Helping Your Children With Mental Health
Mental health is a really important topic and one you should discuss with your children not only so they understand it, but so they can speak to you about it if they experience difficulty with it at any point. Over the last year, mental health issues have risen to record rates with the pandemic and isolation people have been experiencing, so now is a better time than ever to look at helping your children to understand and deal with this subject.
Monitor Social Media Use
Social media is one of the main contributors to mental health issues in young teens. They are always comparing themselves and striving for unrealistic weight, lifestyles and moods. People post the best of things on social media, sometimes posing so they look slimmer, buying extravagant items for a picture, which will then be returned, and simply showing themselves to be happy-go-lucky all of the time. We all know this isn’t realistic, but it can make young and impressionable people feel like they shouldn’t have down days. Having off days is completely normal and they need to know this. There are also accounts out there that glamorize self-harm too, so it is a good idea to check what they are looking at while they are young and impressionable.
Encourage Self Care
Teaching them early on to practice self-care is really beneficial. It can help them check in with themselves mentally and if they are feeling particularly overwhelmed or stressed, they can take some time out to recharge and help themselves feel better. This could simply be by getting them some goodies for a pamper evening, having a no-tech night, as well as encouraging mindfulness and meditation. You can get free apps that do meditation sessions, as well as so many free tips and helpful videos on YouTube as well. So you don’t always have to pay for it.
Get Outside Help If Needed
Sometimes things get beyond your control and you need help. There is no harm or shame in that. It is important to get the right help and support so things don’t get worse. This could be from getting a therapist to looking at Youth Villages. Youth villages are a great asset if needed; they offer help for young people and children who suffer from emotional, mental and behavioral issues. It can dramatically improve long-term success and recovery. They offer things like residential treatment, foster care and adoption, as well as intensive in-home treatment.
By addressing and supporting this early on, you are helping to prevent or reduce any issues that may arise. It helps make it easier for your children to come and talk to you about it and ask for help. They won’t have the extra stress or feeling scared or worried about it, as they will know what they are feeling and that they need to speak to you to help fix it. If you have experienced it as well during your teenage years, it could also be good to tell them so they know they aren’t alone and that it is normal. Help them focus on positivity.