Parenting and mental health: Supporting your child's emotional wellbeing

In a world with growing challenges like academic pressure, competition, and excessive exposure to social media, parents need to ensure the emotional well-being of their children. As children confront the complexities of life, parents play a crucial role in their emotional development. Positive parenting filled with effective communication and empathy can help with the mental and emotional stability of children. Here are the strategies for parents to support their child’s mental and emotional health:


Ensure a Supportive Environment

Creating a supportive environment can help with the emotional needs of the child as they feel safe and accepted. Parents should show empathy and ensure their availability to the child so that they can share their feelings and thoughts without any hesitation. Acknowledging a child's emotional needs can reduce anxious thoughts and maintain emotional stability.


Establish Friendly connection

Parents should build friendly connections with their children to make them feel positive and confident. Having friendly bonds can create a sense of trust among children, which helps them express their feelings, feel connected, and reduce their feelings of isolation.


Limit Social Media Exposure

Excessive exposure to social media can lead to comparison and inadequacy which negatively impacts the child’s mental and emotional health. Parents can monitor and limit the screen time and social media exposure of their children and can ensure that they are using social media platforms for educational purposes only.


Establish Healthy Routine

An unhealthy and sedentary lifestyle adversely affects emotional health as it can lead to the feeling of isolation. Parents should establish a healthy routine including diet and physical activities for their child which can alleviate the stress and improve physical and mental health.



Focus on Behavioural Changes

Changes in the child’s behavior often get overlooked by parents with busy schedules. Parents should monitor the changes in their child’s behavior and ensure that everything is fine and nothing is troubling them as it can build emotional stability and strengthen the bond between parents and their child.


Teach Emotional Regulation

Helping children to understand and regulate emotions is the most important and beneficial skill for the development of positive mental health. Parents can ensure the indulgence of their child into emotions regulating techniques such as deep breathing, mindfulness, and self-awareness.


Positive parenting is the building block of a child's mental health. Parents should ensure their presence and foster communication with their children to make them feel comfortable and confident. Also, engaging in conversation with your child can reduce their anxious thoughts and feelings of isolation. Parent’s availability can provide emotional support and reduce the child’s dependency on others as they can feel a supportive environment at their home.


(- By Mr. Shivam Dixit, Co-Founder and CEO of Counsel India)