Resilience

This month, we looked at mental health concerns. So I thought, to end the month, let’s talk about how to support positive mental health processes in children. How do we as parents teach our kids to take life in balance and maintain a positive outlook?

Kids want to feel successful in their efforts just like adults. And just like adults, sometimes they fail. There are bad days, set backs, and the realization that other people are better at an activity or sport than they are. Kids get frustrated with themselves just like adults do but they lack the experience for regulating their emotional response effectively. Helping our kids develop productive responses to negative experiences might be one of the best things parents can teach.

But what if our own responses to frustration and stress leave us feeling like less than a model example of resilience in the face of adversity? Dr. Ashley Soderlund wrote an excellent article about how to help develop resiliency in children through positive self-talk. She breaks down how to encounter your child’s frustration supportively and strategies for re-framing their experience in a way that is normalizing and constructive.