4 Ways to Teach Your Child About Mental Health
Not enough priority is placed on our children’s mental health. There is a lot of emphasis in schools on physical fitness and nutrition, but mental wellbeing is often placed on the back burner.
But almost half of all people will experience a mental health issue in their lifetime, so it’s important to make children part of the conversation. There are so many risk factors in the life of an average child that can have a huge impact on their wellbeing, including phones, social media, bullying, and academic pressure.
Teaching your child about their mental health will help them to avoid stress, depression, and anxiety as they grow up. They will be able to avoid the key dangers and establish coping strategies for prioritizing their wellbeing. It can be a difficult subject to broach, but it is important to overcome your hesitancy and discomfort. To get you started, here are four ways to teach your child about mental health.
Talk about screen time
One of the biggest dangers to a child’s mental health in 2023 is excessive screen time. Phones, tablets and laptops have become an integral part of our lives, yet many young people are not aware how this prevalence can impact their wellbeing. Too much time on their devices can impact their social relationships while putting them at higher risk of low self-esteem, depression, stress, and anxiety. Rather than simply forcing your child to spend less time on their phone, talk them through the dangers of excessive device usage. Allow them to think through the matter themselves and arrive at their own conclusion.
Model good behavior
It’s one thing to teach your child how to look after their health, but it’s much more effective to demonstrate it through your own actions. It’s likely that you are probably not perfect when it comes to self-care and limiting your screen time, but try to set a good example in front of your little one. This means engaging in wholesome activities like reading and exercising rather than spending time on social media.
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Teach them coping strategies
Everyone struggles with their mental health at some point in life, and these periods can be triggered by anything from work-related stress to relationship troubles. It’s important your child has the tools in their arsenal to look after their mental health and manage the symptoms. Talk about the benefits of good sleep, exercise and nutrition, as well as techniques like meditation and talking with a loved one. There are even solutions such as therapy or mental health treatment providers like Alpine Academy Utah. Your child should know that there are options to help them if they ever struggle with mental health.
Check in
Your child may not feel comfortable sharing their innermost thoughts and feelings with you. If they are going through a period of poor mental health, it’s unlikely they will open up out of the blue. Therefore it’s a good idea to check in with them now and then to find out how they are feeling. This helps them to be comfortable with the idea that it’s OK to talk about mental health, especially if they are male and more socially conditioned to keep their feelings private.
