Back to School - Kids Mental Health
Quick tips on how to protect your Kids Mental Health!
Starting a new school year amid a global pandemic can be extremely stressful and overwhelming for most of our kids. As this pandemic has caused disruptions to the daily lifestyle of many, there are many concerns on how the kids will adjust themselves to the deep changes or the new normal of their surroundings. They can struggle to manage feelings about falling back on their studies as well as that of the unprecedented pandemic.
Taking care of your child’s mental well-being is equally important as taking care of their physical health. Parents play a major role in helping your child maintain a healthy mental state. Your child must ease back into their school year with a clear mind and plenty of play. You should provide your little ones with plenty of reassurance to help them overcome whatever anxiety-filled and stressful thoughts that are lingering on their little minds.
Here are some quick tips on how you can support your child.
- Get back into a routine. A routine brings back reassuring comfort and a predictable rhythm to the daily living of your little one.
- Connect with teachers, friends, and classmates to help your child a sense of normalcy for the return to the new semester/school year
- Find a ‘safe person’ at school(ideally the classroom teacher). A person your child can trust and confide in with all his/her concerns
- Look for ways to give your child the opportunity to make choices.
- Be both emotionally and physically available for your child at all times
- Stay calm and always be reassuring when communicating with your children
- Encourage your little one to share everything they feel
- Address and validate all their concerns
- Respect all your child’s fears
- Make home a safe place for your child to share any of their thoughts
- Encourage your children to ask a lot of questions regarding their concerns
Warning signs to lookout
As a parent, you should always seek warning signs of declined mental wellness and keep track of your child’s behavior. Some of these warning signs include; Replay of unwanted thoughts and images in their mind that can lead to nightmares: Overwhelm of unpleasant feelings of sadness which has an increased impact in anxiety and clinginess development: Experiencing little to less concentration on schoolwork, has a small attention span: Increase in reactivity symptoms such as stomach aches, headaches or other bodily complaints, or a change in appetite or sleep habits.