Balanced: We understand the importance of balancing different aspects of our lives – intellectual, physical, and emotional – to achieve well-being for ourselves and others. We recognize our interdependence with other people and with the world in which we live.
Life has its ups and downs, but as parents, guardians or teachers it is our responsibility to provide the children in our care with the necessary resilience and coping skills to work through those periods in order for balance and normality to be restored. Those down times can come from a multitude of reasons, including frustration, disappointment, change, loss, conflict, or humiliation. Resilience comes from feeling good about oneself, feeling settled with all your needs met, and feeling capable and confident. Signs that our children are not coping might include bouts of depression, shutting down, getting upset easily, blowing things out of proportion, acting aggressively, and giving up quickly.
How does one teach our children to keep trying and not give up, encourage them to try a new approach, and to talk positively to themselves so they can cope and deal with the stresses life throws at them? Adults can help their children in lots of ways. Be empathetic and show you understand, talk about your own frustrations and how you are working through them, model optimism that things will improve, use positive language, try new things and encourage them to do the same, and help them break down big challenges into smaller more manageable chunks. Unfortunately, it seems to be human nature to remember the negative things in life more than the positive ones. Help your child be happy so you can remind them when times get tough that things will get better. Make a conscious decision to do one fun thing every day with your children and help them build a habit of enjoying themselves.
For a deeper exploration of the topic and to learn more, read: Learning to keep a balance