When you define Mental Health, we look at a person’s condition regarding their psychological, emotional, and social wellbeing.
It affects how we think feel and act, and also helps determine how we handle stress, relate to others, and make choices.
For children, it is equally important at a young age to understand mental health, especially in their development.
Teaching the importance of self
For young people, it is very important to emphasise the importance of ‘Self’ (take a selfie photo what can you see?).
The one thing that is alarming amongst young people is Suicide; it is the third leading cause of death for young people aged 10-24. At least 90% of those who commit suicide have an underlying mental illness.
Without being taught about the reality of mental illness and how dark, scary, and alone it feels, young people won’t understand the impact that ‘just being kids, whether that’s bullying, slut-shaming, or spreading rumours, can have an impact on young people’s state of mind. They will not understand that our empathy, kindness, and care can have life-or-death consequences.
If we can help young people understand their mental health, we can help prevent them from getting to the place where they make a permanent decision to end a temporary situation.
Positive thoughts and wellbeing
Having a positive mental attitude has a lot to do with how we feel about ourselves as individuals. What you think about yourself has a ripple effect on how you socialise and connect with others. If you have low self-esteem, you are more likely to withdraw from building positive relationships because you feel you are incompetent to do this.
On the other hand, if you have high self-esteem you have more confidence in yourself and are more likely to want to share your feelings with others.
We are all individuals and this is what makes us special, we can all bring something different and special to whatever we are doing. Being ourselves is the key to feeling happy inside. As young people grow they will discover new things and abilities they want to expand on, it is never too early to start shining the light on how to keep a positive mental attitude.
Controlling thoughts is one of our main focuses at Marvellous Times. We constantly promote positive thinking by using positive words and actions no matter what the situation.
This is to build resilience and perseverance for goals and challenges in the future. Mental health is a very broad topic with multiple factors that can affect us mentally.
Using exercise and nutrition to manage mental health
Both Yoga and meditation are very much recommended to correct mental attitudes.
The benefits of yoga are endless for children. It helps improve fine and gross motor skills, along with developing self-confidence, self-expression, and body awareness. Yoga/meditation teaches children how to relax, unwind and calm down which is a fun and exciting way to help children to become more aware of their emotions and the impact it has on both themselves and others.
Physical yoga builds strength, flexibility, and balance empowering children to feel more confident, relaxed, and happier every day.
In connection with physical yoga, it is also, about what we feed our bodies having a balanced diet, and eating food that helps our bodies to function better for growth and development.
Eating the right foods along with exercising is already a great step to maintaining a positive mental attitude because as you eat what the body needs it gives you the energy to think, act, and feel your best.
Preparing your children for life’s journey
In conclusion, all journeys in life have challenges along the way and the best way to prepare is to start implementing effective strategies to overcome negative thoughts.
The best way children are going to learn to understand mental health is to educate them. We hope parents are doing so inside the home, and we believe it is time to start outside the home, too.
