TEACHING YOUR CHILD ABOUT MENTAL HEALTH
We want to be there for our children and help them as they grow so that they can become healthy adults. Teaching how to look after mental health is an important skill for children to learn and encompasses a lot of other life skills as well. Children who have high emotional intelligence will be better equipped to work through life’s challenges and can recognize when they are struggling before they reach a crisis. Here are 9 ways you can help your child learn how to look after their mental health.
1. Physical Wellbeing: Research has clearly demonstrated a link between physical and mental health. Promoting a healthy and well-balanced diet and regular physical exercise is a great way to teach your kids how to boost their mood and reduce stress and anxiety. Be careful not model restrictive eating habits or “dieting” as that can lead to an unhealthy relationship with food and an over fixation on weight. Keep the focus on overall health rather than weight and body appearance.
2. Self-care: This is SO important. I cannot stress how vital it is to teach your children how to care for themselves and to recognize what their needs are. Engaging in a self-care routine with them allows for great bonding time and allows your child to explore their own interests and hobbies as well as understanding how to care for themselves during moments of high stress.
3. Relationships: Having healthy relationships is a key part of mental wellness. Support your child in developing relationships with their friends and family members. Going over concepts like boundaries can help your child to develop supportive relationship and can teach them to recognize signs of unhealthy or toxic relationship dynamics.
4. Relaxation: Our society is one that is high paced and demanding. Many people struggle to learn how to relax and wind down, and instead get caught in a trap of feeling like they need to be productive all the time. Teaching your child ways to relax when they are feeling overwhelmed can also help them to cue into the signals their body sends them when they are overworked or tired, which can prevent burn out as they get older.
5. Sleep: Developing good sleep hygiene habits at a young age can help your child have a healthy relationship with sleep. They will recognize the importance of getting a good night rest and teaching them to prioritize their sleep can help aid them in maintaining a healthy sleep routine as they get older.
6. Talking: Be open and encourage your child to share how they are feeling. Use emotion focused language and get them to share how they are feeling and what they are thinking. Teaching children how to differentiate between their thoughts and feelings can help them to recognize when they are emotionally triggered and implement coping skills so they can feel their emotions without having to react to them.
7. Play: Being able to engage in play is a vital part of mental wellness. Even in adulthood being able to incorporate some form of play into your routine helps to reduce feelings of stress and anxiety. It promotes creativity and allows them to explore and engage with the world in a positive way.
8. Coping skills: No matter how hard you try, your child is going to experience some pain and suffering in their life. This isn’t a bad thing! Life is full of ups and downs and teaching your child how to manage the downs will leave them feeling more capable to deal with life’s challenges. Teach them how to challenge unhealthy thinking patterns by looking for the evidence and how to “talk back” to their anxiety when it arises so they do not feel controlled by it.
9. Role Model: The best way to teach your child is to role model these skills in your day to day. Children look to their parents and caregivers for guidance in how to navigate life and will mimic those around them as they try and learn. Showing them that you prioritize your mental health will teach them to prioritize theirs!
