How Parents Can Handle Emotion in Terrifying Situations

Kids can easily get terrified. Parents can feel the same way, as they also have emotions. Parents usually act tough because their children will always look up to them, and they have to be role models. Yet, if feelings are kept for a long time, they can easily get triggered by various factors, and it will also be hard for parents to speak up about certain things, per Parents.

It's only natural for parents to be scared at particular moments. While terrifying moments appear unpredictable, parents need to know how to handle their emotions when that moment happens.

Lindsey Getz, a freelance writer and owner of Getz Creative Media, said that although staying calm amidst scary moments is tough, parents should still know how to navigate themselves during those moments as it is vital.

Marla W. Deibler, founder and executive director of the Center for Emotional Health of Greater Philadelphia, notes that anxiety is only a natural response to certain scary situations as the body quickly enters flight-or-fight mode.

Dr. Deibler added that being scared increases the heart rate and blood pressure, and it would be hard to think of a specific solution to a problem.

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Be Prepared and Create a Plan

When in a scary situation, always be prepared and establish a plan that works for you and would benefit your child. Given that handling the said situation is complex, parents must consider their children's safety.

Dr. Patel suggests always keeping with the newest American Academy of Pediatrics recommendations and communicating with the child's pediatrician.

Expect that there will be unexpected happenings in life, especially if you already have a child. What you can only do when that happens is to be always prepared. Thus, one of the ways to hone the brain to be calm amidst scary situations is to practice meditation and mindfulness.

Sarah Lowe, Ph.D., associate professor of social and behavioral sciences at Yale School of Public Health, notes that parents must set aside first their work to calm their minds and practice deep breathing.

If such meditations become frequent practice, it will become natural and easy to handle certain situations.

Mayo Clinic notes that meditation offers a sense of calm and balance that benefits one's emotional and mental well-being and overall health. Meditation also helps a person to remain centered and maintain inner peace.

Mastering these abilities will be helpful to parents and kids and, as a result, would not backfire. Thus, focusing and breathing during a complex situation can help one make better choices and respond better.

Reflect on an Undesirable Response

Dr. Lowe suggests asking kids how parents handle the situation, so parents know how to manage anxiety and how they respond themselves.

Discussing emotional experiences is beneficial for almost everyone as this will contribute to one's mastery of how to deal with specific dangers or threats.

Pathways noted that talking about emotional stuff can be worthwhile. Communicating with children provides them with one-on-one time and listening without judging them.

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