Category: All About Family

Opening up to your loved ones can be scary, especially when it comes to a serious topic like mental health. According to psychology, most kids are afraid to even acknowledge it in themselves because of the stigma in their own home; that feeling sad or anxious is a “common thing” and that you should ignore it. It’s important to let them feel comfortable in telling you exactly how they think, that what they’re feeling is valid and you are the right person to talk to. Psychology suggests that many children or teens are afraid of telling their parents, in fear of upsetting them or being shut down completely.

“Stigma manifests as misguided stereotypes and negative attitudes or beliefs towards those with mental illness,” says Richa Bhatia, MD, FAPA. “Research shows that stigma and embarrassment were the top reasons why people with mental illness did not engage in medication adherence, such as self-care, therapy and medication compliance.”

According to most experts in BetterHelp, it’s essential to make your child feel that rather than you being upset, you are happy they chose to confide in you. Making them feel like you are always ready to help them in every way possible is the key to getting them to tell you how they’re feeling. To be prepared if ever you think your child is struggling with something, here are some instances or thoughts that may be going through your child’s head.

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“My family won’t believe me or take me seriously.”

Never dismiss or invalidate how your child is feeling, especially when they do choose to tell you when something is wrong. It’s fundamental to know that if your child is already hurting; dismissing their issues may make the experience more painful. Unfortunately, it will slow down his emotional and mental growth. Always let your children explain everything thoroughly for you to understand what they need fully. Also, letting go of any negative preconceived notions about getting professional help will be a good idea, because if your child says they want to seek advice, it’s best to assume they need it.

“I don’t want my family to worry about me.”

Though all families may go through different problems that occur in and out of the home, make sure to prioritize the issues of your children still, may it be big or small. If it is troubling them or if they open up to you about it, it must be worth listening to. It always should be.

“I don’t know or I’m afraid of how my family will react.”

Our children may still be hesitant to talk to you, but once you notice that something is troubling them, you must open up the topic to them, or at least make them feel that they can address things; the sooner, the better. If they’re hesitant, you can opt for them to talk to one person/parent at a time. Make your children feel like they can reach out to you may it be through letters, text messages, or subtle conversations from time to time.

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To be more prepared in case you feel like your children suffer from mental health issues, the following are signs and symptoms of common mental health illnesses in children:

Depression In Children

• Continuous feelings of sadness
• Sudden changes in appetite (increase or decrease)
• Changes in sleeping pattern
• Fatigue and low energy
• Difficulty concentrating
• Feeling worthless or guilty
• Thoughts of Death
• Feeling angry or irritable
• Isolating one’s self from social circles/family

Depression in children often isn’t treated because it’s brushed off or seen as regular emotional and mental changes. Earlier medical studies showed children could also show sign of depression by acting out through angry behavior. Depression is relatively rare under the age of 12 and more frequent from ages 12 and above. It is more common in boys under the age of 10, and for girls, it’s more common around the age of 16.

According to Ajay K Thapar, PhD and co-authors, “much research has been done into the association between depression and environmental factors such as exposures to acute stressful events (e.g., personal injury, bereavement) and chronic adversity (eg, maltreatment, family discord, bullying by peers, poverty, physical illness).” They also added that “stressful life events seem more strongly associated with first onset rather than recurrence of depression,  and risk is considerably greater in girls, and in adolescents who have multiple negative life events than those exposed to one event.”

Anxiety In Children

• Insomnia
• Nightmares
• Improper eating patterns
• Becoming immediately angry
• Uncontrollable outbursts
• Constant worry and negative thoughts
• Feeling tense or using the toilet frequently
• Frequently sobbing/crying
• Clinging to loved ones all of a sudden
• Stomach aches/ nausea

There are different types of anxiety; separation anxiety is common in young children, while older children and teenagers usually have social anxiety.

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According to Jeanne Segal, Ph.D And c-author, “even if [isolation is] the last thing you want to do, try to force yourself to stay social. As you get out into the world and connect with others, you’ll likely find yourself starting to feel better.

Though it really may be difficult to get your children to open up to you about such things, it’s best to let them come to you. When you think something is troubling them, but you don’t want to pry immediately, try to do smaller things and gestures that show them you’re always there when they’re ready. It’s good to let them know that you’ll believe them, you want to know more, and you will do everything to help them. Mental health shouldn’t be a myth or joke in any household; many parents realize this too late in their children’s lives because they never acknowledged or thought of the possibility. Your children’s emotions are always valid. So take the time to consider their mental needs.

