5 Simple Things That Can Build Emotional Wellness In Your Child

At the end of a Parent Update Session, I was asked by parents if I could give them a few easy-to-do tips that they could use to build Emotional Wellness in their children. It was an interesting question and got me thinking - What are 5 simple foundational things we can do as parents that can impact the Emotional Wellbeing of our families?

Here you go:

• Observe your child: I call this Find your Spot of Calm. An important skill of connecting with your child is to observe your child. Observing your child helps you understand a lot about your child. It helps you understand how they respond to situations, how they interact socially, how they approach new situations. It helps you understand the temperament of your child and gives you a sense of who your child really is and what are their natural interests and things they feel inclined towards. This will help you understand areas that your child may need help with and what skill building they need. So find a calm spot where you are not distracted by anything and just observe your child going about their life.
• Connect with Your Child: Connection is the most fundamental element in relationships. Children thrive with connection. Marking off at least 20 minutes of uninterrupted time with your child where you are physically close, with no gadgets, having eye contact and fully invested in the conversations can be a game changer. That's all the more reason for why meal times together and time together at bedtime or as soon as your child wakes up are precious times to connect. This connection and warmth will help your child feel the warmth of the family and feel secure and grounded. Make that time, it has been a game changer for me.

• The Importance of Routines: Does your child have a routine? Routines help children stay organised and secure. It helps them know what’s coming next and what to expect. It helps with easy transitions from one activity to another and reduces Decision making. It gives a child a known structure and reduces the stress of constant decision making. These ensure that a child does not get tired, hungry or upset waiting for things to happen or not knowing what will happen next.Routines help regulate emotions and consistency.

• Reflect on your own Triggers: Reflect on your own emotional self. Are you aware of what triggers you regularly? What makes you angry, sad or upset and how do you respond? Being aware of your own emotions helps you understand what triggers these emotions and helps you build self regulation skills or calming skills. Check in with yourself by observing what triggers your difficult emotions and how do you calm down? Children are great observers, they learn by what they see.
  

• Build your own Self Regulation & Self Care Skills: Modelling self regulations skills will be the best way to teach children. Ask yourself what are your coping skill? Are you investing enough time in self care to be at your optimum self? Self care does not mean a visit to a spa or an exotic holiday. It means - Are you getting enough rest, exercise and sleep? Are you eating well? What is your schedule like? Do you need help? What are some things that would help calm you? Think about it. Investing in your care and modelling coping skills is the first step to supporting and building emotionally safe home for our children. Children thrive in our calm.
  

Each of these tips may seem simple, yet are foundational for the Emotional Strength, Connection and Long Term Happiness as a family.

Anjali
Founder, SpringUP Leadership.