When the weather is hot, we become more prone to negative feelings like agitation, irritability, and emotional outbursts – this is especially true for children and adolescents. Heat can intensify their feelings of stress, so it’s important to have coping strategies that help them “cool off.” The following are practical, youth-friendly strategies to help kids cool off and feel like themselves during these hot summer months.

Physical Cooling Strategies can help us feel better emotionally. Some examples include:

• Splashing face or wrists with cold water to reduce physical tension
• Holding an ice cube in your hand can be calming
• Taking a cooling bath or shower can be soothing
• Spraying a fine mist while standing in front of a fan can definitely produce a chill
• Drinking cold water is always helpful for cooling off
• Eating frozen grapes, berries or popsicles can help us feel better and taste great

Emotional Cooling Techniques can help decrease emotional heat and teach us to control our feelings:

• Create a calming music playlist to listen to when feeling overwhelmed
• Take a stress-free walk in a shaded area or barefoot on cool grass
• Play an easy game to release anxiety or anger, such as: naming 5 things you can see, 4 things you can touch, 3 things that you can hear, 2 things that you can smell, and 1 thing that you can taste
• Practice deep breathing in a cool, quiet place
• Try journaling with a pretend “ice pen” to melt the heated thoughts
• Use visualization of a snowy forest, ocean breeze or ice cave to help cool off

Active but Controlled Movement can help release energy while staying cool:

• Practice yoga, stretching or dancing in an air-conditioned space
• Set up a cooling-off corner that can include fans, coloring pages, toys and headphones
• Try shadow boxing or pillow punching in a cool place to safely release tension

Creative Coping Activities help ease the mind instead of feeling the heat, for instance:

• Using frozen paint cubes to draw can be cool, fun and expressive
• Playing with stress balls filled with cold gel can be soothing
• Creating with cold clay can transform emotions into an actual object

Since we never know what may trigger negative emotions and poor decisions while in the heat of the moment, caregivers should stay calm and model cool behavior. It is helpful to acknowledge the impact of the heat with your child and emphasize that it can sometimes cause irritable behavior (even in adults). Just understanding that there are coping strategies available to combat these poor behaviors can decrease stress in youth.

Louisiana Education & Addiction Network (LEAN) supports children and families in managing the challenges that youth experience. LEAN staff and counselors work closely with families to understand each child’s unique needs and guide them toward a healthy, productive life. Through partnerships with schools and community programs, LEAN connects youth to the resources they need to heal, grow, and succeed.