One of the most difficult challenges that moms undergo is keeping up with their children’s overall well-being. More often than not, it is the mother’s traditional role to physically look after her children even if she is a working mom. Nowadays, the physical aspect of a child’s well-being is not the only thing parents, especially the moms, should be worried about. Behavioral health’s challenges are now a big thing. Continue reading “Helping Your Kids With Behavioral Health’s Challenges”

The family is an essential thing in the world. They are the ones who teach you a lot of stuff particularly on early development. Each one of them contributes to the growth of your emotional, spiritual, and mental health. However, not all family members are capable of providing you a good source of improvement. You need to understand that some of them can become the cause of your emotional and mental dilemma. In that sense, you need to find the courage to push them away from you. Here are the reasons why it is entirely okay to cut family members out of your life.

Affecting Other Areas Of Your Life

According to some topics at BetterHelp.com, when a toxic family connection affects other essential areas of your life such as work and home, it is the time to cut them off. The stress these people bring will not stop but rather grow to a more undesirable discussion and confrontation. It is important to recognize that to be able to protect the majority of your family, you have to allow each member to grow. With that, you need to separate those functioning ones to those who contribute negatively. Always take in mind that a family member should give each other motivation and help everyone in their circle to strive in their overall development. Therefore, a relationship that hinders this growth should be addressed immediately.

Giving A Negative Feeling

Don’t be afraid to get rid of people who always make you or other members of the family feel uncomfortable. It is your overall well-being that is on the line. Thus, if those particular persons regularly make the whole home environment feel heavy and unpleasant, it’s time to let them go. That’s because of the negative impact they might bring. These toxic individuals are capable of affecting and damaging other relationships, so there’s no sense of keeping them near you or your family. Because if you don’t cut them out and you choose to let them stay around, it can eventually make you negative as well. These people can potentially drain all of the positivity you have in your life. So before thinking of keeping all your family members intact, always consider if all the relationships are worth it. If the connection is harmful to the overall growth of your family, don’t be afraid to consider stepping back. Dr. Patricia Turner, M.D., says that “attempting to maintain every relationship is not desirable or healthy and it is important to know when it is time to quit.”

Damaging Your Health

Keeping an ongoing connection with toxic family members is undoubtedly detrimental to your health. That’s due to the stress and pressure they give to you and the other members of the unit. In the worst cases, these people can cause severe mental health conditions such as anxiety and depression. Aside from that, their presence will automatically bring emotional instability which will also affect your cognitive and physiological function. Sometimes they bring issues inside the home that you and other members won’t be able to mentally and emotionally handle, which in the end will result to sleep disorders and lower self-esteem.

Getting A One-Sided Relationship

No relationship should stay one-sided, and it should always have to be a give-and-take process. So when it does focus on a particular person, shut them out automatically. It is the kind of relationship that you should pick up on sooner rather than later. If the family connection is always about these toxic persons, it’s time to disregard their presence. You need to consider the red flags especially when it is evident that these individuals only care about their well-being. Heir selfishness can entirely create a negative impact on the way you think about yourself. These family members love taking but find it hard to give something in return. You should know better that it is an action that is far more damaging.

It’s Becoming Abusive

When a family relationship starts to become abusive, that’s where you need to get these people out for good. Whether the abuse is sexual, physical, mental, or emotional, it’s time to be firm in shutting these people out in your life. “We have every right to protect ourselves from those who manipulate and emotionally abuse us.” reminds Sherrie Campbell, Ph.D. “We must understand that our toxic family members have simply walked us to the door we’re now choosing to shut.” Always remember that no healthy relationship ends up with abuse. So before anything gets worst, save yourself and the rest of your family from the harshness of emotional and mental torture.

Yes, the process of cutting off family members is not that easy. But keeping yourself and the rest of your family away from toxicity is a significant move in sustaining better overall health. Sharon Martin, LCSW agrees, “Remaining in a relationship with a toxic person is potentially harmful to your emotional and physical health and relationships.” Remember to establish boundaries at all cost.

