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When speaking to your child about mental health as a whole:

• When explaining to a child about how a mental illness affects a person, it may be helpful to make a comparison to a physical illness. For example, many people get sick with a cold or the flu, but only a few get really sick with something serious like pneumonia. People who have a cold are usually able to do their normal activities. However, if they get pneumonia, they will have to take medicine and may have to go to the hospital. Similarly, feelings of sadness, anxiety, worry, irritability, or sleep problems are common for most people. However, when these feelings get very strong, last for a long period of time, and begin to interfere with school, work, and relationships, it may be a sign of a mental illness that requires treatment. ()
• School-age children: Older children may want more specifics. They may ask more questions, especially about friends or family with emotional or behavioral problems. Their concerns and questions are usually very straightforward. It is important to answer their questions directly and honestly, and to reassure them about their concerns and feelings. ()
• Teenagers: They are generally capable of handling much more information and asking more specific and difficult questions. Teenagers often talk more openly with their friends and peers than with their parents. As a result, some teens may already have misinformation about mental illnesses. Teenagers respond more positively to an open dialogue which includes give and take.()
• Model positive sharing about emotions and challenges: Children, especially when young, will model the behaviors parental figures demonstrate. By being consistently open about the existence and importance of mental health, you can lead by example. Show your child it鈥檚 okay to acknowledge feelings by talking about your own. (from : 5/20/19)
• Be transparent about your own mental health issues: If you take as prescribed medication for depression, or see a therapist, or even if you just do yoga to stay sane 鈥� share that you do this with your kids to stay mentally fit. (from : 5/20/19)
• Ask questions even when nothing is wrong: While you鈥檒l certainly want to up the ante if your child is showing any of the mental health warning signs listed below, you should be asking your kids questions about their lives every day. The more specific the better. Opt for open-ended inquiries.聽(from : 5/20/19)
• Resist the urge to fix it: Parents are often quick to offer a solution and want their kids to know that they are eager to help. However, kids are often more committed to a solution if they come up with it themselves. If you jump right to advice, you could shut down the conversation. Ask if [your child] has done anything to improve his/her situation and compliment him/her on their effort. Follow that with a few questions that put him/her in control, such as 鈥榃hat else can you try?鈥�. Remind your child that you鈥檙e there to help her manage their mental health, and can always speak to their teacher or doctor about the situation.聽(from : 5/20/19)

When speaking to your child about their personal mental health:

• Make sure you are communicating in a straightforward manner, but at a level that is appropriate to their age and/or developmental level.
• The topic of mental health should be explored when your child is calm and feeling safe/comfortable. Their mental health should not be discussed when they are dysregulated and/or currently struggling to manage their social/emotional needs.
• Listen openly and let your child discuss his/her feelings and/or worries.

If you need help starting a conversation with your child about mental health, try leading with these questions/points:

• Ask your child if they can tell you more about what is happening and how they are feeling.聽
• Ask if they have experienced feelings like this in the past.
• Let your child know that sometimes they need to talk to an adult about their feelings. Let them know you are here to listen and ask: How can I help you feel better?
• Ask your child if they feel like they want to talk to someone else about their problem.
• If warranted, tell your child that you are worried about their safety and ask if they鈥檝e had thoughts about harming themselves or others.

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We are navigating a time where you often hear about mental health on the news due to the impacts of self-isolation, social-distancing, and the high stress that this global pandemic has caused. Pre-COVID-19, you may have heard the term 鈥渟别濒蹿-濒辞惫别”, but now, more than ever, it is important to maintain self-care and the ability to love yourself in the process.

If you are looking for the 鈥渘ew you鈥� … you do not need a new year to begin or a way to not gain the 鈥渜uarantine fifteen鈥� pounds. You just need the courage to begin.

Be the author of your own story; look forward not back. It is hard to break the habits. I thought a lot about resolutions at the end of last year, as many of us might, but none of us could have predicted this pandemic. The reason our resolutions fail is that we have focused on the finish line rather than the walk there. We have all done it before, I know I have, where we think the end of the day is going to make everything all better. That, if we just get there it will magically happen. For those of us who have fallen into this trap, we know that the sad reality is it never works that way. So, how do we set resolutions for ourselves without inevitably being disappointed if we fail to achieve them? Here are a few ways to do that.

What is the point of a resolution?

I realized that the whole point of a resolution is for it to make you a better person. To help you become the best version of yourself. Most of us start the year motivated and excited because we think this is THE thing that is going to make all the clouds somehow shine. But why do we limit that to just a year? This is the question that we need to be asking ourselves when we set these goals. I think a better way of phrasing these resolutions is by calling them “lifestyle changes”. That is the only way to ensure that what we want here on this very day, is accomplished by this very day next year, and even further, for the rest of our lives. I believe by taking it habit by habit, day by day, issue by issue, we can transform into the healthiest, happiest, versions of ourselves.

