In recent times, the rise in mental health problems in children is starting to spark concern among health professionals. Although lots of kids grow out of these issues as time goes on, a large number of them go on to develop serious mental health problems later in life.

However, that isn’t to say that nothing can be done to prevent these problems from turning into something more. In fact, as a parent, you can do a lot to encourage healthy habits and a healthy mind from a young age, even if you feel as though you aren’t doing enough. The key to managing your child’s mental health is by following some small but simple tips in their daily lives. These tips are helpful even if your child doesn’t show any signs of such issues, as they will teach them the valuable life skills they need if they ever find themselves slipping into a hole when they are older.

Cook healthy meals

The distinction between mind and body is slowly but surely being diminished, as there have been numerous studies to show that a healthy body can help cultivate a healthy mind. In any case, the start to a healthy lifestyle comes by adjusting your diet to being balanced and rich in vitamins. With children, it can be a challenge to get them to eat healthy foods, and they often think that food cannot taste nice if it is healthy. However, this is another myth that should be debunked, as there are many tasty treats and meals that are full of goodness, but which still prioritize taste. You should start cooking these foods together so that your child can learn the importance of a healthy diet. It is also wise to teach them about which foods are full of vitamins that promote a healthy brain, such as fish, brightly colored fruits, and leafy greens.

Encourage exercise

Diet and exercise have always gone hand in hand when it comes to promoting a healthy body, and the mind is no exception. In fact, in many cases exercise has been the savior for people who have struggled with their mental health for some time, due to the chemicals that are released into the brain after exercising. It is likely that you will be encouraging your child to exercise through hobbies and sports, but you can also show them how important it is to go on long walks in nature and to keep up a solid routine. In many cases, exercising means your child will have a better night’s sleep, and that they will be able to use it to work through any difficult emotions and release them when they are stressed.

Encourage their passions

In life, there are many things that make people happy, from their favorite books to participating in a sport. In any case, these memories are often tied to their passion. While it is easy to encourage great grades in your kids, this kind of pressure can lead to them developing problems with anxiety and stress management as they grow up, and will, in fact, worsen their grades. Studies have shown that having a passion alongside academic work can bolster commitment and attention in the classroom, all while giving your child something to aspire to. Such passions will increase their happiness each day if it is something they truly love, and will also give them an outlet for their emotions whenever they start to feel down.

Listen to them

This point may seem like an obvious one, but you will be surprised at how little time parents can make to listen to their child after a long day working. Although you will be tired and in need of relaxation when you come home from work, you also need to be there for your child if they have had a difficult day at work. This is because it enables your child to develop a voice and express themselves whenever they don’t feel good. This is crucial to helping them talk about difficult times, rather than forcing them to hold negative emotions inside. Taking a few minutes each day to ask how their day was, and ask them if there’s anything they need to talk about will let them know they can always come to you if they have a problem and that they are never alone.

Build their confidence

As your child grows, it is likely that some of the hormonal changes happening in their body will start to affect how they see themselves. With eating disorders and Body Dysmorphia developing during this age, it is vital that you are not only there for your child during these times, but that you build them up from their lowest point. It may seem hard for you to understand what is going on in their head, as they don’t see what you see each day, but they are likely as confused. Luckily, you can make a real difference by complimenting them often, and by reminding them each day that their worth doesn’t lie in how they look. This also applied to any confidence they find faltering in their passions, as they could start to feel as though they won’t make it anywhere with what they love. Taking an avid interest and showing your pride in their work is something they will truly start to appreciate as time goes on

Promote a sleep routine

A big part of maintaining a healthy mind is getting enough sleep. As your child grows, they might be finding it harder to have a restful sleep each night, which can lead to worse mood swings and higher levels of irritability. Although encouraging such a routine can be tricky, there are many ways in which you can help. This includes making sure they get enough exercise to wear their body out, as well as setting certain times in which they must be in bed by and switch off from their mobile devices that could be keeping them awake.

Create a safe space

The key to helping your child sleep is by making their room as safe a space as possible, where they feel as though they can relax from the moment they step through their bedroom door. The best thing about creating such a space is that your child can choose what they want in their room that makes them feel safe. This could be anywhere from their favorite toys, a night light, or weighted blankets which feel like a perpetual hug. In fact, you should consider bringing herbal remedies into their room as a way of helping them sleep. For example, rubbing lavender oil on their pillow is an ancient but effective sleep remedy, and giving a glass of warm milk before bed will help them feel sleepy. As they grow older, you can start to bring plush cushions and candles into their room so that they are surrounded by a glowing warmth.

Don’t let conflict affect them

One of the biggest triggers to ill mental health is traumatic childhood events that children find it hard to banish from their memories. While conflicts and disagreements are common in any home, they become detrimental when violence and aggression are involved. Not only this, but divorce is becoming more common; while this is often the best option, it can lead to some families being torn apart. In cases like these, you should try and keep arguing to a minimum, and you should try to amicably part ways if this is possible. Not only this, but you should make the process as quick as possible by hiring a trusted Legal Separation Lawyer, as then you can start to rebuild new homes for your children where they can flourish rather than fall. After this has happened, you can consider bringing a therapist into your child’s life, as they will need an outlet for the hardship that has affected them. Having such a valuable resource on hand will enable your child to open up and learn skills that they can take through life to equip them in dealing with difficult life events.

