Kids and teens suffer from anxiety to the same extent as adults. Often they do not share their thoughts or anxiety with others but keep it to themselves causing them to feel overwhelmed and stressed out. This affects their ability to focus, sleep well and enjoy life.
One way to help kids with anxiety is to teach them an alternative healing exercise called Qiqong. This ancient practice can be done by adults and kids, in an office, home, or outdoors. Not only is Qiqong a successful method for clearing a build up of stress and anxiety, but it is also a lot of fun!
Several years ago, I was introduced to Qiqong. Out of curiosity, I attended a class and was so impressed with the results that I later attended a workshop to become certified to teach the practice. I lead kids, teens, and adults through a variety of exercises that alleviate anxiety and stress as well as increase energy for those who are struggling with depression or sadness. Qiqong works on clearing stagnant energy but also helps to calm nervous excess energy such as overthinking and worry,
Qiqong works on clearing energy that builds up in the body and mind. When we overthink, we tend to build a lot of mental energy through our thoughts, often manifesting as negative thoughts that causes us to feel ungrounded, and resulting in a loss of focus. Worry can lead to tension headaches and overall feelings of being unwell. A build up of heavy energy results in depression, a heaviness in the body, lack of motivation, withdrawal, and isolation. Qiqong practice works on clearing the dense, heavy energies as well as the intense overthinking energy to help us feel better, calmer, and more balanced.
Shaking the Tree is a Qiqong exercise in which you begin by shaking your arms, legs, head, neck, and torso. Like a tree in a storm or hurricane, you let worries fly away with the wind, feeling an intense release physically and mentally as you shake as long and as hard as you need or want to. Typically 5 – 10 minutes is plenty of time to both release and have fun. This exercise can be done in a classroom, office, at home, or outside. It can also be taught to kids to do alone as a coping skill, with parents, or with friends.
The next time you are working with kids and sense that they need to release some stress or anxiety, lead them in a gentle, yet energetic Qiqong exercise. As they release stress and tension from their bodies and worries from their mind, they are more likely to open up and talk about what worries they have or what kind of stressors they are dealing with.
Qiqong, which focuses on breath and movement, is a powerful way to feel better, not only for adults for kids as well.