Mental Health Week 2022 took place from May 2-8. The theme of the week was Empathy, before you weigh in, tune in. Each day was focused on learning about mindfulness, feelings, wellness, thoughtfulness, and fun!
The previous years have taken a collective toll on all of us, so the theme of Empathy is more important than ever. Empathy is about being tuned into our own feelings, as well as the emotions and experiences of others. It is about taking in another person’s perspective and listening without judgment. This week, the Canadian Mental Health Association (CMHA) highlighted the need to Get Real about how to help others.
The OCDSB's mental team health team has prepared the following resources to help staff, families and students learn more about mental health and well-being. Click on each of the sections below to learn more about daily topics and explore discussions and wellness activities to engage in with your children.
Daily Mental Health Tip Sheets
Life is busy and ever changing. As parents, we often encourage our children to take care of themselves…but can forget to do this for ourselves.
Research shows that the practice of mindfulness can help with focus, self compassion, organization and more. Mindfulness is about reminding ourselves and our children to slow down and focus on the here and now, to help us to accept our thoughts and feelings without judgment. This is at the root of self compassion.
Today, take a moment to pause, reflect, and recharge using mindfulness practices. These can include focusing on your breathing, going for a walk in nature, trying a guided meditation, or simply pausing and intentionally focusing on your surroundings. Mindfulness is about being in tune with yourself, and will help you to notice your own emotions and those of your child. In doing so, we can be more responsive and intentional in our interactions with others.
Dinner Table Talks:
Practice eating mindfully using the following tips from CHEO:
- Turn off all devices.
- Look at your food. Notice the colour, texture and smell.
- Take a bite and chew slowly. Is is hot? Cold? Lumpy? Sweet? Salty? Does the taste change as as you chew? How does it feel when you swallow?
- When do you start to feel full?
Talk about how this feels. How is it similar or different to the way you normally eat? Does it feel relaxing? Uncomfortable? Take a mindful lens during this discussion- every individual’s experience is neither good nor bad- it just is!
Today’s Challenge:
Take a mindful family walk, paying attention to:
- The colours around you: yellow leaves, grey slush, blue sky, dark clouds.
- Scents: grass, air, roses, the french fry truck…
- Sounds: birdsong, the rustling of leaves and the wind, traffic, crunchy gravel underfoot.
- Sensations: the warmth of the sun, the wind on your face, your body in motion.
OR
Together as a family, enjoy this special guided meditation for Mental Health Week from Rebecca Lira from Mindfulness Rocks.
Additional Resources and Activities
- Mindfulness 101 (CHEO)
- A mindful approach to parenting and caregiving (BC children’s hospital)
- Bringing Mindfulness to Parenting (eMental Health)
YouTube Channels to Explore:
It’s hard to see our children experience uncomfortable emotions, and it’s natural to want to fix things for them. “Tuning in” to your child’s emotions (and yours) is important in helping us to recognize and embrace the feelings we have in different moments in our life.
Parents can model that emotions are there for a reason, and it is helpful to recognize them and listen to what they are telling us. Dan Siegel, a psychiatrist from UCLA, coined the concept “Name It to Tame It.” When we help our children name emotions, we allow those emotions to inform us and not overwhelm us. Naming and noticing feelings can help us gain distance from the intensity that can be associated with them.
Instead of dismissing our children’s feelings (“don’t be scared, there’s nothing there in the dark!”), acknowledge the feeling (“it feels scary when your room is dark and your mind starts to wander”). Helping your child to build their emotional vocabulary will help them to express themselves so that together you can problem-solve issues that come their way. This also allows us to normalize the various emotions we all experience.
When children can name their emotions, it provides them with a starting point to reach out for help, and gives them language with which to share their feelings and experiences.
Dinner Table Talks:
Start dinner tonight with a ‘check-in’. There are many ways to do this, depending on the age of your children, and your family’s preference. Here are a few ideas:
- Highs and lows: ask each family to identify a ‘high’ (something they enjoyed, that made them laugh, that brought them a feeling of success or accomplishment) and a ‘low’ (a disappointment, a conflict with a friend, physical discomfort).
- Thumbs up/Thumbs down: Ask each family to ‘rate’ their day with a ‘thumbs up’, ‘thumbs down’ or ‘in the middle’. Ask them to name a few reasons for their rating.
- What’s your number: Ask each family member to give their day a ‘number’ from 1-10. Explain that 10 is the ‘best day you’ve ever had’ and 0 is “the worst day ever”.
Show that you understand each family member’s experience by reflecting how they might have been feeling in the situations they describe (ie “I can see why that was frustrating” or “I would have felt so proud too!”).
Today’s Challenge:
It is so important to remember that we are not alone with our feelings, especially the uncomfortable ones. As a family, brainstorm a list of all the people who care about you, and whom you turn to for help when they are struggling (family members, friends, professionals, neighbours, coaches). Post the list in a visible place in your home. Be as creative as you want- draw a tree with the names as leaves, hearts in a window.
Use the following templates for inspiration.
