02 Feb Tips on Boosting Your Child’s Mental Health
Now more than ever, many adults are truly realizing the importance of maintaining their mental health. While 2020 has challenged many adult’s mental health and well-being, adults aren’t the only ones who need to pay close attention to their mental health. Children can also have their own unique struggled with maintaining their mental health, particularly now as many children are facing changes in their educational structure and social lives.
Your child’s mental health may be more fragile than you realize, which is why it is important that as a parent, you should always try to stay on top of your child’s mental health and make certain that you are checking in on their well-being. To help you get started, here are three simple and straightforward ways you can start boosting your child’s mental health.
- Build Trust With Your Children
Build trust with your children by creating a sense of safety and security. This means in addition to maintaining your child’s physical needs, it also means caring for their mental needs as well. You can build trust by offering your children the emotional support they need when they are feeling anxious, scared or sad.
Remember, kids often mimic the behavior of the adults around them. So, in addition to maintaining a healthy dynamic with your children, make sure that you pay close attention to how you are behaving. If you are taking care of your own mental health, then your kids can learn through your example
2. Teach Your Children to Put Their Feelings into Words
One of the most important things you can teach your children is to put their feelings into words. Children go through many different emotions but putting those emotions into words can be difficult. Many times, children get stuck in a feeling and will shut down. Many times, they just don’t want to talk about what is bothering them.
Teach your children important “feelings words” and encourage them to recognize those feelings and learn how to express those feeling in words. This will not only help them when they face mental health challenges but will also help your children develop important social skills and more self-esteem.
Kids should never think that feelings themselves are “bad,” not even anger. While actions can be “bad” your child’s feelings shouldn’t be labeled the same way.
3. Establish Healthy Habits
When your child maintains healthy habits, it isn’t just good for their physical health, it can be good for their mental health as well. Make sure that your child is maintaining a healthy diet, getting a good night of sleep and that they are exercising regularly. You should also be limiting their sedentary habits and screen time.
In addition to regular exercise, make sure that you are helping your child find stress relieving activities that can keep their feelings of stress at bay. When your child is dealing with tough times, you should help them with personalized stress-relieving activities. This activity can vary from child to child. While some children may benefit from journaling, others may prefer a physical form of stress relief like biking or walking.
Little things can make a big difference when it comes to your child’s mental health. Of course, if you are particularly worried about your child’s mental health or their current state, particularly during these unprecedented times, you should always contact your pediatrician for more information. Our doctors here at Continuum Pediatrics are here not only for your child’s physical well-being but for their mental health as well. You can make an appointment by calling us directly at 817-617-8600 today.