Be it a school-going kid or a college-going teenager, everybody around is dealing with some kinds of issues. From the stress of passing an exam to topping the university chart, students have that feeling to accomplish their goals. In the middle of running and chasing their goals, students tend to lose their patience, they become so indulged in the process that they forget that their mental health matters a lot.
Students often forget that it was "last year's me vs this year's me" and not "she vs me" or "he vs me". They start comparing themselves with people who are doing better than them and then they degrade their worth and lose their confidence and the motivation to work. It is the need of the hour that students understand that it is very important for all of us to take care of their mental health along with physical and emotional well-being.
Parents also need to understand that forcing something on their children and not letting them do as per their interests will lead them to think that they don’t know what is good for them which further will lead to a toll on their mental health. They must understand that appreciation is a very crucial thing, when a child or a teenager gets appreciated, they get motivated and work with more will and interest but when they don’t get any kind of appreciation, they think they are undeserving, and start thinking on how they can get their parent's appreciation rather than improving it.
Also, parents should make sure that the environment that they have created for their children at home is happy and sound and not a place where they hate to live, they should make sure that the environment allows children to come and express themselves openly rather than suppressing their emotions and not saying anything.
A happy environment will lead to good mental health, thus improving well-being, academics, co-curricular and every other aspect. Not only the parents, but the teachers also need to understand that comparing one child’s grades or performance to the other and being loud about it in the class can lead to worsening of the mental health of the kid. Also, everyone should deserve equal opportunities to showcase their skill or talent, it becomes the responsibility of the teacher to ensure that nobody’s voice gets unheard. This can lead to the child being nervous and thinking that their skills or talent are worthless which is again not a good sign.
Not only parents but the child should also act responsibly when it comes to their mental health. They should make sure that they are sleeping on time, giving proper rest to themselves, their mind, and being happy. Enjoying little moments and small joys. Altogether, the family, the teachers, and the children themselves are wholly accountable for their mental health and should take care of it just as they do for their physical and emotional well-being.
Whenever in a situation you think you won’t be able to get out of, remember: "The pain is only here to teach you the ocean of strength you behold amongst the waves of struggles."