You already prioritize your child’s physical health, but what about their mental health? Psychologists emphasize that parents have a significant impact on their child’s mental well-being, contributing to their thriving.
You can learn more about mental health from our comprehensive guide before proceeding.
Emotionally healthy children, a term often synonymous with mental health, achieve social and emotional developmental milestones. They possess strong social skills, effectively manage problems, function well at home, school, and within their communities, and experience a positive quality of life, as stated by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC).
Strategies for nurturing a child’s emotional health encompass various factors. While some factors, such as neighborhood conditions and access to healthcare, may be challenging to alter, caregiving plays a crucial role.
Here are 7 practical and feasible strategies for raising emotionally resilient kids, even amid busy daily routines.
- Gain insight into social and emotional development
While you don’t need an advanced degree in child development to be a good parent, having a foundational understanding can be beneficial.
According to the American Academy of Pediatrics (AAP), having knowledge about child development, such as what children might need and accomplish at various ages, helps parents set realistic expectations.
For instance, there’s a common concern among caregivers that they might spoil their infants by responding to their cries, but in early infancy, being touched and held fulfills a fundamental need.
You can acquire basic knowledge through resources like secondhand child development textbooks or free materials on age-related milestones from the CDC.
It’s essential to note that each child has unique abilities and requirements that cultural contexts, individual developmental paths, and other contributing factors can influence.
- Provide undivided attention
Kids thrive on social interaction, and one of the most precious gifts you can offer is your complete attention. Even devoting just five phone-free minutes each day before bedtime can significantly contribute to nurturing their emotional well-being.
When children lack consistent and quality time with their caregivers, it can adversely impact their overall well-being. Research examining “technoference,” where digital devices interrupt family time, reveals that parental preoccupation with phones and other devices correlates with increased depression and anxiety among adolescents.
Engaging with teenagers might be more challenging. For this age group, the focus should be on creating opportunities for connection, whether or not they actively engage.
Parents should make themselves available, approachable, and supportive without being forceful, allowing teenagers the autonomy to decide when and how they want to connect.
- Offer opportunities to overcome challenges
While the instinct to shield your child from life’s difficulties may seem caring, research indicates that this approach doesn’t foster good mental health.
For instance, a study involving university students revealed that those who perceived their parents as overly protective were more likely to report poorer emotional well-being, including increased levels of anxiety, depression, and difficulty identifying and expressing feelings.
Instead, encourage your child to confront challenges and develop resilience. Suppose your child feels anxious about attending a new class and expresses a desire to quit.
Rather than immediately withdrawing them from the activity, normalize the initial fear of new experiences and motivate them to persist for a while longer. While they may not master the subject of the class immediately, they can learn to navigate and handle challenging situations effectively.
- Foster healthy sleeping patterns
Insufficient sleep can significantly impact mood, sensitivity, and emotional stability, even after just a night or two of inadequate rest. To address this issue, one of the primary suggestions for parents dealing with children’s difficulties is to gradually move their bedtime earlier by 15 minutes.
While individual sleep requirements differ, the American Academy of Sleep Medicine (AASM) suggests that children should ideally sleep between 8 to 16 hours, with younger children needing more sleep and teenagers requiring fewer hours.
Adequate sleep plays a vital role in emotional regulation and mental well-being, according to the AASM.
Various studies, including research involving over 400 infants, have also established a connection between sleep and healthy social-emotional development.
If your child struggles with getting restful sleep, you may try these 17 proven strategies to improve sleep quality.
- Encourage self-trust
It is crucial to instill in children the belief that they are the ultimate authority on their own feelings and experiences. Parents should accept and acknowledge what their children express about their internal thoughts and emotions without overriding or dictating how they should feel – even while setting boundaries on behavior.
For instance, if a child claims to be hungry right after a meal, acknowledging their feelings while maintaining limits can be helpful. Instead of dismissing their hunger by saying, “You couldn’t possibly be hungry; we just ate lunch,” psychologists recommend responding with understanding, like, “I understand you’re telling me you’re hungry. We finished lunch, so we won’t be having snacks right now.”
When children are constantly taught to doubt their own feelings, they might grow into adolescents who struggle to trust their instincts. This lack of self-trust can lead to difficulties, such as hesitating to act on their intuition that a social gathering is becoming risky and it’s time to leave.
Research also suggests that when parents frequently disregard their children’s emotions, it could contribute to emotional health challenges and trouble in managing and expressing feelings in their kids.
- Set an example of emotional well-being
Children benefit when caregivers exhibit mental health behaviors. Emotional health isn’t about flawless emotional perfection but rather about being emotionally aware and expressive.
Research reinforces this idea.
For instance, in a study, fathers who found it challenging to identify or discuss their feelings reported that their toddlers exhibited more emotional and behavioral issues compared to fathers who were more comfortable expressing their emotions.
Psychologists recommend initiating age-appropriate discussions about emotions in everyday life. For instance, if your children’s behavior in the backseat is overwhelming, express your feelings of frustration and concern about the family outing potentially not going as planned.
By openly discussing and identifying your emotions, you can ideally instill the practice in your children, helping them learn to articulate their feelings as well.
- Emphasize positive moments
Positive emotions are not only enjoyable but also serve as valuable resources that children can use to navigate challenges in the future.
To help your child build up this emotional reservoir, it’s important to cherish and celebrate small moments of happiness in their lives.
For instance, if your child returns from school delighted with a painting they made, instead of merely saying it’s nice, actively engage with them. Show genuine excitement, ask questions about their artwork, and extend the joyful experience. By doing so, you are taking a positive experience and enriching it, making it more meaningful and impactful for your child’s emotional well-being.