How to Support Your Child’s Emotional Health and Anxiety This Fall
Fall is here! This means less sunshine and gradually more hours indoors. Many of you will be well into your new routines and schedules that September brings. Your children will hopefully be settling into their new classrooms and parents in turn adjusting to the new transitions. Understandably, no one wants to say goodbye to summer and hello to lower temperatures. However, moving into harvest season and then a rest period of winter is not a bad thing, it is necessary. As with people, seasons need to go through transitions of reaping, rest, renewal, and regeneration. Each cycle makes us more resilient.
Checking In with Yourself and Your Family
Are you making space for the emotional side of these changes to family routine? I know you’re thinking, “yeah, with what time and energy?”. Be mindful not to get to the state of exhaustion as you move into new days. Make time in your day to do mental health check-ins with yourself and your family. This may look like gathering at the dinner table to discuss your days, and it can also look like taking the 15 minutes during the ride to your child’s football practice to ask how they are managing their new workload. Be gentle with one another as you are all adjusting. For tips on how to navigate change, please check out last week's blog!
Supporting Our Community Together
Here at Arms Open Counselling, we want to acknowledge the hard work everyone is doing and the sacrifices you are choosing to make to ensure mental and emotional wellness within your family unit as you take on new roles and responsibilities. As they say, “it takes a village to raise a child.” As a community, we must help support, care for, and guide children to grow into healthy adults. AOC is here to help parents support their children’s mental and emotional health. We recognize the importance of building life skills and learning strategies in a safe environment while connecting with others. I am excited to share what AOC has to offer you and your children.
Building Life Skills in Group Settings
AOC currently has five skill-building groups for children and young teens that encourage and teach how to regulate big emotions, how to understand and manage anxiety, learning tools for navigating anxiety, and building confidence and a positive sense of self. These skills will help your child gain the life skills needed to move confidently and intentionally through difficult situations. It is powerful and healing when you connect with others having a shared experience, and group work allows for this in a safe environment. Children and teens feel less alone and can practice their new practical skills with a sense of belonging. To be truly seen and accepted empowers children to safely make mistakes while having the support to work through and process emotions at their speed.
Leading by Example and Giving Yourself Grace
The learning process is not linear and providing a safe space for grace is key to a child’s success. And parents, you’re allowed to make mistakes too! We are all here to learn and grow and we should not fear change, but rather look at change as an opportunity to become a healthier version of ourselves. When parents are taking the time they need for themselves to process emotions and prioritize self-care, they are providing a positive example to their children. We can tell our children all we want, but the real learning comes from watching parents and other trusted adults make good choices for themselves.
We Are Here to Support You
We hope you find this message encouraging. We are here to help support your family as you learn and grow together. Check out our new children’s workshops under the specialized therapies tab!
