Mental Health/Wellness for Children

It was recently suggested for me to explain the importance for mental health/wellness for children. At first I thought 'this has got to be obvious' but the more I thought about it I realized that if it was obvious we as adults would also see the importance of it for ourselves.

We would know that when we practice things like yoga, meditation, self-care, etc... we not only improve our lives but we improve the lives of those around us. And making time for this is just as important as showing up for work, being a parent, etc... because when we are capable of regulating ourselves with our own stressors, emotions, feelings, we then have more capacity to offer to others, including our children.

Now if we look at it from the children's side, when they are regulated (which is a good indicator of Mental Wellness) they are capable of so much more. Have you ever tried to discuss with a child having a temper tantrum, why what they are doing is wrong? It's like talking to a wall. At that point they are dysregulated and therefore do not have capacity for much of anything. As children get older they typically learn to not have visible tantrums, however that does not mean that in their brains they are not having the same response and as such lack the ability to learn, evaluate the circumstance, or even choose to respond in a way they want to.

When children learn tools to use to help their ability to self-regulate they gain so much control in their lives!

They gain control over...

• how they respond to their emotions!

• how they choose to show up during difficult situations!

• how they respond to others, perhaps showing more empathy and/or sympathy!

• that it is ok to need and ask for help!

• making self-care a priority (and knowing that is not selfish)!

I feel like I should point out that being regulated does not mean that you don't have emotions or that emotions don't bother you. What it does mean is that you have the capability to choose how you show up in those situations that feel hard or hurt.

So how do we teach self-regulation, well number one through my experience is to work on you as a parent. You know the saying monkey see, monkey do; well it works.

Second is to teach them to be open about their feelings, emotions, thoughts and that having a hard time is normal. Also remembering that what is big for them may feel small to us but being empathetic that they feel how they feel and supporting them from that spot. Through doing this for my girls I have gained so much for my own mental health/wellness, perhaps this is something you can work on together.

My third and last point for this post, is to emphasize the importance of self-care! We all have bad days, we all struggle and in those moments it is acceptable to take some time and give yourself the space to recharge. This will allow them to show up as the person they want to be on a regular basis.

Yoga can offer a safe space, free of expectations, full of fun and movement. It can allow them to let their emotions from the day out in a constructive way through movement, touch (partner yoga moves) and laughs. It can help reduce stress and anxiety by giving them a place to be silly, excited, energetic and then learn to come to a calm, relaxed state. Having that self-care can promote self-regulation which can lead to reduced stress and anxiety, better performance in academia, better performance in extra curriculars, and even better relationships with friends, family and themselves. Yoga can be such a good of starting a self-care routine and perhaps you can lead by example by joining yoga yourself.

Just to reiterate the importance of promoting/teaching mental health/wellness to children, here are some statistics:

Amongst children aged 3-17 years in 2016-2019, millions suffer from:

• Anxiety 9.4% (approximately 5.8 million)

• Behavior problems 8.9% (approximately 5.5 million)

• Depression 4.4% (approximately 2.7 million)

• Of those 2.7 million, 15.1% had a major depressive episode and 36.7% had persistent feelings of sadness or hopelessness (CDC, 2023).

Let's help shift those statistics now! Reach out today about my services including mindfulness coaching and yoga classes.

Remember no one is perfect and the best thing we can do for our children is lead by example.