AD | Collaborative post
A child’s mental health is really important to helping them grow and flourish as individuals. A child that isn’t sure what they can do to manage their mental health can potentially fall behind in class or not receive the right support for them to succeed. Fortunately there are plenty of things we can do to help our children – here’s a guide from a private school in London to help you manage your child’s needs.
Listen to their thoughts and feelings
A lot of children simply need a sympathetic ear to help them with their growth and understanding of what they’re feeling. They often find that their feelings are very valid for their circumstances and just need to find a way to navigate them. Showing that you’re willing to listen to your child will give them a lot of support in handling their mental health.
Ensure they practice self care each day
Self care is a big part of understanding how you can manage your mental health at home. This involves keeping your child clean, well fed, and using nutritious foods to keep them energised. When there are times of stress, your child can also identify when they need to take a time out to look at what they can do to improve their mood.
Help them manage their school work
A big part of a child’s stress and mental health concerns will come from their school work. As a huge element of their future lies in what they do in school they are bound to be on their toes. Ensure you help them out as much as you can, or offer ways to provide solutions like looking for a tutor or some additional help from their teacher.
Give them plenty of distractions at home
Having somewhere to take their mind off things is a great way of building their resilience when it comes to managing their own mental health. Give them a range of activities to look forward to throughout their week to push their focus somewhere else after school. It’s good practice to let them have something else to work on as soon as they leave a stressful environment.
Work on ways to manage stress at home
Your child may cry, or become erratic when they’re overwhelmed, or tired and reserved. There are many different reactions to managing our mental health. Give them the space to understand these stresses and offer alternatives. It could mean that certain situations are too much for them, and so you should work on how they can approach them in the future, or remove them from the situation.