Mental Health, Wellbeing and Resilience in Children – top tips

 Behaviours which may cause concern

• Decrease in enjoyment
• Increase in time spent alone
• Decrease in school performance
• Reluctance to attend school
• Problems with memory/concentration
• Problems sleeping/eating
• Aches and pains
• Anxious/tearful for long periods
• Aggression/temper tantrums

Causes

• School
• Fear of the unknown
• Exam stress
• Peer pressure
• Parental pressure
• Social media

As parents, what do we do wrong?

Take adversity away

Solve problems

Reinforce the problem

As parents, what can we do to help?

• Explain that feeling stressed is normal
• Label emotions
• Explain that a little pressure is good
• Allow them to experience failure
• Promote healthy risk taking
• Model appropriate behaviours
• Show that it’s ok to ask for help
• Encourage them to do things they would rather avoid
• Promote the bright side of things

Resilience

• Resilient children bounce back – they can cope
• Build resilience from a young age
• Allow opportunities to make decisions
• Make time to talk and listen
• Encourage mindfulness techniques

Further reading: www.heysigmund.com