Additional Resources and Activities:
- Supporting your child with ‘Big Feelings’
- Starting a Conversation About Emotional Well-Being (kids and teens):
- Read-a-loud about feelings for young children
- Building Social Connections
- How to Ask for Help
Parents often tell their children to take care of themselves, but can struggle to model this behavior for them. We need to remind ourselves and our kids that self-care is not a DIY endeavor! Having a network of support around us is key to self care. While bubble baths and massages are commonly suggested methods of self care, staying well is actually most often about reaching out for support when we need it, finding a community of care around us that lifts us up, and finding moments of connection and reflection each day.
As parents, it is beneficial to talk with our children about wellness and about the practices that we intentionally do to take care of ourselves. Here are a few reflections to support these conversations:
- How do I embed self care into my life?
- What would I like to do more of?
- Is there a goal I could commit to individually or as a family?
- How can we support each other in achieving the goal?
- Do we need support from our community in accomplishing this goal?
Have fun with these conversations with your children and brainstorm together some ways you start to integrate this into your day to day life.
Dinner Table Talks:
As a family, have a conversation around what you think self care means. Often people think it is only things that we love to do, but remind everyone that sometimes it is also things that you don’t feel like doing but that may be good for your mental health (going to bed early, exercising, eating healthy, etc.) Talk about what self care practice you enjoy, what you want to make more time for and explore how you can support each other to accomplish this.
Today’s Challenge:
Try a new self-care activity as a family! It can be something that you haven’t done for a long time (going for a bike ride, playing a family board game) or something new (fmaking a healthy meal, listening to an audio book together). Check-in with each other after, is this something everyone enjoyed? Would you like to make it a regular activity? If so, schedule the next time you will do it, or a time to try something new.
Would your family like to create their own 30 day self-care challenge? Use these resources for inspiration.
Additional Resources and Activities:
- Kids Help Phone: Chart your well being
- Kids Help Phone Sleep Diary
- Sleeping well for the whole family
- Tackling family stress
- Being active
- Keeping tech in check
- Eating well
- Kids Help Phone: How to Start a Conversation about wellbeing
- Explore OPH videos for parents about supporting your teen’s mental health
- Helping your Child or Youth Be More Active (eMentalHealth)
- OPH Video on Building Resilience
- Myths and facts about self-care
The last few years have taken a toll on all of us, but there are endless stories of kindness, communities coming together, care and hope. Empathy, kindness and compassion are at the root of these examples, as is the belief that we are stronger together.
Studies show that practicing kindness and gratitude not only makes others feel good, but helps with our own physical, emotional and mental health. One way that children learn empathy and kindness is by experiencing it from the adults in their lives. Being present with your child and letting them know that you hear what they are experiencing is at the core of empathy, while engaging in acts of kindness and practicing gratitude can help to build a sense of meaning and contribution.
Brainstorm together with your child how your family can contribute to community, and demonstrate empathy and kindness towards others. For example, you could spend time cleaning up the neighbourhood, write letters to those in a local seniors home, take in your neighbours’ garbage bins, or bring someone a homemade meal. Have your child reflect not only on how it made others feel to receive these acts of kindness and connection, but also how the experience was for them. Kindness is best learned by feeling it!
Dinner Table Talks:
Name three things you are grateful for (person, thing, something about yourself) or name three ways you showed kindness today.
Today’s Challenge:
Plan a random act of kindness as a family, or start a gratitude/kindness tree, wall, or book. Have all family members write or draw the reasons they are grateful for each other, or acts of kindness they have received. Encourage your family members to keep adding to it,and set a time every week to read what has been added.
Additional Resources and Activities:
- Watch Brene Brown’s video on Empathy. See this link for discussion questions
- Watch this video on the science of kindness
- Or this videos for younger children that teaches empathy: All About Empathy
- “Giving thanks can make you happier”, an article from Harvard that gives examples of gratitude practices for adults
- “How gratitude changes you and your brain”, an article from Berkley
- Random acts of kindness ideas
No matter your age, everyone can use a little more fun in their life! When times are stressful, not only do we need to slow down, pause, and reflect…we also need to find ways to recharge. Fun and laughter are a great way to do this.
Sometimes we think that play is only for young children, but the truth is that all of us can benefit from adding play to our lives. It may look different at various ages and stages, but engaging your child or teen in playful fun is a wonderful way to build connections and memories as a family. Fun and play don’t have to be complicated or expensive. They can be as simple as having a picnic at the park, playing cards or charades, having a karaoke night, or creating a nature hunt around your neighbourhood. Making time for family fun sends the message to your children that you value spending time with them, and it provides an opportunity to reconnect with one another.
Remember: family time doesn't have to be long or expensive to be meaningful! Simply being intentional about finding moments of togetherness has wonderful benefits for our children and for ourselves.
Today’s Challenge:
Talk about what you find fun as a family. Is there a board game you love to play together? Do you like to go for walks or play soccer at the park? Is there a new activity you’ve been wanting to try? Choose one activity to do tonight, and explore the possibility of scheduling a regular ‘family fun’ night. If it’s hard to agree, let each family member take a turn choosing the activity.
Additional Resources and Activities:
- Check out free family fun activities in Ottawa
- Create some inspirational graffiti together or take time to do a show & share. Click here for more information.
- Share funny memes or make funny faces and see who laughs first
- Play would you rather. Use this link for inspiration, and adapt questions to meet the developmental level of your child