8 STEPS TO HELP YOU TALK TO YOUR CHILD ABOUT MENTAL WELLNESS

Hey, it's you girl JA Nursing here, with the disturbing news cited by CP24 

 

CP24Verified account‏@CP24

Attawapiskat First Nation declares state of emergency after suicide attempts http://www.cp24.com/news/attawapiskat-first-nation-declares-state-of-emergency-after-suicide-attempts-1.2853350 … citing that  After an increasing number of young people attempted to take their lives in a remote northern Ontario First Nation last week, the chief and council have declared a state of emergency. At JA Nursing We Care Inc. we take  Mental Health seriously. We  realize that many of our young people lack the confidence and support needed to continue on and for that matter they think suicide is the only way. As you advocate I am taking a stance.

 I created my I am A Role Model program because, I remember being young and feeling as if I was always doing the wrong thing. I never realized that my uniqueness was ok, and that I was a role model in being me. 


Do you think Suicide is preventable? Many factors and circumstances can contribute to someone’s decision to end his or her life. Find out how to recognize the warning signs and learn the importance of talking about suicide.


Approximately 11 people will end their lives by suicide today in Canada. Awareness is essential to changing this behaviour. Understanding  why people consider suicide and attempt to take their own lives is the start to helping with the solution. 

It has been cited that suicide is preventable. Most people who attempt suicide want to live, however, but are overcome with emotional pain and cannot see any other way to handle a situation that may seem overwhelming and impossible to bear. Most people who die by suicide give definite warning signs of experiencing thoughts of suicide. This is one reason learning to recognize these signs and how to respond to them is so important. Talking about suicide does not cause someone to experience thoughts of suicide or increase the risk. Showing genuine concern by asking about suicide directly can be part of an immediate intervention.
Four out of five people who die by suicide have made at least one previous attempt. Suicide occurs across all age, economic, social and ethnic boundaries. Males die by suicide more than three times as often as females.  Three times more women than men attempt suicide.

 Suicidal crises are almost always temporary.
Although it might seem as if your sadness will never end, it is important to realize that crises are usually time-limited. Solutions are found, feelings change, unexpected positive events occur. Suicide is sometimes referred to as “a permanent solution to a temporary problem.” Don’t let suicide rob you of better times that will come your way when you allow more time to pass.

If you are  a Parent take time out to understand the overall picture of your child, I know that as a Mother, I myself  am guilty at times of not looking at the bigger picture. This is  very important for parents to understand.  As a parent, you can't protect your kids from stress — but you can help them develop healthy ways to cope with stress and solve everyday problems.

Kids deal with stress in both healthy and unhealthy ways. And while they may not initiate a conversation about what's bothering them, they do want their parents to reach out and help them cope with their troubles.

But it's not always easy for parents to know what to do for a child who's feeling stressed.

  As a matter of fact, I still have to figure out ways to cope and manage situations that arise.  The challenge will always remain the same. Learning how to cope  with situations when they arise is the KEY.  The ability to cope is a learned behavior.  

Quite often we say END THE STIGMA but rarely I find that PEOPLE DON'T REALLY understand what that really means.  One simple step for all, is being aware of situations that may cause  stress for others. By doing so you can continue the conversation  by  asking  this question HOW ARE YOU FEELING RIGHT NOW?   This  will give  an opportunity for an individual to reflect on how  they are feeling which may help change their current feelings of distress. 

These tips can be used interchangeably for any age Remember YOU ARE A ROLE MODEL is not just a word we can all learn better ways of coping with the stressors in our live. This is a daily challenge for many.

 8 steps just for you !

• Notice out loud. Tell your child when you notice that something's bothering him or her. If you can, name the feeling you think your child is experiencing. ("It seems like you're still mad about what happened at the playground.") This shouldn't sound like an accusation (as in, "OK, what happened now? Are you still mad about that?") or put a child on the spot. It's just a casual observation that you're interested in hearing more about your child's concern. Be sympathetic and show you care and want to understand.

