Lessons for Leaders 90: Tips for Children’s Mental Health Week

Dec 1, 2022 | Podcasts, Children, Lessons for Leaders, Mental Wellbeing

Tips for Children’s Mental Health Week

Since this week is Children’s Mental Health Week, I’m sharing some of my top tips and experience that I’ve used with my own children and hope will be helpful for you too.

1 in 6 children and young people have a diagnosable mental health problem, and many more struggle with challenges from bullying to bereavement.

50% of those with lifetime mental health problems first experience symptoms by the age of 14.

This is why we need to equip young people with skills to build emotional fitness, improve their wellbeing and manage their emotions.

Tips for Children’s Mental Health Week

Since this week is Children’s Mental Health Week, I’m sharing some of my top tips and experience that I’ve used with my own children and hope will be helpful for you too. 1 in 6 children and young people have a diagnosable mental health problem, and many more struggle with challenges from bullying to bereavement.

Tips for Children’s Mental Health Week

Talk at every opportunity.

You can use car journeys, meal times, walking to school or going for a coffee for opportunities to talk about the day or something else.

If they’re in a mood or had a rough day, get them talking so that throughout the conversation they can change their perspective on the day.  Perhaps they’ll then begin to realise it wasn’t the whole day that was bad.

3 Key Phrases

I share my 3 key phrases that work in all sorts of situations to ensure we calm down the brain and stop people and children being defensive.

Remember to Tell Stories

I shared in the last podcast episode about the power of sharing stories. What you’re demonstrating here is:

  • You are not alone
  • I felt like that once too
  • I know what you mean
  • Over time things change

Why side by side conversations are really powerful to ensure there is no pressure to make eye contact and reduce any confrontational feelings.

Help them figure out their own struggles. 

Listen in to the explanation of this and why and how this builds resilience. I give examples of questions you can ask and what can happen when you do this so they move out of catastrophe and doom and gloom situations.

Self Esteem is often a tough one to build

I share some simple and effective tips so you can talk about the good things that they do, rather than how they are as a person.  Listen in for examples.

Finally…

You’re not supposed to be your child’s therapist, but you are supposed to be their confidant, their safe place, and the person they come to.

However difficult it is for you – it’s going to be so much harder for them.

I hope this is helpful for you. Please do share any feedback or any questions on this, drop me an email at emma@emmalangton.com

For further information on 1:1, group coaching or training get in touch.

Join my corporate leadership and wellbeing newsletter HERE

If you want to be increasing your performance so that you’re more resilient, less stressed in these current times, so that you can focus easily, use tools and techniques to deal with all the current and unknown challenges then make sure that you send me an email or use the online diary and arrange a time for a chat.

This post discusses: childrensmentalhealthweek, emmalangton
Emma Langton

Emma Langton

Executive Leadership Coach

Emma hosts the Lessons for Leaders podcast. Each week she brings you lessons, learnings, tips and advice to enable you to lead with ease in business, without stress, doubt and overwhelm so that I help you to increase your performance, be resilient and thrive in life. Emma has been providing coaching, training and therapeutic support for executives since setting up her business in 2011. Prior to that she spent over 20 years with people at the top of national and multi-national training and communication businesses.

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