 

We meet and get acquainted with various types of people every day, but connecting with them is not that easy. We just want to be with our family and other loved ones with whom we are already comfortable with. It seems that we don’t have much time to get to know someone well, or some might not want to get close or intimate because they are afraid of being neglected or judged.

Continue reading “Why It’s Great To Cook And Eat Together”

 

 

 

Meeting people from all walks of life allowed me to see that the principles a person learns from childhood have a huge influence on their behavior as an adult.

For instance, if the kid grew up hearing from the people around them that it’s easy to make money by deceiving others, they may take that to heart and end up with a criminal record. In case he or she only learned to procrastinate, that child would most likely turn into a lazy, unproductive individual.

It’s an exaggeration to link it to the proverbial apple that never falls too far from the tree. The problem is that the kids in the above examples didn’t know the value of responsibility; that’s why it’s hard for them to stay accountable for something significant like their job or life. “The best type of parenting is fair, flexible, respectful, and has learning—rather than submission—as its goal.” says Melanie Greenberg Ph.D.

To keep your offspring from having the same fate, find out how a child can get the hang of being responsible.

 

Help Them Realize There’s No Other Way Around It

The first thing that kids should grasp is that they will have a lot of obligations in this lifetime. Whether the duty is for their family, business, or country, they need to prepare for it sooner than later. Hence, it’s pointless to whine whenever you ask them to fix their bed or clean after themselves. Jim Taylor Ph.D. notes that, “There should also be consequences for not fulfilling responsibilities. The best consequences are those that remove something of importance to your children and give them the control to get it back by acting appropriately.”

 

Increase Responsibilities Little By Little

Though the goal is to teach accountability to your child, you have to delegate a task to him or her that’s age-appropriate. Say, you got a toddler. At this point, he or she can merely put the toys back on the shelves or throw their used nappy in the trash. You may give the kid bigger chores as they mature.

 

Avoid Losing Your Cool

It seems to be in children’s nature to either follow your orders sloppily or not take your words seriously. Despite that, you should try your best not to cry out in frustration. Practice can make their actions more fluid, after all, so let them continue with the task until they feel accustomed to it.

 

Allow The Child To Fulfill Tasks On Their Own

Kids, of course, have no idea of how to accomplish chores at the beginning. Thus, you may show them the proper way of doing it a couple of times. But what you shouldn’t ever do is breathing down their necks each time they’re on to something. According to Perri Klass, M.D. and co-author, “Calibrate your expectations about what your child is capable of doing independently. If you trusted your babies enough to distribute an errand to them, trust them more to complete their tasks without your help. ”

 

Throw In Compliments Here And There

Everyone performs better when a mentor praises them. You are your child’s guide on his or her journey to learning the value of responsibility; that’s why you can’t forget to offer some encouragement, especially once they earn it. Simple statements such as “You’re doing great!” or “Thank you!” can boost their energy.

 

 

Do What You Teach

In the end, the children need to see that you’re not just making them clean their room or wash the plates because you primarily wish to lessen your work. The thought isn’t bad, for sure, yet your objective is to become the role model of being responsible in their eyes. So, ascertain that you’re finishing all your duties at home like them.

 

 

There are no better people to teach our children about life but us, and as parents, it is not our job to prepare them for the cruel world ahead. Instead, we must mold them into someone who would make the word less cruel!

“Children observe their parents more closely, appraise their parents more carefully, and know their parents better than parents do the child,” wrote Carl E Pickhardt, PhD. “Parents vastly underestimate how closely they are observed and how constantly they are evaluated by their child.”

Continue reading “The Psychology Behind The Song 7 Years By Lukas Graham”

Having children tends to envelop your entire being with the need to keep those innocent angels from harm, pain, and sadness at all cost. When they eat, you make sure that their food is easy to digest. If they lose their favorite toy, you want to turn the house inside out to find it or buy a replacement immediately. They are not supposed to go out without you or your spouse either since you don’t want to entrust their safety on anybody else.

Nevertheless, parents cannot shield the children from one of the darkest aspects of life: the death of a loved one, e.g., a grandparent, an aunt or uncle, or family pet. It is something you can never hide from a kid, primarily if he or she grew up seeing the deceased relative or animal.

In case you don’t want the kids to harbor grief for too long, there are ways to help them overcome it.

