If you’re a parent of a child with eczema, chances are you’ve noticed that when tempers or emotions flare, itching gets worse. We know there’s a direct link between stress and itching – but other emotions can play just as big of a role. Especially in older children, tantrums, emotional upset, mood swings, and anger can all trigger itching which can be almost impossible to stop in the moment. To help you calm emotions and itching, we’re going to explore a few approaches you can use when things get heated to help soothe your child and yourself at the same time.

Prevention

The best way to avoid a meltdown is to prevent it from happening. All children have subtle cues they will display when their emotions start escalating – and if you can start to notice these cues you can stop the cycle before it even starts. Crying, restlessness, shouting, repetition, arguing, or hyperactive behavior are all common cues in older children that may show an emotional upset is just around the corner. Kids will usually have a trigger that sets them off and signs that they are being set off – if you can keep a journal or just try to look at things from an investigative point of view you may find their signs and know how to stop the issues before they begin.

Distraction

Often times children lock into an emotional upset pattern because it’s the biggest thing in their world at the moment. If you are able to distract them in the early stages of the upset, you have a greater chance of helping them choose something more positive to put their energy into. Offering your child something positive and constructive to do when things start to get heated is a great way to distract them from putting their energy into a meltdown. Always having a backup plan and knowing something they can do is really helpful. For example, if you notice your child getting restless, you can remind them about a toy that needs some attention, a new video that they can watch, or a helpful project you have for them with a treat or simple reward at the end.

Compassion

Sometimes kids get worked up over small things because there are big things happening below the surface. If your child deals with eczema that causes itching, they are more likely to be on edge and hypersensitive since they have to put a lot of energy into worrying about the itch. Taking time to remember what your child is going through can help you lower your reaction and calm your own energy which will help your child to do the same. Compassion helps you approach a frustrating situation with your child in a calmer and more confident way – something that’s been shown to help stop a meltdown fast.

If you have ideas about helping soothe intense emotions so that scratching doesn’t happen, we’d love to hear from you! Share your ideas in the comments below.