Changing Moods

Children, like adults, have varying degrees of positive and negative moods. We all know that life looks and feels much differently depending upon whether we are in a positive or negative mood. Fortunately, there are ways to influence your child’s mood – and affect your own mood – in positive ways. Here are some suggestions to encourage positive moods in your children:

• Substitute sweet treats with protein snacks. Forgo the snacks laden with sugar, food coloring and preservative.
• Children’s brains can be over stimulated from screen time and leave children irritable and their bodies in stress mode. Break up television viewing and electronic game time into shorter periods and reduce the time engaged in these activities.
• Turn on some upbeat music and encourage your child to join you in dancing, singing or other movement to help change his or her outlook.
• Visualize a time when your child was really happy and engaged in something they really enjoyed. Tell the child the story about this time describing it in detail beginning with “Do you remember when….?”
• Think of a kind deed that you and your child can do for someone else. This puts a positive focus on helping someone and takes the attention off the negative mood.
• Go outside with your child. If you have a swing set or can go to one in a nearby playground, encourage your child to hang upside down on the monkey bars or swing facing down with their stomach on the seat. This will help the child forget what they were upset about in the first place.
• If you are feeling affected by your child’s mood, take a break from each other. If you are confident your child will be safe left to play alone, take a time out for 10 minutes in another room. Center yourself by relaxing and doing some deep breathing exercises.

These are just a few suggestions of strategies to try in promoting a more positive mood where everything looks brighter. Add them to others that you have learned along the way. And the best tip is a reminder from our own personal experience: negative moods don’t last forever!