How to Improve Your Children’s Mental Health

Do kids experience depression, anxiety, low self-esteem and even attempt to kill themselves? The solid answer is: yes, they do. Children are less likely to have negative impressions of themselves since they still love to play, have fun and are easily distracted from negative feelings.

Towards teenagers, however, kids can expressions fluctuations of hormone that can send a social, happy kid to a reclused, shy and awkward teenager. Can it happen overnight? Possibly, and you probably think it’s just ‘one of those days where he/she wants to be alone.’

As parents, you realize their education and physical abilities to be important, but what about their mental capabilities? Are they really okay on the inside?

Tell them that you listen. Be pro-active in getting to know them.

Children can really be balls of mysteries with their still young mind, but you will be surprised what they have to say when it comes to what they really feel. Living in a world where we and our children are constantly exposed to negativity and depressing news, your kids might have something to say about the situation.

Some kids are reluctant in telling others what they think and feel, fearing repercussions. Maybe it was something you said when you were busy cooking and they took it that you don’t want to know about that. Make time to sit down with them and ask what they feel about, for example, a character who is feeling sad in a children’s story.

Ask them if they have ever felt sad and what they do when they are. Make sure they know that you are there to listen and apologize when you may have pushed them away. And your kids are NEVER too old for this.

Encourage creative and active activities

Children have a lot of rooms to grow and since they still very simple way of thinking, it’s easy to see what they are thinking and feeling from their creative arts. Drawing is the simplest thing any kid can do with a pencil and paper.

Physical activities help distract their negative emotions from what may have upset them. For example, they accidentally dropped something into the pond or maybe they fought with their classmates. After they feel much better with all those workout, you might be able to talk and get them to understand what happened easier.

They’re not entitled to not feel what they felt

The dangerous culture around the world that teaches kids what they shouldn’t feel has to be broken. Your son shouldn’t be ashamed of feeling blue and crying when he fell down and hurt his knees. Your daughter should not be stopped from feeling scared of something.

While you want them to own their fears of things, it’s not something that happens overnight.