• Listen to your child. Ask your child to tell you what's wrong. Listen attentively and calmly — with interest, patience, openness, and caring. Avoid any urge to judge, blame, lecture, or say what you think your child should have done instead. The idea is to let your child's concerns (and feelings) be heard. Try to get the whole story by asking questions like "And then what happened?" Take your time. And let your child take his or her time, too.

• Comment briefly on the feelings you think your child was experiencing. For example, you might say "That must have been upsetting," "No wonder you felt mad when they wouldn't let you in the game," or "That must have seemed unfair to you." Doing this shows that you understand what your child felt, why, and that you care. Feeling understood and listened to helps your child feel supported by you, and that is especially important in times of stress.

• Put a label on it. Many younger kids do not yet have words for their feelings. If your child seems angry or frustrated, use those words to help him or her learn to identify the emotions by name. Putting feelings into words helps kids communicate and develop emotional awareness — the ability to recognize their own emotional states. Kids who can do so are less likely to reach the behavioral boiling point where strong emotions come out through behaviors rather than communicated with words.

• Help your child think of things to do. Conflict Resolution  If there's a specific problem that's causing stress, talk together about what to do. Encourage your child to think of a couple of ideas. You can start the brainstorming if necessary, but don't do all the work. Your child's active participation will build confidence. Support the good ideas and add to them as needed. Ask, "How do you think this will work?"

• Listen and move on. Sometimes talking and listening and feeling understood is all that's needed to help a child's frustrations begin to melt away. Afterward, try changing the subject and moving on to something more positive and relaxing. Help your child think of something to do to feel better. Don't give the problem more attention than it deserves.

• Limit stress where possible. If certain situations are causing stress, see if there are ways to change things. For instance, if too many after-school activities consistently cause homework stress, it might be necessary to limit activities to leave time and energy for homework.

• Just be there. Kids don't always feel like talking about what's bothering them. Sometimes that's OK. Let your kids know you'll be there when they do feel like talking. Even when kids don't want to talk, they usually don't want parents to leave them alone. You can help your child feel better just by being there — keeping him or her company, spending time together. So if you notice that your child seems to be down in the dumps, stressed, or having a bad day — but doesn't feel like talking — initiate something you can do together. Take a walk, watch a movie, shoot some hoops, or bake some cookies. Isn't it nice to know that your presence really counts?

• Be patient. As a parent, it hurts to see your child unhappy or stressed. But try to resist the urge to fix every problem. Instead, focus on helping your child, slowly but surely, grow into a good problem-solver — a kid who knows how to roll with life's ups and downs, put feelings into words, calm down when needed, and bounce back to try again.

Parents can't solve every problem as kids go through life. But by teaching healthy coping strategies, you'll prepare your kids to manage the stresses that come in the future. Self-esteem is more than just seeing your good qualities. It is being able to see all your abilities and weaknesses together, accepting them, and doing your best with what you have.

This has been Watching out for your health with Michelle Smith Your Health And Social Advocate 

 I am available to speak at your next event about various health topics including Mental Wellness  Start The Conversation today

Don't forget you can also find  weekly articles  By Michelle Smith in The Toronto Caribbean Newspaper 


Catch me speaking about Mental Wellness  and Entrepreneur Life At The Toronto Business Expo   http://cariexpo.com/team/michelle-smith/

We want to hear from you Leave a comment 

 

http://www.cp24.com/news/attawapiskat-first-nation-declares-state-of-emergency-after-suicide-attempts-1.2853350

http://janursing.blogspot.ca/2016/01/say-goodbye-to-stress-by-finding-me.html

www.mentalhealthweek.ca for more information.

http://cariexpo.com/

http://torontocaribbean.com/gallery-categories/editions/
 http://suicideprevention.ca/

http://kidshealth.org/en/parents/stress-coping.html?WT.ac=ctg#catfeelings