Information from PTA.ORG
How Do You Prioritize Mental Health?
The COVID-19 pandemic has put a spotlight on adult and children’s mental health, but it can be difficult to
know how to really prioritize mental health and reduce the stigmas surrounding it.
Mental health is an important part of everyone’s overall well-being. Although physical health tends to be talked about more frequently, mental health is just as important and is also directly linked to physical health. When we take good care of our bodies, we can sleep better and give our mind the nutrients it needs to stay healthy. When we take good care of our mental health, we can reduce aches, pains, and digestive issues, which helps us feel better physically.
It’s important to support the mental health of all children—before, during, and after challenges arise. This means that mental health should be an everyday priority, woven into your families’ regular routines and that all children (and parents!) should have access to the support necessary to cope with the stresses of life.
What is Mental Health?
Mental health is defined as a state of well-being in which every individual realizes their own potential, can cope with the normal stresses of life, can work productively and fruitfully, and can contribute to their community. (World Health Organization)
When some people think about mental health, they only think about mental illnesses such as depression. However, this is just one component of mental health. As Mental Health America explains, “While 1 in 5 people will experience a mental illness during their lifetime, everyone faces challenges in life that can impact their mental health.”
To help support the mental health of yourself, your children, and your community, it’s important to consider all aspects of a child’s life, from their academics to their hobbies to their social and emotional skills. By supporting the whole child, teachers and parents provide the support necessary for children to thrive.
For Families: Learn More About Having Healthy Minds
Check out this one-pager to learn more about having a Healthy Mind: Healthy Minds Overview (English)
Learn what your family can start doing today to prioritize mental health:
Healthy Minds What Can Families Do (English)
Access Topic-Specific Family Resources
Depending on where your family is on your mental health journey, you may be looking for different types of supports. Although everyone’s circumstances are different, there are actions all families can take to strengthen their mental health—and you can start by taking small steps!
Over the course of the rest of this year, National PTA will be releasing additional resources for both PTAs and for families to help make it easier to prioritize mental health. So stay tuned! For now, we encourage you to use some of our informational resources below to begin learning more about Social Emotional Learning and how you can proactively work to strengthen your family’s mental health. We also have resources on Depression, Anxiety, and Loneliness & Isolation so you can better understand these topics, learn how to recognize the signs, and know how to take action to address these issues if they arise. More topics and resources are coming soon!
Social-Emotional Learning
Children, as well as adults, are likely to experience anxiety in this uncertain time. Several resources have been created by leading mental health experts on how to have age-appropriate, fact-based and reassuring conversations with your children about the outbreak and the steps they can take to stay healthy.
Building Your Child’s Social-Emotional Skills – Download this resource to discover concrete ideas for embedding social-emotional learning into your everyday routines!
Teaching Social Emotional Learning at Home – Read this Our Children article to hear how parents just like you support social-emotional development at home.
Listen to Notes from the Backpack: a PTA podcast to hear from SEL experts like Linda Darling-Hammond, Jennifer Miller, Brandi Kenner, and more!
Depression
One in six adults will experience some type of depression in their lifetime. It’s important to know what depression is and how it can be managed so you can address it if it arises for yourself and/or your children.
What is Depression? (en español) – Strengthen your understanding of what depression is, challenge common stigmas, and learn about the risk factors.
How to Get Help (en español) – Learn about diagnosis and treatment of depression.
What Your Family Can Do (en español) – Strengthen your understanding of what your family can do to prevent and manage depression.
Anxiety
Anxiety is the most common mental disorder. Each year 18% of adults in the U.S. experience anxiety, and 31% have had anxiety at some point in their lives. Approximately 8% of children and adolescents also experience anxiety each year. Use these resources to better understand what anxiety is and how it can be managed.
What is Anxiety? (en español) – Strengthen your understanding of what anxiety is, challenge common stigmas, and learn about the risk factors.
How to Get Help (en español) – Learn about diagnosis and treatment of anxiety.
What Your Family Can Do (en español) – Strengthen your understanding of what your family can do to prevent and manage anxiety.
Loneliness & Isolation
As National PTA and Learning Heroes’ recent poll—A Year Into the Pandemic: Parents’ Perspectives on Academics, Assessments and Education— found, “more than 7 in 10 parents (72%) indicated they worried ‘a lot’ or ‘some’ about their child missing out on important social interactions at school or with friends, more than any other issue/topic.” Check out these resources to better understand what loneliness and isolation can look like and what your family can do about it.
What is Loneliness & Isolation? (en español) – Strengthen your understanding of loneliness and isolation and learn about their risk factors.
How to Get Help (en español) – Learn about how to identify and address loneliness and isolation.
What Your Family Can Do (en español) – Strengthen your understanding of what your family can do to prevent and manage loneliness and isolation.
Here are a few podcasts that may be of interest to you:
44 | Are You Practicing Parent Self-Care?
Dr. Shefali
Did your last power struggle with your child leave you feeling burnt out? What if we shifted our mindset around parenting and stopped trying to make our kids happy all the time? Clinical psychologist and author, Dr. Shefali—whose work has been endorsed by Oprah—joins us to discuss parent self-care. She shares her own parenting experiences and philosophy and offers advice on letting go and learning to live in the now. Listen Now
43 | How Can We Normalize Talking about Mental Health?
Allison Raskin
Let’s start talking about mental health! For too long, we’ve stigmatized mental health issues and it’s time to have open conversations with our friends and family. We talked to a mental health advocate, Allison Raskin, about her personal journey and work to destigmatize these topics. She offers advice for normalizing discussions of mental health in your family and community! Listen Now
42 | How Can I Help My Teen Manage Stress?
Dr. John Duffy
Is your teenager so stressed you worry they’re on the brink of burning out? Teens are still facing the typical pressures of navigating friendships, relationships, college admissions, and now a pandemic. Our hosts spoke with adolescent psychologist and best-selling author, Dr. John Duffy, about how families can support their teens during this challenging time. He offers advice and shares how parents can distinguish between typical teenage stress and when it is time to seek help. Listen Now
For more podcasts click here