Help Yourself - Mental Health
Children’s mental health: what it is and why it matters
Mental health is the way children think and feel about themselves and the world around them. It affects how children cope with life’s challenges and stresses.
Good mental health is an important part of healthy child development. It helps children build positive social, emotional, behaviour, thinking and communication skills. It also lays the foundation for better mental health and wellbeing later in life.
What good mental health in children looks like
Children with good mental health:
- feel happy and positive about themselves most of the time
- are kind to themselves during tough times or when things don’t go the way they expect
- enjoy life
- learn well
- get along well with family and friends
- can manage sad, worrying or angry feelings
- can bounce back from tough times
- are prepared to try new or challenging things.
Making informed choices about your mental health and wellbeing
Mental Health organisation, Anna Freud, have curated a set of resources to 'empower young people to make informed choices about heir mental health and wellbeing'. This area of their website has been co-produced with young people themselves.
The 'On My Mind' section includes a Youth Wellbeing Directory, to help locate local services; 90+ strategies to help when feeling low or anxious, especially when self-isolating; and what to do to help a friend or relative
Click here or copy and paste this link into your browser https://www.annafreud.org/on-my-mind/youth-wellbeing/
