What can you do to support your child's mental health?

There is a lot you can do to help your child cope with anxiety.  You don’t need to wait until their struggling to start. Here are 7 tactics you can use to support your child’s positive mental health.

1) Acknowledge their efforts. Some positive recognition goes a long way in reinforcing their efforts to manage their stress. 

2. Validate their experiences and share how you feel anxiety in your life. Show them they are not alone.

3. Model coping skills for them. Kids are more likely to do what you do rather than just what you say. So show them how to handle anxiety through your own actions.

4. Give your child advance notice of plans and activities so they know what to expect and they don't get caught off guard.

5. Use social stories to help them visualize what will happen in new situations.

6. Set achievable goals. Small quick wins will boost their self-esteem while they gradually build up to more complex tasks.
7. Make time to relax. Planning some downtime each day to allow your child get to back into their comfort zone will help them cope with day-to-day stresses.

Get these and more strategies to help your child overcome anxiety in our free Anxiety Toolbox Workshop in our Foundational Family Services Portal.