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mental health-care tool kit for parents By Valerie Berenyi, Postmedia NewsOctober 10, 2011 -- What can parents do to help keep their children and youth mentally healthy? Jodie Cossette, a recreation therapist with the Eating Disorders Clinic at Alberta Children's Hospital offers these tips: -- Find the balance between work and play. Work, school, being productive and goal-oriented are important, but so is making time to rest, rejuvenate and recharge. -- Play together as a family - and not just at sports. It can be board games, goofing around in a park, hanging out with friends and family. Have fun, keep it lighthearted. -- Aim for a healthy, balanced lifestyle on a budget. "It doesn't have to be Hawaii for three weeks. Entertainment can be very simple, like a game of charades. Finances don't have to be a barrier. Get back to the basics" -- Find a passion. "Life can be very difficult, demanding and stressful, whether you're working or going to school, whether you're a child, adolescent or adult. Having an outlet, an activity, a hobby can help restore, help heal and distract us from the difficulties - not to avoid them but to take a break from them." -- Humour is vital. Laughter helps us breathe, let go of tension and look at life from a different perspective. "We need to be able to laugh at ourselves, knowing that we, as human beings, are not perfect; we are incredibly flawed. Look at the lighter side of life. Be playful. "We cannot laugh and play all day because that's not healthy either. Again, it's finding the balance." © Copyright (c) The Calgary Herald |
AuthorI'm Doug Janzen, just over half a century old, married for more than half my life and have two wonderful and beautiful teenage daughters. I've seen the devastating impact of mental illness (depression in particular) and want people to talk about these things....its an illness and nobody's fault. Lets talk about and see if we can deal with it in a helpful productive way. Archives
October 2011
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