25 Simple Ways to Remain Calm When Your Child is NOT

Honestly, some days I’m not the best. I don’t want you to think I have this all figured out and you should to. Instead, I want to let you know you are not alone. I want to give you some tips that I like to follow to help me remain calm {most days} when my child is angry, frustrated or stuck in big worried thoughts.

Whether your child is angry, anxious, or just incredibly busy and getting into things all the time, your patience is most likely stretched a little too thin. I would venture to guess, if you have a child that is all of the above types of “not calm”, you need more patience than I can possibly offer in this quick little post. That isn’t going to stop me from trying.

There was a time that I thought our home was going to fall to pieces with my family with it. When a tantrum or meltdown struck, I was completely unable to handle the stress that went with it and absolutely unable to remain calm during the time my child needed me most. I’ve been working really hard on this over the last few month, and while I don’t think I am perfect, I do think I have found some great tips that only take 30 seconds (or less) of your time, so you can remain calm when your child is NOT.

25 Simple 30-Second Ways to Remain Calm when Your Child is NOT

1. Breathe 3 Full Deep Breaths
2. Close Your Eyes
3. Smell Something Calming (essential oils are perfect)
4. Stretch Your Arms as High as You Can Reach & Roll Down to Your Toes
5. Sing a Line of Your Favorite Song
6. Take a Drink of Water
7. Tag Team with Another Adult
8. Read A Favorite Poem (I like to have one on the wall to read)
9. Jump Up and Down
10. Lay Down and Put Your Knees to Your Chest
11. Make a Funny Face
12. Remember the Last Thing Your Child Did that Made You Smile
13. Hum a Favorite Tune
14. Listen to Your Favorite Song
15. Squeeze Your Hands Together Tightly
16. Walk to the End of the Hall and Back Again
17. Tell Yourself “My Child is Not Giving Me a Hard Time. My Child is Having a Hard Time.”
18. WWIW- Ask Yourself “What Would I Want” Someone to Do if I was Upset
19. Wash Your Hands
20. Splash Water on Your Face
21. Make the Bed
22. Wash the Dishes
23. Hug Your Child
24. Take Three Deep Breaths Again
25. Remind Yourself “You Got This”

Some of these might seem silly or a little ridiculous. Honestly, though, if you have had to remain calm with a child that is anything but, you know its easy to run out of options. Everything on this list, I have done at one time or another.

Yes, my child thought I was crazy. Yes, I thought I was crazy. But guess what? 9 out of 10 times… they worked!

Print this Free Calm Down Tips Cheat Sheet

This post comes with a free printable to help with you in a bind.

I have made a simple printable for you that has all of these tips in a simple and easy to display format. Place it on the fridge, or even in a frame.Don’t get caught struggling to remember your options!

This printable simplifies it!

Here is a sneak preview…

Download Your Free Printable

1. Download the checklist. You’ll get the printable, plus join my weekly newsletter! Click Here to Download and Subscribe
2. Print. Any paper will do the trick, but card stock would be ideal.
3. Place it on your refrigerator.

Need More Help Remaining Calm with Your Anxious Child?

I have a few resources I have to share with you today that I couldn’t live without when trying to remain calm when my child is NOT!

More Calm Down Strategies: Click here to 50 Calm Down Tips you can use anywhere and anytime!

Banish the Mom Funk: This was a huge culprit for me in the beginning. When these 25 things didn’t work for me, I knew I needed to look a little deeper and take care of what I was struggling with most. Click here for the FREE 7 Day Banish the Mom Funk Challenge.

SELF CARE!!! I can’t stress enough how important taking care of yourself is! I know how hard it is to spend money on ourselves, but I highly recommend this Mama’s Best Self ecourse for filling my own cup and taking care of myself so I can take care of my child!

Support Groups that Really Help: Having a support group and a community of people that understand you is crucial. I highly recommend these SUPER Supportive Facebook Groups.

Calming Tips for Your Anxious Child: Finally, I have created FREE 10 Day Email Series to get the top secrets on how to calm your anxious child so both of you can have a better day!