Many mental health organizations in the United Kingdom celebrate World Child Mental Health Week in the first week of February every year.
However, this year differs from previous years, as the level of pressure on the psychological state of children and their mental health has doubled sharply due to the repercussions of the closure caused by the Corona pandemic, and in particular due to the many cases of loss experienced by many children around the world, whether by depriving them of seeing grandparents. Regularly or in isolation, and then shining a light on children's mental health was more essential than ever.
Children's needs
Determining the child's physical needs is a logical cognitive matter that parents do;
Nutritious food, heating, and bedtime are all easy to track, but mental and emotional needs are not as clear, and therefore developing social and psychological skills falls on the shoulders of parents, as well as getting good friends and encouraging words from adults stimulates the psychological state of children and helps them develop self-confidence and self-esteem.
Essentials of Children's Mental Health
The
unconditional love
of the
family on top of the
list of the
basics that emotional needs of
children;
You love your child because you love him, not because he is polite, or because he is organized or arranging his room, you love him in all his situations, his outbursts of anger, and even in moments of his weakness and failures, in addition to his need for self-confidence and self-respect, so the child should respect himself and his family strengthens his sense of self-confidence.
The opportunity to play with other children:
Playing for children is basic fun that is no less important than food and heating. It helps children to be creative, develop skills and support their ability to solve problems. In playing with peers, children learn essential social skills such as developing strengths and recognizing weaknesses as well as developing feelings. Belonging through participation and self-control, for example screaming and the freedom to make loud, delightful sounds at playtime, which benefits the child on the level of energy.
Playing for children is basic fun, no less important than food and heating (pixels)
Fun is the key
Society recognizes victory, and society here is the family, school and environment surrounding the child. All these circles pressure the child to win, but the family should only support the fun.
When there is a contest or game, the first question parents ask should be "Did you enjoy" and not "Did you win?"
Society pressures children and directs them strongly towards the necessity of winning and that it is the only way to happiness, and then defeat is frustrating and discouraging.
This carries them with energy that they should not bear, as it pushes them to fear from trying new activities, but by enhancing their confidence and highlighting the importance of fun in the game more than the result, this will motivate them for years to come and renew their ability to continue even in youth.
Provides beneficial education and discipline
In recent decades, a group of methods of education, punishment and behavior control have proliferated, and the choice of these programs is mainly due to the family's approach to dealing with the child and the extent of his acceptance of that.
Children should be presented with a good example in order to emulate basic behaviors, and encouraging children, their first steps, and their abilities to learn new and praise them are all essential.
We should not ignore the simple discussion with children about parents' failure and disappointment, so that young people learn the nature of those human feelings, and that parents can make mistakes too, because everyone makes mistakes, and that adult life is not perfect, so foundations must be opened for dialogue with parents about all feelings and events that Annoy them.
Opening the door to dialogue with parents is an entrance to solve all problems that may occur away from their eyes, so all these principles qualify children to acquire strong personalities in the future.
Warning signs
Changing usual eating and sleeping patterns usually indicates other problems.
They are like a warning bell in order to verify the backgrounds of their occurrence, which are indications of anxiety and fear of a problem that has occurred, and to set aside the main causes such as moving to a new neighborhood, changing schools or incidents of losing parents and relatives, then the child must be verified that problems such as bullying, harassment or Others away from the family's eyes.
Keep children's mental health in mind during the life changes caused by the Corona pandemic (Pixels)
asking for help
A distinction should be made between problems that parents can solve on their own and problems that require immediate intervention from a psychologist or specialized agencies for help, and the following signs indicate an urgent need for a professional evaluation:
Parental separation.
Loss of a family member or close circle of the child.
Sudden drop in school performance.
Poor grades despite strong efforts.
General anxiety or regular anxiety.
Frequent refusal to go to school or participate in normal children's activities.
Hyperactivity or restlessness.
Constant nightmares.
Continued disobedience or aggression.
Frequent tantrums.
Depression, sadness or irritability.
The Lancet published a recent study on the impact of the pandemic on the mental health of children and adults in January 2021.
The study reported that more than a quarter of children between the ages of 5 to 16 years who were studied in England suffer from sleep disturbance, while one in 10 children felt lonely, and these two problems were the most common at the time of the pandemic, as well as feeling afraid to leave the house .
The study indicated that the social and economic challenges facing families directly affect children, which calls for the need to put children's mental health in mind in these difficult times and to be keen on supporting them emotionally by urging them to talk about their feelings and emotional requirements.