If you’ve got a young person in your life, you want them to thrive and cope well with the challenges of every day life. You may be asking how to nurture wellbeing in your child.
I’m not sure if you’ve noticed, but the world is a different place to when you and I were growing up. Largely due to ever-present technology, it is very difficult for young people to have a place where they are free from external pressure and able to just ‘be’. The pressures of maintaining a ‘social life via device’ coupled with academic stress and the expectations of others, can sometimes take a toll on a young person’s wellbeing. These pressures start quite early. Setting some strategies in place before the teen years hit can head off trouble before it appears.
Wellbeing is not only the absence of illness; it’s about thriving physically, mentally and emotionally. Wellbeing is about what you have, as much as what you lack. Here are some essential aspects of nurturing wellbeing in young people:
Social Connections.
Friendship is vitally important to teenagers; especially to girls. If all is not well within their friendship group, it can feel as if everything else is falling apart. This issue can begin in middle and upper primary school, all the way throught to Uni. Encourage positive relationships with peers from a variety of places, not just school, and also with family members. Healthy social connections provide emotional support, reduce isolation and contribute to overall happiness. Devices can be a really helpful way to stay in touch. Using a phone or ipad to communicate has pros and cons. This form of connection is not always bad. (1)
Academic Expectations.
While academic success is important, it should not come at the cost of good mental health and relationships (2). Balance is key. Managing expectations of what is reasonable, what is attainable and what is desirable will help. A choice that needs to be made is how much time they will and want to invest in study.
Physical Health.
Encourage your child to maintain a healthy lifestyle which includes good nutrition, some kind of physical activity which they enjoy and enough sleep. Adequate sleep is equally vital as it sets your young person up for good cognitive function and emotional stability.
Passion Projects.
Although fitting in with others is of primary concern to young people during adolescence, it is important to give them opportunities to explore their unique interests and passions. Finding their talents can boost a young person’s sense of competence.
Mental Wellness.
Adolescence can be a period of intense self-discovery and self-doubt. Reminding your child that you are available, to talk things through will give them a safe base. Talking about mental health as part of every-day conversation from a young age can give opportunities to model and learn about coping strategies such as mindfulness, deep breathing or journalling. Teach them to be proactive about their health by setting some protective habits in place. Learning and practicing some strategies before they need them will be useful.
Make mental health a regular topic of conversation and remember that it is normal for teens to have good and bad days (3). The very best way to nurture wellbeing in your teenager is to provide a safe space for them to express themselves and a safe base to return to if it’s all too hard.
(1) https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC7366938/
(2)https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S1054139X18308000#:~:text=Several%20studies%20found%20high%20parental,associated%20with%20worse%20mental%20health.
(3) https://www.unicef.org/parenting/health/four-things-you-can-do-support-your-teens-mental-health
