Over the years, people have neglected the importance of mental health, leading to a rise in depression among people. This is usually because mental health battles are never visible on the outside. A person struggling mentally can appear physically fit with a smile on their face, and no one will ever find out that they are battling something severe mentally.
Therefore, raising awareness in people about mental health is vital. This starts with teaching children from a young age about the importance of mental health and how they should proceed with it. The way you educate your child in their childhood shapes their perspective towards a lot of things, and this goes for mental health, too. Besides, it is no surprise that children suffer from mental health problems, too. Irvine child mental health specialists always encourage parents to be proactive and encourage children to seek support.
How do you teach your children about the importance of mental health?
Here are a few tips that can help you encourage your child to take their mental health seriously.
- Communicate with them properly about the difference between mental and physical health. Be practical when explaining to them how it differs and why it is important.
- Maintain a habit of healthy communication between you and your children, no matter the circumstances.
- Do not be afraid to be emotionally vulnerable sometimes. Masking it up will only make them believe everything is okay, and as they grow up, they will also adapt to the same habits.
- Do not scare them away with ‘too harsh’ stories. If you are giving them examples, tell them about real-life stories.
- Encourage kindness and politeness in them. This is because you need to teach the act of kindness from childhood for them to understand why it is important to be kind to everyone.
- Teach them it is okay to express their emotions without wondering about what others will think of them. As a parent, make them comfortable enough with you to express their emotions to you.
- Encourage them to talk about what is going on in their life without being hard on themselves.
- Teach your children about self-love and self-acceptance. We often teach children about how to love others but forget about how important self-love is. Teach them to celebrate their small achievements and accept themselves despite their mistakes.
Encourage support when needed.
Children suffer from mental health battles, too. If you think your child is battling with mental health problems, get them reliable support from a professional.