7 Questions to ask your stressed child to stay connected.

A stressed child is overwhelmed and needs help to regulate. When our children are emotionally overwhelmed, it can result in us following suit! This only leads to disconnection. Imagine if you were finding something difficult and instead of empathy and support, you felt isolated and alone. Although it is extremely challenging for us as parents to stay calm, doing so maintains our connection with our child and is more likely to allow calm and problem solving to reign. When aiming to raise emotionally intelligent children, regulation and resilience are key, so when our children are overwhelmed and stressed there's an opportunity to teach skills that will help them thrive. 

We've come up with 7 great questions that you can use (after the calming pause and breath you need to take), to stay connected to your child through their stress and help them find a solution.

These questions are super useful during times such as homework stress, school anxiety and friendship issues.

7 Questions to stay connection through stressful moments!

1. What is difficult for you?
2. How can I help?
3. If you had one wish to use right now, what would you wish for?
4.If you had unlimited powers, what one would you use now and what would you use it for?
5. I I did (insert solution) or (insert a different solution), which would work best for you?
6. How would you like to feel?
7. What can we do to get through this together?

These questions provide a variety of outcomes, such as helping your child identify what the problem is, creative thinking by encouraging problem solving solutions and helping them identify what they would like to feel instead which gives them a focus for moving forward. The questions also support your connection by helping your child feel heard and showing them that you empathise. Together they all help your child move through their emotional brain into their thinking brain, which is key to their overall emotional intelligence development.