What Is Children’s Mental Health Week?

Children’s Mental Health Week was founded in 2015 by Charity, Place2Be. This week is all about raising awareness about the importance of children’s and young people's mental health. According to statistics, 20% of adolescents may experience a mental health problem in any given year. 50% of mental health problems are established by age 14 and 75% by age 24. Depression is one of the most common types of mental illness among children and affects nearly 80,000 in the UK alone.

As we read through such alarming statistics we realize just how important it is to highlight weeks such as these. As parents, it is our number one priority to raise positive, confident, and wholesome children. So what can we do to support them? How do we know if they are struggling? And what external support can we get? We’ve put together a few points to help answer these questions.

Nobody knows your child better than you do. Where most children and young people will experience upsetting times at some point, not everyone is the same when it comes to coping with and resolving those problems. For some, issues are resolved over time, for others professional help is needed. As a parent you know when your child is upset and how they cope in tough situations, however, it is important to be aware of signs that may be leading to mental illnesses such as depression.

• Significant changes in behavior.
• Ongoing difficulty sleeping.
• Withdrawing from social situations.
• Not wanting to do things they usually enjoy.
• Self-harm or self-neglect.

Upon realizing that your child might be battling with their mental health, the first thing that goes through our minds as parents is, ‘How can I fix it?’ Unfortunately, mental health issues are not just resolved at the click of a finger, however, there are ways to let your child know that you are a pillar of support during their tough time.

Here are a few ways you can show your child support:

• Be a non-judgmental listener. - Being that sturdy, trusting, and understanding pillar to a child is exactly what we as parents all aim to be. Sometimes the first step is to simply just be a good listener. Making yourself available for them to get things off their chest without being judged is a great way to ease the weight off their shoulders. Regularly ask your child how they are doing and encourage them to communicate their feelings with you.

• Encourage their Interests- Focus on the things that they are good at and interested in. Celebrate your children when they excel at something, it’s the best way to boost their confidence and make them feel good about themselves. Getting involved and partaking in their interests. It has been proven that feeling as though you are connected as part of a team boosts mental health.

• Introducing and sticking to Routines. - When the world has you down and you are feeling a mess, structure, and routine is a great way to feel like you have a grip on the situation. An article by Texas Children’s Hospital stated;

“Children's developing brains are especially sensitive to inadequate sleep. Sleep deprivation can result in mood/behaviour problems, and for children who already struggle with mental health problems, inadequate sleep can make symptoms even worse.”

Putting in place healthy sleep, eating and exercise routines have been proven time and time again to have a positive impact on mental health.

At pip and Henry, we are committed to creating a better future for our children. As Children’s Mental Health week falls within the second week of our ‘Love Your Sole’ campaign we wanted to highlight a few ways in which we as a brand enforce positive, wholesome practices for both children and parents.

It is no secret that our shoes are far from dull and boring. In fact, our choice in bright colours and playful designs were impacted by colour phycology and promoting freedom of expression. Lets take a look at our recent Chelsea boot range, in colours red, yellow and navy. Each colour has been proven to evoke feelings of the below:

As a sustainable brand, we are committed to teaching children about the environment and encouraging them to be more mindful about the world they live in. According to the Mental Health Foundation; People with good nature connectedness tend to be happier.

“Nature can generate many positive emotions, such as calmness, joy, and creativity and can facilitate concentration. Nature connectedness is also associated with lower levels of poor mental health, particularly lower depression and anxiety.”

Letting your children know you are involved and taking an interest in them has been proven to help support their mental well-being. By doing this It not only helps them value who they are but also makes it easier for you to spot problems and support them. Pip and Henry strive to bring family bonding back into the home. We advocate for family activities such as crafts and games, all of which you can find on our blog page.

If you have noticed that your child is suffering with mental health issues and you are looking to reach out for some external support, there are some brilliant organizations that we would love to share with you.

• Place2Be- This is a charity organization that offers children’s counselling as well as mental health support and training in UK schools. They also have a brilliant ‘Families’ page on their website which you can go to for practical tips to support children’s well-being.

• Young Minds- Young Minds is the UK’s leading charity for mental health support amongst young people. Whether it be specialist mental health support, or a reassuring conversation, their mission is to make sure all young people can get the mental health support they need when, they need it.

• Childline- Founded in 1986, Childline offers help for children no matter the situation they are in. With particular reference to children’s mental health week, Childline has information on their website and offer one on one online chats with counsellors. You can also call them for free on 0800 1111

For more information on children’s mental health and well-being, please visit the links below: