Table of contents:
- Relaxation techniques for children with chronic diseases
- 1. Breathing exercises
- 2. Visualization therapy
- 3. Music therapy
- 4. Massage therapy
- Although useful, keep in mind some of these things
Of course it is not easy if you have chronic diseases, especially children. For children who have chronic diseases, stress is very prone to occur. This makes their symptoms worse, they become anxious, and become anxious. One way to reduce stress in a child with chronic illness is to apply relaxation techniques. What relaxation exercises are recommended? Come on, find out the answer below.
Relaxation techniques for children with chronic diseases
Stress does not only affect the mind, all parts of the body are affected. In response to stress, the body will produce certain hormones that can cause the heart to beat fast, increase blood pressure, slow digestion, and take up concentration.
All of these effects are devastating for children with chronic diseases. But, you dont have to worry. Fortunately, stress in children can be reduced with relaxation techniques such as the following.
1. Breathing exercises
Source: The Indian Express
Pain and stress can make your child breathe faster and shallower. To overcome this, you need to teach children to do breathing exercises. This exercise helps the child calmer so that his breathing will be better.
How to practice relaxation techniques for children is quite easy. Follow the steps below:
- Position the child's body to sit up straight or lie down comfortably. Place one hand on your stomach and the other on your chest.
- Close your eyes and try to relax all the muscles in your body. Especially the muscles that feel tense easily, such as the face, neck and jaw area.
- Then, take a slow, deep breath and exhale. Make sure this breathing makes your little one's stomach rise and fall.
- With each breath, try to think of something interesting to distract yourself from the stress.
At first, it can be difficult to teach this relaxation technique to young children. However, this exercise can distract children from anxiety, anxiety, and also stress. Do it regularly so that children get used to it.
2. Visualization therapy
Source: Sott
Apart from breathing exercises, the relaxation technique most often used is visualization therapy. Relaxation exercises for children with chronic illnesses can help reduce pain and anxiety by increasing positive feelings.
This therapy is combined with breathing exercises. The trick, position the child's body as relaxed and comfortable as possible. Then, close your eyes and ask the child to take a slow, deep breath and exhale.
The next step, ask the child to imagine the place he likes the most. The place is very wide, shady, and children can play freely without distraction. Then, open a light conversation about what he saw, so that the child can further explore the visualization that is in his mind.
Sometimes it is not easy to train children to do this relaxation technique. You may need to lure it with sound pictures and videos to make it more realistic. If you find it difficult, don't hesitate to ask a doctor or psychologist for help.
3. Music therapy
Like visualization therapy, music therapy can also calm the mind and make you feel happy so that you feel less pain and anxious. There are many ways you can do this relaxation technique, including:
- Invite children to listen to music from certain musical instruments and sing
- Join in dancing or make your own moves to the music
- Encourage children to immediately play a musical instrument
In this therapy, children are not required to have special talents, such as having a good voice. good at dancing, or good at playing musical instruments. You only need to involve the child with activities such as listening, singing, and learning to play a musical instrument.
4. Massage therapy
Source: Destination Thailand News
Relaxation techniques for children that you can try next is massage therapy. Yes, this therapy can indeed relax tense muscles and improve blood circulation so that it makes children more relaxed and has less pain.
Especially for this therapy, you need the help of a practitioner or a doctor. The reason is, not all types of massage are safe to apply to children with chronic diseases. Some massage techniques that are usually used for therapy include:
- Swedish massage.Massage hands with oil to relax joints and muscles. Massage movements that are a mainstay, including massaging and pressing movements quickly.
- Deep-tissue massage.Almost the same as the previous technique, but uses more pressing movements in the area around the muscles and connective tissue.
- Trigger-point massage. This massage technique only focuses on certain areas of the body that cause pain and stiffness.
Although useful, keep in mind some of these things
Although relaxation techniques provide benefits to children with chronic diseases, a doctor's consultation should still be carried out. Chronic diseases really need a doctor's care, be it in determining medications, diet, lifestyle to routine health checks thoroughly.
Do not make this method as the main treatment. However, apply it as an adjunct treatment that supports the main treatment recommended by the doctor.
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