Do children also suffer from re-entry stress? Here are expert advice for parents!
The end of the holidays and the return to everyday life are never an easy time: the fixed schedules, the obligatory commitments, the frenetic rhythms make us fall back in a short time in the usual routine that often brings with it situations of anxiety and stress. According to Istat data, Italians are in fact 1 in 10 who suffer from return stress and struggle to get used to the frenetic pace of everyday life. But be careful, it is not only adults who suffer from the fateful moment of return: even the smallest ones, in fact, accuse the return to the rhythms and daily habits, especially after three months of vacation and freedom, where one forgets the obligations and more "annoying" commitments.
Thanks to the help of expert consultants, we have decided to give you some tips to start off on the right foot and not waste too quickly that heritage of serenity and good intentions gained during the holidays. In fact, on the website www.merendineitaliane.it, the clinical nutritionist Marcello Ticca and the teacher of educational psychology Anna Maria Ajello and the nutritionist and sports doctor Michelangelo Giampietro will offer you useful tips to help children cope with the tiring moment of returning.
Games and family dialogue for a sweet return
Anna Maria Ajello, teacher of Educational Psychology at the Sapienza University of Rome, he explains how to help the little ones regain possession of their daily rhythms and habits. "For all parents struggling with returning to work, gradualness is essential: it is important not to overdo it, not to impose immediately programs too tight and above all do not lose the playfulness typical of free time. Even for children it is a very delicate moment; for them the break period compared to adults is much longer, enough time to take new habits and make going back to school more stressful. For this reason, even for the little ones, gradualness is fundamental, before resuming all their activities ".
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Another aspect on which the expert focuses is dialogue and the importance of spending time with one's children, even once they have returned to the hectic everyday life: "Dialogue is fundamental: chatting with your children, explaining to them that the new rhythms of work concern everyone, and the whole family must get used to the newfound everyday life. It is advisable to avoid too rigid attitudes, but at the same time reiterate the rules, so that children learn to respect the new schedules and newfound habits ", these are the words of the expert, who thus continues, reiterating the need to enjoy moments of relaxation together. to the little ones: "The best time is late afternoon", I explained in fact "Ajello," after returning from work, parents can find time for a short walk, a board game, to tell their day or a funny anecdote , and to recover some activities carried out on vacation, even if with shorter times. It is important that in this phase parents dedicate to their children a part, even a small part, of the time they could reserve for them on vacation ".
Another useful tip? "Meeting a few friends immediately after returning from vacation, anticipating the frequentations that will then be usual when school is resumed: sharing the change and the resumption of usual rhythms with a peer can be of great help for the child".
Less cartoons on TV and more sports!
Holidays are an excellent opportunity to carve out some time for yourself and cultivate your interests. Compared to the sedentary life of the office or school desks, in fact, in the summer you move more; at the sea, in the mountains or while traveling, there are many more opportunities for physical activity than in normal everyday life. The return to the city or to school, on the contrary, often also marks the return to a sedentary lifestyle, which is not at all healthy, as the nutritionist and sports doctor Michelangelo Giampietro explains: "It is important that parents commit themselves to push your children to be physically more active every day, perhaps making sure that certain good holiday habits find continuity even in the winter months. Try to reduce the time spent in front of television or video games and increase the game in the open air: "physical activity always has, in fact, a very positive effect because it sets the energies in motion".
Clinical nutritionist Marcello Ticca reiterates the need to accustom the child to movement, inducing him to take advantage of every possible opportunity for physical activity, preferring it to a whole afternoon glued to the TV. “A child”, explains Professor Ticca, “in order to be able to derive adequate benefits from movement, cannot limit himself to sporting activity alone, but must imprint a physically active lifestyle for most of his day. September is the ideal month to get organized and start the new year on the right foot, both by reacting to the sedentary lifestyle of everyday life, and by putting order in the daily way of eating ".
Healthy nutrition, a fundamental ally for the little ones
But physical activity and movement are not the only precautions to follow to lead a healthier life, even nutrition plays a fundamental role, especially in the growth phase. And that is why parents should strive to control their children's eating habits and adapt them to new rhythms and times, very different from those of "summer." About 50-60% of calories must come from carbohydrates, no more than 30% from fats, 12-15% from proteins. It is also essential to ensure the right amount of fiber, vitamins and mineral salts. In fact, the diet, in addition to being varied, must be well distributed throughout the day and with a careful limitation of fatty seasonings ".
The expert then recommends making sure that children continue to eat fruit and vegetables throughout the year: "In fact, if in summer, seasonal products are very popular with children, it is important that they continue to eat during the year too. these types of foods, progressively replacing those they like so much with other more typically winter ones. In this period, prefer seasonal products, such as apples, grapes, figs, mushrooms, cabbage and cauliflower. Then avoid too abundant meals ", continues Giampietro , "which require a laborious digestion, which draws more blood to the digestive system and reduces what flows to the brain, thus inducing sleepiness. During the day it is better to indulge in some snacks based on easily digestible and assimilable products, such as a fruit , a snack, crackers or biscuits, to maintain attention and concentration even in the last hours of the morning and establish the right physical breaks logic in the hours of study ".
A golden rule: never give up on breakfast!
The nutritionist Ticca then recommends not to neglect the moment of breakfast: "It often happens that in summer, when you have more time, this meal is usually consumed in a satisfactory way, perhaps together with the whole family. On the contrary, in the other seasons. breakfast is often skipped or reduced to a minimum, under the pressure of haste and the rigidity of the starting time of the lessons. about 20% of the total calories of the day and it is the only time when children often consume precious products such as milk or yogurt, to be combined with a snack, biscuits or fruit, to ensure the right caloric intake in view of the hours subsequent, after the night fast ".
