Being an adult isn’t always easy, but being a child isn’t always a walk in the park either, especially in this day and age, when the number of children with poor mental health is larger than ever. The past thirty years have seen a noticeable increase in the number of young people experiencing mental health troubles, with 20% of children saying they have unmet mental health needs.
It’s always easier to prevent an issue than it is to treat a problem, and that principle applies to a child’s mental well-being. Parents can go a long way towards improving their child’s mental health by ensuring that the foundations of mental well-being are in place. In this post, we’ll run through some of the best strategies for parents wishing to improve and maintain their child’s mental health.
Strong Communication
Studies have long confirmed that talking about issues can go a long way towards improving an individual’s mental health. After all, even relatively minor issues can turn into long-running problems if they’re kept bottled up. As such, parents who help create a culture of open communication at home can ensure that their children feel comfortable opening up about any difficulties they may have.
Physical Activity
Engaging in physical activity can do wonders for the mental health of both adults and children. There is, after all, arguably no better way to quickly relieve stress and boost happiness than by working up a sweat. Alas, part of the epidemic of poor mental health among children is due to the comparatively low levels of exercise that the youth engage in. Studies support the assertion that today’s youngsters are the least active on record.
Parents can support their child’s mental health by encouraging their child to participate in sports, ideally those that provide inner calm as well as physical exertion. Swimming, yoga, and martial arts classes all contain meditative aspects that can turbocharge the mental health benefits of physical exercise. Plus, these activities don’t just help boost a child’s mental wellbeing, but will also help them to become fit and healthy, which offers long-term benefits.
Be Conscious About Tech-Use
We mentioned that the decreasing levels of physical exercise among children will be part of the reason why the youth are experiencing poor mental health. The amount of time youngsters spend looking at their phones will be another contributing factor. It’s not realistic to think that your child will never look at their devices, but it’s still recommended to put parameters in place that limit how much time they’re looking at a screen.
Having blackout hours during the week and allocating one day at the weekend for a tech-free day can go a long way towards building a healthy relationship with screens. As an extra bonus, consider using the tech-free hours to spend time in the great outdoors; studies have repeatedly shown that spending a few hours in a natural environment each week can do wonders for an individual’s anxiety and happiness levels. By starting young, you’ll be helping your child to understand the value of nature — and that’s something they will carry with them for the rest of their lives.
Encourage Therapy
It’s OK for kids and teens to need to talk to someone. No matter what you’re dealing with as a family, or what your child is facing in their social life or school setting, there’s a qualified therapist out there that can support them.
And if they need a more intense form of support, there are plenty of options available here too. A residential programs for teens to help with longer-term mental health needs is only a phone call away.
The main thing, however, is showing your child that therapy is a good idea. They may feel a certain way about it, or feel like they’re being told that they need help, and that can make them all the more resistant to giving it a go.
You may have to model the behavior you want to see here. So, let them know you go to therapy sessions, and let them see you find them helpful, proactive, and constructive.