Lead by example

First and foremost, your children will look to you from a young age to see how you deal with hard times and new challenges. Although there will be days where you struggle with your own mental health, your child will pick up on how you deal with this, even when you don’t think they are. This is why it’s important to lead by example. This means letting your child know that while it is hard, it is more than acceptable to have bad days. However, you should also be careful about what you discuss with your child, as this may be a lot for them to deal with at such a young age. Talking to those around you, remaining positive on bad days, and having a bank of useful techniques to rely on are all skills your child will take from you as they grow.

The abuse of children, in whatever form it takes, is one of the most abhorrent acts humans are capable of, and justifiably gives rise to feelings of extreme anger and the desire for revenge upon the perpetrators. However sickened and distressed you may feel as someone who is working or living with a victim of abuse, your focus has to remain on helping, counseling and nurturing the affected child, and giving them all the support you can. This can be emotionally draining for you, too, so it’s important to understand how you feel and take action to avoid letting emotional distress affect your own health.

Accepting your feelings

Helping to repair the shattered lives of abused and neglected children is bound to take its toll on you, but as someone who cares so much for the welfare of the children concerned, it can sometimes be hard to accept that you have a right to feel negative emotions. The rationale is usually along the lines of, “This child has been through so much, what right do I have to be upset and hurt when none of these things was done to me?”. You need to understand that you do have every right to feel these emotions, and the reason you feel the way you do is your empathetic nature. You feel their pain almost as if it were your own, and these emotions are real and entirely natural.

Learning how to manage your feelings

Trying to shut yourself down and suppress what you are feeling is not the answer, and can lead to you having physical and mental health problems of your own. Frontline emergency service personnel are renowned for being able to keep a sense of humor and stay calm even in the direst of circumstances. It’s not that they have closed off their emotions, but they have found ways to compartmentalize them for the duration of their working day, so that they can function in the harrowing and stressful situations they encounter so regularly. What is essential is to be able to find your own ways of dealing with your stress and the emotions you’re feeling so that they don’t build up inside and affect your own health.

Diversion, relaxation and letting it out

There are three main methods of dealing with your emotional stress:

• Finding something that completely takes your mind away from your worries and gives you a break. Sports are good for this, as well as music, learning new skills, hobbies, and perhaps a special event like an Escape Room STL adventure or something that challenges you like abseiling.
• Finding ways to truly relax your mind and body is essential for health and wellbeing. Yoga, meditation, mindfulness; there are many alternative approaches that you can try until you find one that suits you.
• Don’t be afraid to have a good cry and let your emotions out when you are with someone sympathetic and caring. Holding back your tears will do you far more harm than letting them flow. Talking about your feelings with a good friend, trusted colleague or a counselor will also help ease the strain.

To be able to give your best to the children in your care, you need to look after yourself first. You won’t be able to help them if you become ill or burnt out, so for their sakes, be kind to yourself.

Whether the abuse is emotional, physical or sexual, damage done in your childhood doesn’t just affect you when you’re young. Children can be very impressionable, and the experiences we go through as a child can have a bigger part to play in shaping who we become as an adult than many of us may realize. Going through an abusive situation as a child or being abused by somebody who was in a position of trust can lead to severe mental health issues in many adults. The good news is that whatever you have been through, help is out there for everybody. It’s not uncommon for children who suffer abuse to grow into adults who suffer from depression, anxiety, and other mental health complaints, but with the right treatment, you can come out the other side stronger and more in control than ever before.

#1. Therapy:

For many adults who suffered abuse as a child, their therapist is the first person they talk to. As a child, it can be difficult to talk about any kind of abuse, and many children don’t realize the seriousness of what happens to them until they are much older. On the other hand, as an adult, you know who to turn to and have a clearer idea of what’s right and wrong. Speaking with a therapist can give you the outlet that you need to get everything off your chest in a non-biased, non-judgmental environment. Visit Examined Existence for more mental health tips.

#2. Medical Treatment and Rehabilitation:

For many adults who were the victims of abuse as children, it can be all too easy to fall into a pattern of self-destruction. Mental health issues caused by suffering abuse as a child can lead to further problems, for example, alcohol, drug, and other addiction issues, or simply falling into unhealthy lifestyle patterns and habits. If you have gotten to a point where you’re worried about your lifestyle, you might want to consider turning to your doctor, who may be able to prescribe anti-depressant medication or enroll you on a suitable rehabilitation program if needed. Although it’s going to take some deeper treatment to get to the root of the problem, making some smaller changes to your daily lifestyle habits can help to boost your mood and change your self-esteem. Often, low self-esteem is characteristic of adults who survived abuse as a child, so working on improving your health, fitness, and image now can enable you to feel like you’re finally the one in control.

#3. Find Supportive Friends:

Lastly, supportive friends around you can make all the difference when getting over this very terrible thing that happened to you early in life. Whether you are still a relatively young person, or it’s taken you a long time to come to terms with the abuse that you survived, having people that you can trust and confide in supporting you will give you the confidence that you need to finally overcome your past.

As an adult, getting over abuse from your childhood can be one of the most difficult things that you’ll ever do, but you’ll come out the other side a stronger person.