5 Mental Health Tips for Parents

All parents want to raise their children to be happy and healthy. With so many new pressures and problems on the rise, however, it can be hard to know what to do. Today, adolescents are feeling increasingly isolated, and they may not know how to communicate what they’re going through. it’s not always easy to tell when your child needs help. If you’re a parent, you might find these six mental health tips useful.

5 Mental Health Tips for Parents

1. Check in With Your Kids Regularly

Parents think they need to be superheroes, but being able to “do it all” isn’t necessary. The best thing you can do is simply be there for your kids. Be present and available when your children want to talk, and be sure to check in with them regularly. Even if they’re not entirely receptive at the moment, they should know that they can come talk to you whenever they need to.

2. Don’t Blame Yourself

When you, your child or another family member is going through a stressful time, it can be easy to blame yourself. You may be thinking: “What am I doing wrong?” or “Am I not a good parent?” Remember that you’re doing the best you can, don’t fall into the trap of comparing your situation to that of others.

3. Confide in A Trusted Individual

You aren’t alone in this, and it’s okay to ask for help. Seek out a physician, a therapist, a family member, a child’s teacher, or a trusted friend. Let them know what you’re experiencing. If your child is struggling, it’s perfectly normal to feel helpless or unsure of what to do next. You might be surprised at how uplifting it can be to receive guidance from someone you trust. Moreover, they may offer advice that you would never have considered yourself.

4. Cool Off, Don’t Argue

It happens: when stressful situations arise, tempers flare. In this scenario, it’s important to remember your role as the adult in the room. Allowing your anger to get the best of you isn’t healthy for you or your child. Whenever you’re tempted to lash out or say something you might regret, take a pause to cool off. If you can’t have a productive conversation, save it for another time.

5. Don’t Forget About Your Own Mental Health

If you’ve ever flown on an airplane, you’ve heard something like this during the in-flight safety speech: “In the event of an emergency, place your oxygen mask over your mouth and nose before assisting others.” This is a difficult rule for parents to follow. Instinctually, you want to protect your kids first. With that being said, you can’t help them effectively without helping yourself. If you don’t practice self-care and look out for your own mental health, how can you expect your kids to do the same? As far as mental health tips go, this is the most important one to keep in mind.

Interested in More Mental Health Tips for Parents? Partner with Lead4Life, Inc. Today to Learn More

Visit our website for more information or mental health tips, or contact us at 240-499-8949. At Lead4Life, we strive to empower every participant in our programs so that they may find their purpose, achieve their goals, and become poised, productive members of their community. We advocate for those in need and assist each and every individual by providing compassionate education and valuable resources like mental health tips so that they can make the very best decisions and develop important life, social, and competency skills.

3 Anxiety Treatments for Children

Anxiety is a common problem that can affect anyone, but children are especially at risk. Between 2016 and 2019, the number of children experiencing anxiety had already climbed 27%. By 2020, there were 5.6 million kids diagnosed with anxiety.

According to the CDC, common types of anxiety in children are as follows:

  • Separation anxiety: fear of being away from parents
  • Phobias: fear of certain things or situations, like visiting the doctor
  • Social anxiety: fear of school or places with many people
  • General anxiety: fearful of the future or catastrophic events
  • Panic disorder: recurrent episodes of intense fear (with symptoms like a pounding heart, shortness of breath, dizziness, sweating)

Fortunately, there are many effective options available and they can be used to target different kinds of anxiety. You may find one of these anxiety treatments for children effective.

3 Anxiety Treatments for Children

1. Cognitive Behavioral Therapy (CBT)

CBT is based on the concept that our thoughts and feelings impact our beliefs and behavior. In practice, this type of treatment involves carefully exposing children to triggers until they feel safer and less anxious. Let’s say, for example, that a ten-year old girl named Laura experiences a panic attack. The attack took place in the middle of soccer practice, and now Laura is afraid of returning to practice. A therapist might recommend visiting the empty soccer field with a parent or trusted guardian, then eventually going back when people are present. Laura may be encouraged to journal afterwards to document her thoughts and feelings. Over time, she should feel more comfortable in that environment. Ultimately, the goal of CBT is to reduce both avoidance and ritualistic behaviors. This anxiety treatment for children is usually paired with medication.

2. Attention Bias Modification Treatment (ABMT)

ABMT is typically recommended for patients who have little to no success with CBT. With ABMT, computer-based attention training programs are used to transform a child’s attention bias. Most people experiencing anxiety fixate on anything they find threatening in their environment. The computer programs are designed to retrain a child’s attention patterns. This works by introducing them to threatening and non-threatening stimuli while they’re focusing on an attention-based task. This is a relatively new anxiety treatment for children, and more research is required to determine its effectiveness. However, current results are promising.

3. Prescribed, Clinician-Approved Medications

Medications aren’t suitable for every child; however, when combined with therapeutic methods, they can yield positive results. Some medicinal anxiety treatments for children that a therapist might recommend include antidepressants and benzodiazepine. Anti-depressants start working quickly, but they can be unsafe for some children, and side effects can also be damaging. Benzodiazepines are less likely to cause side effects, but they are not intended for long-term use. When it comes to medication, we encourage you to speak with your child’s physician and/or psychiatrist to make the right determination.

Partner with Lead4Life, Inc. Today to Learn More about Anxiety Treatments for Children

Visit our website for more information about anxiety treatments for children, or contact us at 240-499-8949. At Lead4Life, we strive to empower every participant in our programs so that they may find their purpose, achieve their goals, and become poised, productive members of their community. We advocate for those in need and assist each and every individual by providing compassionate education and valuable resources and tools so that they can make the very best decisions and develop important life, social, and competency skills.