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Over the years, the notion of happiness and well-being has increasingly taken center stage in society. Researchers, educationists, parents, and trainers all want to focus on making people happier so they can contribute to a better and more productive nation.
It has become clear that besides physical health, stable mental health is equally important, if not more. Studies have shown that emotional well-being during childhood and adolescence is vital as mental health problems are likely to develop during the teenage years. Children with good overall health have better odds of growing into confident and happy adults, so their mental health must always be a priority.
Given the importance of mental well-being in early life, schools and education systems worldwide must implement behaviors that promote a healthy environment for the children. Since kids spend most of their time in school, a teacher’s behavior and the classroom atmosphere can significantly impact their emotional state.
As a teacher, parent, guardian, or even a policymaker, you must refocus your efforts to give precedence to your children’s mental health. Here are the top 7 reasons this will benefit them in the long run.
1. Vital for healthy child development
Early experiences play a huge role in shaping the architecture of a developing brain. It lays the foundations of sound mental health, and any disturbance in the developmental process can impair the youth’s capabilities. Schools must conduct regular mental health screenings to identify children suffering from anxiety, ADHD, autism, depression, or any other mental health issue at an early age. This early detection is essential because children have greater chances of recovering from a mental health issue with the appropriate intervention administered at the right time.
Childhood experiences are like bricks. Together, they form a structure in the mind, which we refer to as brain development. If these experiences destabilize the carefully constructed foundation, mental health problems can arise. And those left undetected can become extremely severe and debilitating in adulthood.
2. Helps build a positive behavior
It’s human nature to focus on adverse circumstances more than positive ones. A primary reason for this is that, historically, people had to strive for limited resources. In the battle for the survival of the fittest, humans evolved while learning to favor emotions like sadness and fear. Unfortunately, these feelings took deep-seated roots and started manifesting with each generation that came to pass. Without managing the harmful effects of these negative emotions, people, especially children, can quickly become withdrawn and reclusive.
Luckily, modern science and research have provided various tools and techniques that can help you teach children defense mechanisms to counter the negativity. For example, humor allows people to channel and release harmful energy constructively. Similarly, mindfulness and constructive self-image activities teach children to put a “positive spin” on certain events. These strategies help them survive and build a more positive behavior that encourages them to be responsible and valuable citizens.
3. Develops essential soft skills
Soft skills are sometimes also known as human skills or power skills. They are ways of thinking and being that allow people to interact with and navigate through social situations with other individuals. Being equipped with such skills helps manage mental health since it prepares you to handle various scenarios efficiently. Examples of soft skills are empathy, communication, mindfulness, conflict resolution, resilience, and decision making. Since they promote effective interaction and meaningful connections among people, they are a crucial asset for a child to develop.
Most schools only focus their efforts on teaching children technical and hard skills. However, soft skills are just as essential, if not more, and must also be encouraged as they support an individual’s emotional well-being.
4. Creates stronger relationships
Good mental health directly and positively affects children’s connections and interactions in their day-to-day lives. When they feel good about themselves, it encourages them to extend the same feeling toward others. This behavior fosters care, empathy, and support among peers and creates deeper bonds. You can use certain tools like body language and nonverbal communication to show students that you love them no matter what. Try to focus on each child’s uniqueness and encourage their positive deeds so they too can carry the same positivity forward.
5. Teaches children how to deal with emotions
As part of growing up, children experience all kinds of emotions—fear, anger, joy, hope, happiness, anxiety, sadness, etc. However, they may not always recognize these emotions for what they are and are therefore unable to cope with them as well as they should. But when you pay attention to a child’s mental health, you teach them the ability to recognize both positive and negative emotions and how to cope. You can train children to become emotionally healthy, handle big emotions and calm themselves down in unpredictable or difficult situations. This ability to stay strong is likely to make them feel good about themselves and encourage them to help others the same way.
6. Promotes physical health
Mental and physical health go hand in hand, and one can’t prosper without the other. Multiple studies have shown that positive mental health reduces the risk of severe medical conditions like heart diseases and stroke. In contrast, unstable mental health can lead to poor physical health and even push individuals towards harmful behaviors. Children must be encouraged to exercise their minds and bodies to keep themselves healthy. Staying active will help your children stay healthy, feel confident, have more energy, sleep well, and even manage stress better. As a teacher or a parent, promoting good physical health can be your ticket to helping your children feel good about themselves.
7. Lays the foundation for the future well-being
It’s often challenging for children with mental health issues to transition successfully into adulthood. Due to their inability to cope with life’s trials, they’re more likely to fall into legal, financial, health, or social problems as adults. The circumstances and obstacles children face in their early years continue to impact their lives long after they go into adulthood. Therefore if you teach children how to prioritize and manage their mental health, you’re helping lay the foundation for how successful they become in the future.
Conclusion
Adolescents and school-going children are in a key phase of establishing an independent identity, forming interpersonal relationships, and making lifestyle choices. Due to this, they’re particularly vulnerable to social exclusion, which can severely impact their mental health. And so, as teachers, parents, or policymakers, you must implement effective strategies that help children manage their emotional well-being.
