It’s okay to struggle. It’s also okay to ask for help. We recognize it takes courage to reach out and say ‘I need help.’ The need for mental health therapy has grown tremendously during the pandemic and as a result, you may find yourself waiting longer than you expected for your first therapy visit. Please know we want to help. The good news is that mental well-being is more than seeing a therapist, so our QMG Behavioral Health team has put together some tips to help you on your journey to emotional wellness. Emotional wellness looks different at each stage of life, so we broke these tips down by age group.
Today, we focus on young children. It’s much easier to learn healthy habits in childhood than to unlearn unhealthy habits later. Here are some tips to help build healthy mental health in the early years.
- Physical activity every single day is one of the most important strategies to help kids stay mentally well
- Safety/security – without this, kids are not able to meet other emotional, social, and physical milestones
- Structure and routines are important for children
- Model and teach problem-solving skills for your children
- Provide lots of time to pretend and play
- Model healthy coping skills – Your children learn from you through your actions
- Provide positive feedback and encouragement
- Set clear expectations and boundaries regarding behavior and safety
- Apologize when you make mistakes
- Take care of your own mental health – unhappy parents raise unhappy kids
To learn more about our Behavioral Health team and services, visit https://quincymedgroup.com/medical-services/behavioral-health/.