Remember being a kid? It was stressful. Learn some tips from a local professional to help your kids deal.

FALL RIVER — Close your eyes and think back to what it was like when you were 7 or 10 or 12 years old.

Was it all sunshine and unicorns? Probably not. At least not every day.

Even kids from the happiest of homes feel stress and anxiety. So never tell them: “You have nothing to complain about,” said Sara Rodrigues, a licensed social worker and owner of the Balanced Learning Center.

“Kids experience the same range of emotions as adults,” Rodrigues said.

So, what are kids so stressed about?

Homework. Getting good grades. Making friends. Fitting in. Image. Dealing with bullies — in person and on social media. Making the team. Getting through long days of school, sports, and extra-curricular activities. The list is endless.

“We live in a really overstimulating society,” Rodrigues said. “Our nervous systems can’t brace for that amount of energy. It’s too loud, too bright, too much — all of the time.”

And it’s hard for kids, and worse still for those with developmental issues.

Rodrigues, a mom of three including a child with autism, has made helping kids deal with their stress and anxiety a priority.

The nervous system, responsible for the fight or flight response, can become overcharged by everyday anxieties that pose no actual threat, she explained. An over-busy schedule and even video games may put the system on alert — and that can be taxing to a person’s emotional state and body — whether adult or child.

“We’ve got to become more aware and mindful of that,” Rodrigues said. “Be aware of your breathing. Stop wearing your shoulders as earrings.”

Calming practices can be learned.

“There’s lots of little strategies,” Rodrigues said.

Breathing is one way to de-stress. “We teach them belly breathing,” Rodrigues said.

That means inhaling a breath that pushes the belly outward.

Kids can also pretend they’re breathing in the smell of hot cookies, or blowing on a hot cup of cocoa.

Fidget toys can also be calming, not just merely fidgeting with them, but by focusing on how they feel. An adult can help by asking a child what the toy feels like — its shape, its texture.

Asking a child small concrete questions of the “what” variety can calm a child down. If a kid is already stressed from their day, asking them questions that focus on something other than themselves can help.

Listening to calming music — which can be rap for one person and classical for another — can also reduce anxiety.

“Change your scenery … even if it’s just stepping outside,” Rodrigues said.

Adults should remember that kids can become anxious from being around anxious adults.

“Our kids will pick up on what we’re doing,” Rodrigues said. “Being a model for kids is the best way to teach those skills.”

Yoga and journaling can also help, but not solely when stressed.

“You’ve got to do it regularly,” Rodrigues said.

The Balanced Learning Center, 421 Currant Road, offers counseling, speech therapy, occupational therapy, educational consultation and behavioral health. It has added sessions that are open to the community like a girl’s self-esteem group, science, art and STEM programs.

The center sees children with anxiety and depression, plus children who suffer from behavioral problems, phobias, separation anxiety, trauma, loss and more.

“We have to put ourselves back in their shoes and remember what it was like to be 7 or 8 years old,” Rodrigues said.

On Thursday, Feb. 7, Rodrigues will offer a talk on anxiety in children and adolescents at the Potter Elementary School, 185 Cross Road, Darmtouth, from 6 to 7:30 p.m.

To learn more about the Balanced Learning Center, visit https://balancedlearningcenter.com or call 508-942-9948.

Email Deborah Allard at dallard@heraldnews.com.