But what about the words self-care and self-love?

These words should be at the root of all of our lifestyle changes. I have been thinking a lot about what the difference is between having it and having it all. And I think it comes down to whether it is wholesome. Stay with me, I know this sounds strange. Imagine someone you know who loves their job. Who loves their husband, wife, or partner. Who loves themselves. Who loves to eat clean during the weeks and indulge on the weekends. Who always has something nice to say when faced with conflict. Who seeks to understand. Who listens and cares. Who has time for what seems like anything and anyone. Imagine them right now. I know I am sitting here thinking “yep, they have it all figured out and I can barely keep myself from cheating on day 2 of my healthy eating plan”. And that is the point. These people. The ones who 鈥渉ave it all鈥�, the ones who have cracked the code. It was not in just one year. It was not one vision board. It was not one prayer. It was not luck. It was not just one goal. It was the choice for them to make a wholesome life, full of self-care and self-love. To take it into their own hands. To incorporate it slowly but surely. To do it at their pace. To do it with the goal of bettering themselves with no expectations or dates or end goals in mind. Because the reality, is if it is a lifestyle change that is good enough to make our whole year about or a goal during a global pandemic, it must be good enough for us to want it forever.

For NOW and the future…

I ask you today to make the wholesome choice to embrace loving yourself through means of self-care.

Now more than ever during a global pandemic, we need to motivate ourselves and create lifestyle changes that will make us happier and healthier for years to come. Do more things that make you whole. Eat more things that fuel your body. Drink more things that hydrate and energize. Think more about things that light a fire in your soul and put a beat in your heart. Say more things that bring sunshine to not only your life, but also the lives of others. Do this today. Do it tomorrow. Do it fast or do it slow. Just keep doing it, because our time here will come to an end. But who we are while we are here lives on forever. Decide today to be known as the person who had it all in the best of ways. This journey, these goals, are just the roadmap to the best version of yourself. And when you have that, well, you pretty much have it all.

91探花视频 the Author: Dana Costa is a Behavior Consultant at 91探花视频 who contributes mental health and self-care articles for students, families, and staff.聽

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Click here to download 91探花视频’s Continuity of Education Plan

For more information please contact info@pathwayschool.org or 610-277-0660.

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鈥淲hile our clinical and behavioral teams are still directly supporting students that have services on their IEPs, we wanted to make their clinical expertise available to every student and family, and to make the process of reaching out as simple as possible. Whether a student or caregiver calls our Helpline, the appropriate clinician will respond in a timely manner. We鈥檙e a small school, and our team has a unique understanding of how to support each student, so at least one of us should be able to help!鈥� – Kara Fawley, Director of Clinical and Behavioral Services

Pathway students and families, we are here for you! Please reach out to us and let us know how we can help you navigate this time.

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As summer winds down it is essential to start preparing for the start of school in order to make it a smooth transition. Here are some tips from our clinical department for supporting your child with their return to school.

Create routine

Some parents get more relaxed about mealtimes and bedtimes in summer and now is the time to start creating a daily schedule that looks more like the regular school year. Begin by inching bedtimes back little by little and anchoring days with a lunch or dinner at a consistent time.

Visit museums or other cultural attractions

This can help shift your child back into a more 鈥渟cholarly鈥� mindset. Many museums offer free admission on certain dates and times, so pick your favorites and plan a trip!

Reduce screen time

Every few days replace some screen time with reading or educational activities. Parents may need to say something like, 鈥淲hen you read for 15 minutes, then you can earn more screen time.鈥� Be sure to limit screen time in the hour before bed and remove electronics from bedrooms to prevent them from interfering with your child鈥檚 sleep.

Review information about the coming year

Discuss your child鈥檚 expected classes, homeroom, upcoming events, anything that will help them feel more prepared. You may want to review what to expect on the first day of school. If your child is new to Pathway or you think they may fare better if they is more familiar with the environment (as is often the case with children with autism or others that have difficulties with change or transitions), please contact us to schedule a walk-through and/or time to meet their new teacher before the year starts.

Focus on the positive aspects of returning to school

Perhaps your child will be excited about seeing friends, their favorite teaching staff, and the activities planned for the new year. Let your child pick out new supplies they will get excited about using. At Pathway, we are excited to open our new Innovation Center and have our students interact with the new technology available!

Do something fun to diffuse the stress from this time of year!!

Even if it鈥檚 just getting Rita鈥檚 or walking the dog after dinner when it鈥檚 still light out, but not as hot. Everyone needs to take some time for self-care and re-connection.

Enjoy the rest of your summer break!

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