7 Keys To Promoting Good Mental Health In Children

May 5, 2017 – 7 Keys To Promoting Good Mental Health In Children

By John Uzie

Mental health includes our emotional, psychological, and social wellbeing. It affects how we think, feel, and act. Our mental state determines how we handle stress, relate to others, and make choices.
Good mental health is important at every stage of life from childhood to adolescent years and adulthood.

The emotional wellbeing of children is just as important as their physical health. Mental health problems that affects children include depression, anxiety and behavioural misconduct, these are often a response to what is happening in their lives.
Good mental health enables children grow into emotionally balanced and psychologically healthy adults.

Basics For Promoting Good Mental Health Of Children :

1. Unconditional love ; parents should show and give unconditional love to their children, irrespective of their sex, age, talents, and abilities.

2. Nuture children’s confidence; parents should acknowledge and praise a child when he performs well in academic and non academic activities.

3. Give children opportunity to play;
children should be allowed to play, learn, and interact with other children as they grow up.

4. A safe home ; parents should ensure the home and surrounding environment is safe, family members should live in harmony with minimal conflicts.

5. Children should attend a school that looks after the wellbeing of all its pupils. Parents should cooperate with school teachers and other care givers.

6. Appropriate guidance and discipline should be provided by parents to correct their children when they err.

7. Parents should be good role models to their children by ‘practicing what they teach’.

Good mental health allows children to develop the ability to cope with whatever life throws at them and grow into well-rounded, healthy adults.

[By John Uzie]