PUBLISHED: Mental Health Tips for Kids

Editor of South City Bulletin magazine, Wendy Johnson published ‘Mental Health Tips for Kids” in their December Summer issue, both in glossy print and online. As a mental health advocate, I’m delighted my story can reach out into the community, empowering families and children …

‘Never before have kids been so stressed, anxious and depressed! … How can we as parents and teachers help our children to be Happier and Mentally stronger?

My Story: ‘Parents of one of my school students repeatedly harassed me until I could take no more. I developed post-traumatic stress disorder but luckily I’ve recovered. After I was released from the psychiatric hospital, I returned to Teaching determined to empower my class with resilience skills.
I wrote ME & HER: a Memoir of Madness, sharing my Guide to Recovery and Wellness tools

READ the first #20 FREE pages of  ME & HER: a Memoir of Madness.

I’m extremely passionate about mental health for children. Kids need empowering stories to nurture positive self-talk and learn coping strategies to deal with life’s ever-increasing problems. So, how can we make our children MORE resilient to withstand the pressures of modern life?

#10 Ways to Raise Resilient  Children

1.    Read positive books about mental health to your kids, such as Go Away, Mr Worry Thoughts by Nicky Johnston (on how to beat anxiety), Coming Home by Sharon McGuiness (on how to cope with depression), and lead discussions on anxiety = worry, and depression = bad days.

2.    Be a positive role model. Lead by example. Show them how to bounce back. Teach positive social and problem solving skills.

3.    Catch your kids being successful. Constructive feedback validates and reinforces their positive behaviour.

4.    Encourage your children to express their emotions and what’s on their mind to open up communication channels. Encourage them to write down what’s worrying them in their diaries.

5.    Discuss family issues like illness, death and divorce. Discuss World Events like war and natural disasters on a level they can grasp. Kids who see disturbing images on TV may worry about their own safety and of the people they love. Talk to your kids about what they see and hear, and monitor what they watch on TV so that you can help them understand what’s going on.

6.    Immerse your child into an environment of self-confidence, self-awareness and emotional awareness. Let children play creatively.

7.    Give children time-out to relax. Teach kids slow deep breathing for relaxation.

8.    Urge younger children to associate each emotion with specific facial expressions, body language and an emoticon. 🙂

9.    Ensure your child gets enough sleep, exercises every day and eats a healthy diet.

10.    Teach your child simple meditation techniques. Start with a comfortable position, palms up, eyes closed, take slow deep breaths. Visualize being calm.

Currently, I’m writing Mental Health books for children.

I advocate parents, teachers and librarians guide children on how to cope with the stresses of life. I urge you to support the development of mental health and positive well-being in your children.

Please check out Logan writers’ articles in South City Bulletin: Stephanie Azri (Family Holidays: Joy or Nightmare) Robin Adolphs (Children’s Book Review) Dawn Alice (Numbers for 2013) and Wendy Johnson’s own story on Staying Safe.

Read the FULL story, Mental Health for KIDS over at South City Bulletin magazine.

In these stressful times, what are you doing to help your child to be Happier?

And Stress Less?
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