Outdoor Therapy: 4 Ways the Outdoors Can Calm Tantrums

We all know that the outdoors calm our nerves as adults (unless you are constantly worried about bugs or bear attacks), but I wonder if we as parents think about the affects it can have on a mid-tantrum child, or even in preventing some tantrums altogether.

Here are 4 ways I’ve personally used the outdoors as a calming agent.

The Outdoor Sedative

About 4 months after our son was born my wife would run off to the gym in the evenings. My son was still nursing, and to be honest he just loved snuggling close to his momma. There were EPIC cries that ensued. I held him, rocked him, turned on some tunes, tried to distract, but nothing seemed to work. One day, my head was about to burst with a migraine from all the screaming and a long day at work. I went outside…and like magic, the screaming stopped!

I took him to touch the trees and almost cried with joy as he completely forgot he was having full-on breastmilk withdrawals. He fell asleep as the sunset and it was the beginning of our little father son outdoor bounding.

Since then, the peace of the outdoors has put both my son and daughter to sleep. I've taken them out at 2am when they have had nightmares, done long walks in the park, and just rocked them as we stare at the stars when it’s bedtime. There is no better sleep sedative than the outdoors. It is like they finally stop listening to the little gremlins in their head and hone in on the sweet peaceful sounds of crickets and bats around the house.

When the kids have bad dreams and wake up kicking and screaming or are just angry as sin because we got them down too late, going outdoors is my trusted go-to sedative.

Tuning In vs. Distracting

As parents, the default go-to tool we use is distraction. It works once or twice a year, so it obviously

has a better success rate than the hundreds of other reactive default settings we fall into as parents. What if there was a deeper and more primal desire to just tune into something calming. A walk into nature is not just a destresser, but helps us connect with our senses and surroundings in a deeper way. If the outdoors are recommended for adults with anxiety and stress disorders, shouldn’t we also get our kids out there more often especially when we are seeing more tantrums?

A child’s tantrum is a sign of disconnection. Reconnecting with the child in calm and beautiful environment is a way to deescalate tantrums and other emotional breakdowns and tune in to them .

Naturally Addressing Sensory Overload

Children are little balls of emotion ready to burst at any given moment. This is particularly true when they don’t have all the words to express their big feelings.

By stepping outside, I wouldn’t say a child’s senses are merely redirected as much as they are naturally re-calibrated. The cold winter wind, the colors of leaves, the smell of pine, the sounds of the sea, and the taste of wild berries, all lead to an overwhelming sense of wonder, peace and perspective.

The amazing thing is that it doesn’t take a complex adult mind to enjoy the peace of nature. We might be able to better describe it, but children are just as capable if not more capable of sensing the power in nature. It can calm them just as quickly as it does adults.

The Best Outlet

Nature enables a child to be “free and in the wild” as my son likes to say. It facilitates free-play and encourages freedom of expression and emotion. The rush of anxiety or anger can be unleashed on run through the woods or a long walk in the dessert.

There is simply no better outlet when you combine exercise with nature. It is extremely therapeutic and can keep kids grounded and better in tune with their emotions. It can also allow them to get energy out so they can better process their feelings and communicate in words later.

Keeping the Outdoors a Positive Experience

To this day, the second I say “let’s go on a hike!” Jack is all in and willing to leave anything and everything at the drop of a hat.

 

This would not be the case if I wasn’t careful and simply used the outdoors as a distraction or worse, a punishment. Nature is a sacred space that can add further calm and peace to the lives of children. If we are squeezing a kid in anger and taking them outside, there may be fear or anger associated with the outside, so it’s important to be calm and let nature run its course, so to speak.

In the end, it is really up to us as parents to take the time to make the outdoors a safe and peaceful place by training our kids to always associate nature with the positive feelings it deserves.  Doing this will make nature a positive parenting tool that strengthens and builds kids when they have breakdowns.

If you haven’t already, give it a try. It might just help your nerves as much as it helps your kids! 

Also, let us know how you use the outdoors as a positive parenting tool!