How to Help Your Family’s Mental Health

collaborative post | As an individual, you must stay on top of your mental health and be proactive in seeking support for yourself. This becomes of more importance when you begin to grow your own family. Not only do you have to think of yourself, but you also need to think of your family, too.

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That’s not to say that you have to take on everything yourself, but if you have children, it does mean being a good role model for them, filling up your cup, knowing how to support yourself and your children when they need it, having positive coping mechanisms, and more.

Children are like sponges, and they are going to learn from you. They are also going to rely on you, and they need to feel like they can come to you when they need you.

While mental health struggles appear to be on the rise, it can be argued that they have always been there, but it has not received the awareness and attention that it deserves. This means that parents don’t know what to do when they need help, and neither do children.

There is not much access to mental health support in schools, and with the rise of technology like social media, children are under more pressure than ever.

Even if there are no obvious or diagnosed mental health conditions in your family, it is still important to consider mental health, the environment that you have created for your children, and the knowledge they have to adopt healthy coping mechanisms and support when they need it.

There are many ways that you can look after your family’s mental health. Some of these are going to be incorporating a range of things like music and laughter into their lives, whereas others are going to be creating a safe environment, seeking professional support, and having difficult conversations.

Mental health is not linear, but thankfully, there are a range of things you can do to support yourself and your family. Here are some great ways you can improve your family’s mental health. 

Be a positive role model

As a parent, it is your responsibility to be a good role model to your children, and this extends to mental health. You must work on yourself and know how to properly deal with stress and other mental health issues that come up. It is not good enough to think you can hide it from your children, they will know.

However, this does not imply you have to be a perfect parent. Everyone has struggles – but what is important is that you show your children a good path to dealing with and overcoming issues.

Many issues for families that impact mental health are issues around parents and divorce, as this can be stressful, and a struggle and keep families stuck in a negative space.

Make sure you seek professional support in the family law department, so you can do everything official while helping your family move forward. Along this journey, you may also seek support from family therapists.

Ensure your children have fun 

Children are innocent and need to have fun. With a huge rise in social media consumption and the number of hours children now spend in front of screens, it is vital to their mental health that they learn how to detach from technology, not become reliant on it, and go and have fun.

Children should learn how to be creative and have fun on their own, as well as be encouraged to have fun with friends, toys and other experiences. Fun is not only important to their development, but also their mental health. 

Teach your children positive coping mechanisms 

Many children experience anxiety, stress, depression and other struggles. To help them the best you can, you should teach your children positive coping mechanisms.

You might know how to do this, but if you don’t, there is nothing wrong with that. There are many professionals, such as therapists, who can help your children work through issues and learn coping mechanisms. Coping mechanisms are important, so children can learn how to channel their issues and move forward.

This will help them not stay stuck, and release any pent-up energy. Coping mechanisms will be obtained either way, so if you show your children positive ones, you will help their mental health, as well as help avoid them turning to things like drinking, smoking and drugs. 

Show your children how to switch off from school 

School is something that takes a lot out of children, and many children come home and are unable to switch off. Children face a lot of pressure in school about their grades, their homework and even from their peers. It is important that children learn how to separate school from their home life, and can see home as a safe place to unwind and relax and be themselves. 

Create a safe space to open up

Creating a safe space for your children is not easy to do, but it is essential. They may not want to tell you everything, but you don’t want to be the reason why they choose not to. Many children will suppress issues if they don’t feel like they can tell anyone, which may show up in different and unpleasant ways in the future.

Show your children that you are a safe person, and they can come to you if they are struggling. This might take time to do, so you should be consistent with your actions.

Consider your responses and the language that you use when your children come to you with issues. Make sure you actively listen when they speak, and attune to their needs.

This may also take a while, so as a parent, you must learn about your children, their needs, and how they express themselves. Remember everyone is different, so try to be understanding and let them go at their own pace. 

The mental health and well-being of your children and family should be a priority. Learning how to support them in all walks of life will go a long way to ensuring you all have a happy life together.