“National Depression Blue Book 2022”
The data shows
Among the group of depression patients,
50% are students in school
Patients with depression under 18 years old,
make up 32% of the total number.
How to raise
a mentally and physically healthy child?
Let’s step into
the second session of “Parent Talks” in Changsha,
and hear what Professor Zhu Dan from Hunan First Normal University
has to say-
Online, extreme tragic events involving students are frequent. We have to think: what is happening to children nowadays?
In fact, the key strategy is to provide sufficient physical and mental nourishment.
How to provide enough physical nourishment to children?
First, get good sleep. Adequate, regular, high-quality sleep helps the body recover in time, promotes physical development, enhances learning and memory, and more. Parents can guide children to bathe, soak their feet to relax, use mindfulness meditation techniques or relax before bedtime to help children fall asleep quickly. It is essential to avoid late-night smartphone use, as it can affect melatonin secretion and impact a child’s growth.
Second, exercise well. Exercise is beneficial for physical and mental health, being the most cost-effective healthcare product that promotes brain development, aids stress relief, and helps combat anxiety and depressive emotions. Research has shown that standing upright, lifting the chest, and raising the head can effectively improve emotional state.
Third, eat well and have fun. Good food and beautiful scenery can make children feel relaxed and happy. It is recommended to consume healthy green fruits and vegetables more to ensure good health for children.
Fourth, organize the environment. A cluttered home environment can trigger negative emotions in children, even affecting their cognitive development. Therefore, parents need to tidy up, maintain cleanliness, pay attention to personal hygiene and appearance, and provide a clean and tidy environment for children.
By accomplishing these four points, children take the first step toward emotional stability and physical and mental health.
Next, let’s see what essential psychological nourishment must be provided, involving five essential nutrients:
First, be appreciated. Children’s strengths promote their development, while weaknesses enhance their learning. Professor Zhu Dan reinterprets “I reflect on my actions three times a day” by focusing on what positive things the child did, their strengths, and ensuring those strengths are fully acknowledged. We should appreciate, recognize, and encourage children more and learn to express appreciation in a structured way: facts + feelings + conclusion.
Second, a sense of security. The Harlow monkey experiment proves that “having milk doesn’t mean being a mother.” Children’s sense of security comes from family stability and intimacy. Good parents are the child’s defense lawyers, always supporting them. Generally, the better the parent’s relationship, the more secure the child feels. Growing up in emotionally stable households provides children with “happy memories” in childhood, which can support them through future challenges.
Third, a sense of belonging. Another expression of a sense of belonging is “unconditional love,” informing children that parental love does not depend on their excellence but on who they are. While expressing love, special attention must be paid to tone differences and avoiding the four “enemies” of belonging: blame, contempt, shifting responsibility, and refusal to communicate (silent treatment).
Fourth, a sense of importance. “You are important, your opinions, your feelings are all important.” Parents can express this directly or through actions. In communication, parents should pay special attention to their response attitudes and use empathetic methods when showing respect and understanding.
Fifth, a sense of achievement. Achieving something well makes children feel pleasant or successful. In the educational process, pay attention to the parts of the child they can control, recognize their efforts, highlight their strengths, set specific action goals; this way, the child will more easily gain a sense of achievement.
Chief Editor: Xiao Wen Liao
Proofreading: Qiong Deng
Editor: Xiao Huo
