5 Things You Can Do To Positively Effect Your Teen’s Mental Health

Published January 11, 2023

Parents, 👋 Living a healthy lifestyle helps keep you and your teen’s mind balanced.🧠
We know during the teenage years, things are constantly changing, and they are constantly developing. They are growing, and are becoming more independent. It is our responsibility as parents to help them make healthy choices.
5 Things You Can Do To Positively Effect Your Teen’s Mental Health
1️⃣ Create a safe, stable, and predictable home environment. 🦺
It is one thing to be supportive and loving parent. It is another to carry these qualities into your home environment. Our teens need to know they are safe and secure.
2️⃣ Model proper sleep habits 😴
Getting enough sleep at night is important to overall health, especially during the teenage years when children are still growing. (Our bones are still growing into our 20s!) Lack of sleep is linked to depression and unhealthy coping mechanisms, so set a bedtime and be consistent with it.
3️⃣ Communicate the importance of being physically active. 💃
Physical activity increases our natural serotonin levels, and this chemical helps in regulating our mental health. Plus, physical activity promotes better physical health, which helps us to feel better overall.
4️⃣ Reduce the time spent on social media to less than a couple of hours a day at the most. 📱📵
One of the biggest influences on teens right now is social media. Studies show that social media platforms such as Facebook, Instagram, Tik-Tok, and Twitter lead to increased feelings of anxiety, depression, and low body image. Therefore, the less exposure to these, the better. Again, be sure to follow your own rules, too.
5️⃣ Model and provide healthy food options 🍱
What we eat and how we eat it are closely associated with our emotions and mental health. Studies show the power of particular nutrients to increase well-being, but also the multifaceted ways in which our attitude and choices regarding food impact our state of mind.
Parents, can you think of anything else that can positively affect our teens mental health? Leave a comment below ⬇️