works for them.
4. Teach them to be their best friend first and talk to themselves they way they would talk to their friends and encourage them. Ask them to think about what they would say to their best friend if he or she were in their shoes.
5. Finally and most importantly let them know that good enough is enough and that they are loved for who they are and their individuality and not what they signify on a report card.
Let them embrace being “Imperfectly perfect.”
Originally published at medium.com