Matters that Matter: Mental health wellness for back to school
Laura Giles
School is getting underway and this can be both exciting and anxiety-inducing, for both students and parents. As children and teens start another school year, here are some ways for parents to encourage mental health wellness and practices that could help
Suicide Prevention
Ask to make sure that your child’s school has a proven suicide prevention program. A good program will be one that teaches all students valuable lessons such as resilience, anti-bullying, hope, asking for help, self-care, signs that someone is struggling and other important mental health topics
Many schools have friendship or kindness programs. These are valuable as well, but suicide prevention is much more
Be a Friend
Many kids spend much of their time at school alone. Sometimes, we want to be alone, and that’s okay. But, showing our kids the importance of reaching out to others can help someone who doesn’t want to be alone
A simple “Hello,” “Want to play with us?” or “Come and sit here” can change a person’s entire day and even their entire school year. Teaching kids to watch out for those who may need a friend is an invaluable lesson
It’s OK to be Different
Teaching our children that it’s OK if someone is different from them will help them throughout their lives. In fact, they might feel different themselves. That’s OK
Exposure to books about diverse characters, meeting people outside of our own neighborhoods and just simply practicing kindness can help our children to not only be kind to, but befriend those who may be different from them
Resilience
Many teachers and others that work with children and teens comment about the importance of resilience. Letting kids experience setbacks and helping them to find ways to bounce back from these will benefit them throughout their lives
As parents, we can teach kids that it’s okay if life gets tough and that there are ways to feel hopeful, solve problems, and to always keep trying. Resilience will not only help kids to navigate through the difficulties of school, but through the difficulties of life
Reach Out for Help
Kids don’t always know who to turn to when they are struggling. They may feel embarrassed, afraid or they may not know how to bring up difficult subjects
Reassuring our kids that they can always talk to us or other trusted adults should happen often. Together with our children, we can come up with lists of trusted adults who they can turn to when they are in need. Whether it be help with schoolwork, depression, disturbing thoughts or stressful things going on in their lives, teaching kids to ask for help is another lesson that they can always use
