It could be difficult to consider healthy living during the gloomy and chilly January weather. But January is National Mental Wellness Month, which was established to promote the use of wellness principles.

Mental wellness is described by the World Health Organization as

“a state of well-being in which the individual realizes his or her own abilities, can cope with the normal stresses of life, can work productively and fruitfully, and is able to make a contribution to his or her community”. Mental wellness is about how all aspects of your life, the social, emotional, physical, spiritual, and intellectual, all come together for an overall state of well-being. It helps determine how we act, feel, think, and our ability to handle stress, connect to others and make decisions.

Durant Safe Schools Department is committed to promoting mental wellness and providing the necessary resources and tools because we are aware that students who receive social-emotional and mental health support perform better academically.

Raising children is an important job, and looking after yourself helps you do the job well. That’s because looking after yourself physically, mentally, and emotionally helps you give your children what they need to grow and thrive.

Looking after yourself involves looking after your relationships, your health, and your well-being.

It's simple to forget or run out of time to take care of these aspects of your life when you're taking care of children. However, taking care of yourself is worthwhile because it's beneficial for both you and your kids.

Talking with your child about emotional topics, such as their mental health, can feel uncomfortable. This can be due to the stigma involved, lack of information, or even fears of possible blame.

However, openly talking to your children is a great way to help decrease this stigma. It can be tough to know how to start the conversation — let’s consider some helpful ways to talk with your children about their mental health.

Make An Analogy To A Medical Problem

Children often hear about their medical problems. They understand that if they have asthma, their lungs and airways tighten up in response to dust, pets, cold or exercise. They know that the wheezing makes them uncomfortable, so they need to take medications for relief and avoid situations that may trigger an attack.

Sometimes, the brain gets “knocked off balance,” but, like other medical problems, they can learn to manage this with treatment, which can include behavioral support (stress reduction, relaxation, therapies, etc.).

Listen To Them And Validate Their Experiences

Because there is often stigma attached to mental health conditions, children can feel ashamed to talk about their worries, obsessions, compulsions, impulsivity, and other behavioral problems. Talk with them about what they are experiencing. Listen with curiosity and empathize with them.

Be Sure They Know This Is Not Their Fault

Many children with mental health conditions can feel that their condition is their fault or that it is an unchangeable feature of their personality or their identity. Stigma and misinformation often reinforce these feelings. You can help them see that mental health conditions are common and that it is not a sign that something is wrong with them as a person. Emphasize their strengths so they don’t see their mental health condition as the most important part of who they are.

Discuss Self-Care And Prevention

Since the concept of self-care is still too complicated for most children to understand, it’s important for parents and other adult caregivers to figure out ways to seamlessly incorporate it into their week. There are a variety of activities that you and your child can do that provide significant mind and body benefits, including maintaining a healthy diet, exercising regularly, meditating, and getting sufficient sleep.

• Make time for self-care
• Identify ways to relax with your child
• Engage in family fun activities together
• Make sleep a priority
• Promote physical activity
• Unplug from social media and news
• Emphasize their strengths through positive reinforcement
• Practice gratitude

• Make goals with your child

safeschools@durantisd.org 580-924-1276

The mission of the Safe and Drug-Free Schools program is to help ensure that children are mentally and physically ready to learn and have healthy and supportive families, and to promote a safe community by equipping individuals with skills, knowledge, standards, and resources to live healthy lives.