In an article published on 5th January from the Children’s Commissioner for England, Ann Longfield, shared that; "The impact of the pandemic on children’s mental health has been particularly worrying. In 2017, 1 in 9 children were found to have a mental health disorder. This jumped to 1 in 6 by last summer. As we do everything, we can to tackle this virus, we must remember also that while children are less at risk from the virus itself, they are at real risk from the measures we take to prevent transmission, and that risk cannot be ignored.”
So, as children’s leaders, church leaders, parents and carers is there anything we can do to help protect the mental health and well-being of our children, young people, and ourselves, during this lockdown.
There are things that we can all do that can make a positive difference both to the mental health and wellbeing of our children and also to our own.
Here are five suggestions:
Talk: Don’t be afraid to talk about your feelings. Talking about how you feel can help you to stay mentally healthy. Talking about your feelings is a sign of strength. Don’t be afraid to ask for help when you feel like things are really hard or if you feel sad.
Be proud of who you are. Don’t feel bad when you get things wrong. You are great! Believe in yourself. Be proud of who you are and what you have achieved. Don’t feel you have to do everything all at once. Take one step at a time.
Eat healthy food. Eating a balanced, healthy diet can make a real difference both to our bodies and our minds. Drink plenty of water too.
Stay active by getting some exercise. The more we move the better our mood, so get moving and make sure you have lots of sleep too!
Have fun! Make sure there is some time each day for the things you enjoy doing too. If that’s watching TV or time on the PlayStation, making crafts, remember to have fun and laugh together!