Improving young people’s mental wellbeing

Increase their self-esteem:

As a parent, it is easy to simply disagree with your child if they express negative or unhelpful beliefs about themself. For example, if they say “I’ll never be good at drawing!'“ an instant reaction is typically “Of course you will be.” However, you are more likely to change their thinking if you can guide them to their own, more positive conclusions. So try replying with “why do think that?” and discuss their thinking and feelings.

Praise is another good way to increase your child’s self-esteem, making them feel good about themselves and re-enforcing positive behaviour. Remember to give them your full attention when they do something positive as this will prevent them from seeking your attention by using negative behaviour.

Consistency is key:

Routine and structure are crucial to the mental health of your child. If they know what to expect when they do something right or wrong, they will feel secure.

If you discipline them for a particularly behaviour one day, but then tolerate or ignore the behaviour the next, your child will learn that adults are unpredictable. Unpredictability can be a major source of anxiety for children. If this anxiety becomes intolerable, your child may begin to deal with it inappropriately or harmfully.

Talk and play:

Take an interest in what your child likes to do. Learn something about it if possible, or simply ask them about it. Engaging with them on the topic of their interest will make them more open and talkative.

If possible, try to play alongside your child. Playing facilitates chat and makes it less boring or overwhelming for children. This is especially useful if you need to talk to them about how things are going at school, or about some change that has occurred in their life or just how they are feeling in general.

Be a good role model:

Be aware of the behaviour you exhibit in front of your child. The things you say and how you react to situations will all inform and mould their character.

If you want to inspire certain characteristics in your child, make a note to exhibit these in front of them. Equally, nobody is perfect and you will likely have some characteristics or habits that you would rather they didn't inherit or emulate. Try to be aware of when these are likely to occur and avoid exhibiting them in front of your child.

Look after yourself:

Raising children is not easy and many parents will often have work and other commitments on top of childcare. Make sure to make time for yourself, even if this means building an earlier bed time into your child’s routine so you can have a bath or engage in a hobby.

You could also involve your children in your self-care activities by exercising together - ride bikes, have a kick-about at the park or even just go for a walk.

As mentioned previously, children learn how to live from their parents, if you lead a healthy and fulfilled life it is likely your children will too.