Personal growth and self-improvement are activities that are traditionally associated with adults. However, children are facing an increased need to tackle these skills in order to achieve increasing demands on them from sectors of society, such as educational establishments. So, how can we help children to be more self-aware, have a well-functioning self-esteem and allow them to have the space and time to…just grow?
Place2Be (a children’s mental health charity) supports children, families and staff in UK schools, to become more resilient to the stress and anxieties of life. We don’t know about you, but it does concern us that we’re coming across an increasing number of children and teens who appear to be suffering from stress and anxiety related issues. When we first started providing hypnotherapy services, 10 years ago, it was rare to encounter a child for anything, let alone stress and anxiety related issues.
Fast-forward to the Covid era and it’s now common for us to receive enquiries from concerned parents and we find this rather…sad. What happened to the innocence of childhood? What happened to the care-free childhood that I had in the 70’s and 80’s? At what point did wasw that replaced by the new world, where kids are reporting low self-esteem, anxiety, self-harm, eating disorders, depression and anger management problems?
As much as this remains a concerning situation, there are actions that you can take now, that will really help your child on their personal-growth journey.
1. Show your child how you want them to develop
2. Allow your child to problem-solve and see the outcome of their actions
3. Celebrate their improvements, no matter how small
4. Show an interest in their development, interests and personalities
5. Listen to them
6. Praise their willingness to try (not just their successes)
7. Support children and teens in developing emotional literacy and emotional intelligence
8. Encourage them to create a ‘support network’
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We do our best to provide suggestions based on our experience as hypnotherapists and using nationally recognised good quality health education material, such as that provided by the NHS (UK). Information contained on our site does not constitute medical advice and is not intended to replace medical advice. You should speak to your doctor about any health concerns that you have and before making any radical changes to your lifestyle and health and fitness goals, including your quest to reach those goals.
