Managing Stress During a Child’s Hospital Stay

No matter what the age of your child, it can be challenging to manage the stress and uncertainty of their health during a hospital stay. Children can sense your emotions so it can be helpful to be mindful of your emotions and manage your stress to best take care of yourself and in turn your child. Below are some specific ways to manage stress during a child’s hospital stay.

• Take breaks from the hospital when you can. If you have support from a partner, friend or family member, it can be beneficial to step out of your child’s room to walk around the hospital, get a cup of tea and get some natural sunlight to reset so you can show up as your best for your child.
• Eat regular meals and healthy snacks to have energy to maintain understanding of your child’s procedure and continued care. It can be easy to eat convenient food items that may not be the healthiest, so if possible, pack snacks and have a reusable water bottle to fill up with water to stay hydrated.
• Reach out for support to friends and family to discuss what is going on, your thoughts and feelings or to have them stop by the hospital to provide a break for you and to provide connection to your child while they are away from home. It can be helpful to identify 1-2 close support people to connect with regularly who can disseminate information to other loved ones so you are not inundated with text messages and phone calls for updates.
• Reach out to hospital support staff to assist you or your child to manage their hospital stay. Hospitals have chaplain services to provide a safe space to explore emotions or child life specialists who can provide toy rooms or developmentally appropriate toys for your child to allow them to have options to pass the time during an in-patient hospital stay.
• Pack comfortable clothes, blankets, and pillows to have while you are staying over at the hospital. Most rooms will have a pull out sofa bed but it can be helpful to bring some comforts of home to help your stay overnight be more relaxing and recharging to get a good night’s sleep.
• Pack items that can help you pass the time and be relaxing activities to assist – in managing your stress. These items can include: books, crafts, ear buds, magazines, puzzles, sudoku/word searches, knitting or crocheting, coloring books, and a tablet or kindle with downloaded content like your favorite movies or TV shows.
• Pack toiletries that can help to refresh yourself while you are staying away from home. These can include: toothpaste, toothbrush, mouth wash, soap, moisturizer and skin care routine, wash cloth, hand towel, soap, lip balm, and hair care items.

If you recognize that you are needing additional support due to the stress that you are experiencing because of your child’s medical condition, it could be helpful to reach out to a licensed therapist to meet with regularly to discuss this with. To set up an appointment with a licensed therapist you can contact our front office staff at 440-392-2222.

Stephanie Cerula, LPCC
Clinical Counselor, The Behavioral Wellness Group
8224 Mentor Ave #208 Mentor OH 44060
P: 440 392 2222 #404 F: 440 565 2349
scerula@behavioralwellnessgroup.com
www.behavioralwellnessgroup.com