 

Deliver The News Simply

The first advice is to avoid sugarcoating the news about the family member or pet that passed away. You may be able to do that when having the sex talk with your teenage kids, but it is better to be direct and honest if informing them about something as serious as death.

You cannot foresee how the youngsters will take in the facts. We have seen hardheaded children weep because their loved one died. Other kids who are usually meek can also put on their brave face and choose to believe that the deceased is happy in heaven now, so they don’t have to cry.

Erin Walsh, MA, and David Walsh, PhD, wrote, “[L]earning how to experience, name, and manage emotions is one of the central tasks of childhood and leads to all kinds of good outcomes later in life.” They further said that it is important to normalize multiple feelings in your child. “Remind your child that it is okay to be sad about loss and excited or joyful about something else.”

Share How You Feel

Some kids who develop erratic behavior after learning about the death of a loved one do not always act like that to get your attention. At times, the change comes from their inability to know how to feel or react to what happened.

“Buried grief can bubble to the surface in troublesome ways later on in a person’s life,” says Lara Krawchuk, MSW, LCSW, MPH. That is one reason to speak with your children about your thoughts and emotions related to the situation. She notes, “Showing, by example, can be very powerful because kids will not feel as much pressure to protect other grieving loved ones or hide or bury their true emotions.”

Let them know that you are sad, that you will miss the deceased terribly. However, you better emphasize that while you are unhappy right now, you know that you can overcome the gloom if you do it together.

Maintain Stability At Home

Even among adults, the grieving process takes forever to end when your days revolve around remembering what or who you lost. Say, instead of going back to work, you only want to stay close to the dead person or animal’s bed. You stop going to gatherings you used to love because you worry that it might still be too early for you to enjoy your life, although half a year already passed.

If your goal is to keep your children from dealing with grief for too long, you ought to get them back in their daily routine right after the funeral. Don’t let them skip school; bring them to sports practices. This way, they can regain a sense of stability and accept the death faster.

Answer Their Questions

Of course, an unexpected loss of a beloved tends to make a child wonder about a million things. For example, “Where will the deceased go?” “What will happen to the body?” “Will the dead go to heaven?”

You are talking to a kid, so there’s no need to be very graphic with your replies. To reassure him or her that the deceased is now in a better place, though, you should supply honest answers to their queries whenever you can. “One of the difficulties for a parent is that they are learning as well,” wrote Phyllis R. Silverman, PhD. “They need to translate the experience of mourning into age appropriate language their children can understand in order to become the teachers their children need.”

 

Losing someone is challenging to overcome for people of all ages. You will never see the person or pet you loved so dear, regardless if you believe in reincarnation or not. The things you could have done together can no longer happen. Nevertheless, telling a child about the death and waiting for their reaction may give you a new perspective on how to handle grief.

Let’s discuss something significant for parents as well as their teens. Let me talk to you about teen counseling and how my child benefited from it. As much as possible, you want to provide them with a good and comfortable life transition wherein they will continuously feel immense happiness, satisfaction, and joy.

You do not want them to experience difficulty in the different aspects of their lives. All these are only normal because being a caring and loving mom is innate to every woman. Let’s dig deeper into this topic.

Counseling Overview

Regardless of all the efforts exerted to make everything perfect, your teens will still encounter some shortcomings. When this happens, the ideal thing to do is to be supportive. Make them feel that you will always be on their side no matter what happens.

Adolescence is a risky period for developing emotional and social habits that are important for mental well-being. Because they are going through many changes and challenges, this is also a crucial period for mental health and psychiatric care. Physical health is also a big part of mental health treatment care and positive coping skills, so you need to help your child to stay emotionally and physically healthy. Encourage them and make sure that they keep active, maintain healthy eating habits, get enough sleep, balance screen time and digital technology use, avoid alcohol and other drugs, and suicidal ideation, as well as focus on medication management.

Most importantly, find a way how they could get the immediate help they need. Consider mental health services from experienced and licensed online therapists for your in-person therapy or online therapy for teens if you must.

Severe mental health conditions are real and painful; your teen needs immediate help if they are engaging in self-harm, having suicidal thoughts, experiencing panic attacks, or struggling with an eating disorder.

