Content Warning - mental illness.
T - I think, it is essential that we learn to understand our minds when we are not ok, and one way to do this is by parents Teaching their children about the fundamental steps to mental health i.e. what am I thinking, why am I having happy or sad thoughts?
E - Express, to gain help for your mental health we must be taught to open up and share our internal thoughts, remember it does not have to be everything just a few words i.e. I am not feeling so great right now.
A- Act, right all these steps would be pointless without action. How do we apply these Taught lessons, when we simply learn to be aware of our sources of help i.e. local family or friends, Gp, or a mentor? The list of help sources is countless.
C - Chat, so what can we do when we need help? Chat to someone being Taught how to open up is another skill we may take for grenade when mentally struggling i.e. I am too sad to talk to anyone, but talking about things often helps to ‘empowers people to talk and get the help they need’.
H - Help, mental health does not always mean you are helpLESS there is a lot of help and support around you i.e. ‘CAHMS, Samaritans’
M - Myself, it starts with you you are never alone because you are not the only one struggling, it is often for people not to talk about mental health with ‘More than one in three UK adults surveyed (36 per cent) never make space in their day or the time to speak about their mental health
E - Everyone, the people around you do not see you as a burden we are all here for you, mental health does not last forever but the people around you will.
Mental health: What did I miss?
Whether you are a new parent, current parent or soon-to-be here are some tips to help aid your children’s mental health. Creating good habits for them i.e. having family discussions to promote being able to express yourself to family.
Emotional check-ins help to regulate how your child is feeling and are a chance for you to raise any concerns, remember not to pressure them some things take time to discuss.
Hygiene routines help to make sure no matter how dark your child's mind gets it may affect their usual routine so making sure they have self-care routines and alone time to do that extra pampering can aid in their physical and mental care.
Self-esteem starts from a young make sure to show your care, affection and love verbally to your children so they can grow to have a high view of themselves.
Reminding them they are not alone is important as children can teen to feel emotions of isolation when they are young and especially struggling with mental health so please make sure to remind them they are wanted and to spare some special one-to-one time with them