Is Teens Counseling Suitable For Young Adolescents

One of the recent range of issues that have been talked about by several moms all over the world is whether or not teen counseling session is suitable for teenagers. There have been several debates over this matter because some people believe that young adolescents must not be exposed to consultation. While there are tons of sound arguments against this kind of practice, there is also a high number of young adolescents claiming that they became better and got through their severe mental health condition, such as depression, anxiety, and even eating disorders because of online therapy sessions or counseling sessions.

How Adolescent Therapy Helps/Teens Counseling Benefits

With the presence of a trained counselor, your child will become more motivated to speak up and express.

Where Does Consultation Come In?

People who are between the ages of thirteen and twenty are at a stage in their lives where they want to explore the endless possibilities available to them. The challenges now are that some of them are hesitant to start communicating with teenagers or open up about their issues. In fact, many teenagers prefer to confide in their peers than to parents. This dilemma is well addressed with the availability of online therapy sessions as opposed to in-person therapy. “Face-to-face interactions through multiple communication methods such as chat sessions, phone calls, video sessions, or live video sessions make empathy possible even though we may be thousands of miles apart,” says Joseph Burgo, Ph.D.

Internet is a “good space” for comfort for most of them.

In this age of technology, the Internet is considered comfort for most teens, making online therapy an attractive option for a teen’s mental health. Many young adults with depression prefer to go online to entertain themselves or to divert their attention to something better. Now is the right time to make good use of the internet connection at home for online therapy at home, especially for health support for your teens. “When you’re having struggles with your mental health, it can feel very isolating and personal to you, and you want to figure that stuff out on your own first before the interventions of the people that care about you…,” says Haesue Jo, LMFT.

“The discrete nature and private venue that we are able to provide is something that’s appealing for a lot of people.”

Consider online therapy consultation for the health of your teen. Therapy can significantly support a person’s mental and physical health. See online licensed therapists so that your teen could get the emotional support and assistance of a vetted licensed mental health licensed professional counselor through the virtual environment. It’s also very flexible, allowing you to choose how many days a week your teen goes.

Online Teen Counseling Is Considerably Affordable

Counseling An Adolescent Needs Budget Consideration

A significant factor to take into consideration when considering mental health support for a teen here is the budget of the household. There are many items that your family members needs to pay on a monthly basis. This is the reason why it is significant to always cut down on your expenses. “A yellow pages listing is expensive so a lot of good people aren’t there,” says Elvira G. Aletta, Ph.D., “Plus there is no oversight or regulation of who can list.” Luckily, teenage consultation will not be a problem. This is because the fees collected from clients are highly affordable. Since there are lesser administrative costs on the part of the online licensed professional therapist, they already can charge less for confidential services or other professional engagements. Plus, all teen counseling services have a minor sign-up and payment process and some insurance plans or insurance providers cover online therapy sessions just as they would in-person visits.

Once you find out that your young adult’s mental health condition is in a bad place right now, be sure to remain calm. Find a therapist and be sure to consult licensed mental health professionals who offer emotional support and make sure to get the best mental health services for your teen. Never give up on showing them the light to the right path.

Seek Help If Needed.

Frequently Asked Questions

1. What Is The Best Therapy For Teenagers?

2. What Are The Different Problems Of Teenagers That Need Online Services Or Therapy?

3. How Do Mental Health Professionals Help Teens?

4. What Are Some Signs Your Child Might Need Therapy?

5. How Do You Counsel A Teenage Girl?

6. Is Online Therapy Sessions A Good Idea For Teens?

7. How Do You Talk To A Teenager About Online Therapy?

8. What Are The Most Common Online Therapy Techniques?

9. Should Parents Be Involved In Their Child’s Therapy Sessions?

10. How do you discipline a defiant teenager?
11. What is the meaning of adolescent therapy?
12. What is Child Adolescent therapy?
13. Is Therapy Good For a 12-year-old?
14. What does a counselor do?
15. What are the goals of adolescent therapy?

A lot of children go through a stage in which they only eat what they want, not what’s right for their health. My brood experienced that too; in fact, my eldest had a habit of dissecting every ingredient in his food during his toddler years. Sometimes I’d be able to coax the little boy to eat whatever’s on the table, but there are days as well when he’d sweet-talked me into giving him fries or pizza. (Oops!)

Continue reading “Ways To Make Picky Eaters Eat Right”