Mindsight Manager India
Call: 8920621927
Childhood Problems
Your child deserve healthy life
Children differ from each other in various ways and yet all of them are unique in their way. Some children may face difficulties during childhood which may start affecting their mental as well as physical health. Due to such difficulties, they may start isolating themselves, and they may have low confidence. It can also lead to some serious behavioural issues such as throwing temper tantrums, being easily annoyed or angry, getting aggressive with others etc. In the following section, we will understand the issues which may be faced by young teenagers and how they would affect them.
Bullying: Bullying is a repeated aggressive behaviour which anyone can face in school, college, the workplace, online, and even at home. There are various kinds of bullying like- verbal bullying, cyberbullying, and physical bullying etc. It can eventually lead to individuals being afraid, guilty, hurt, isolated, helpless and even ashamed. Children who may face bullying in any form are at risk for developing low confidence, anxiety or depression. It is difficult for children to open up when they are being bullied especially if they are experiencing cyber-bullying.
Self-esteem issues: It is normal for young children to lack confidence at times, but having low self-esteem can be hard for them especially if they are starting school or forming new friend groups and relationships. A child may start avoiding certain activities or situations where they may have a fear of failure or fear of making mistakes. Due to low self-esteem, he/she may have difficulty making friends which would lead to having low moods, low motivation, body image issues etc. They can experience such an issue due to various reasons like going through a stressful situation at home, bullying, friends who may have bad influence, unsupportive parents, neglect/ abuse etc.
Peer pressure: A child in their teenage years tends to worry about “fitting in” with people around them, to be socially accepted by others and due to that they may experience negative peer pressure from their friends. They undergo tremendous pressure just to get approval from others due to which they may fall into bad habits such as pressure to drink alcohol, smoke cigarettes or use drugs, engaging in risk-taking behaviors like skipping school to go out etc. All of this could lead to their grades slipping and their school work being affected, they may also experience behavioral changes like getting extremely angry, having a rebellious attitude, fighting with parents etc.
Gaming addiction: With growing age and the accessibility of technology teens are getting addicted to video games. It is a problem for all age groups but young people are more vulnerable to this. children would spend long hours on video games which would eventually lead to them neglecting all other work, social isolation and physical body pain. They would also need to play games for long hours to feel good. Losing track of time while playing is another important thing to look out for.
Porn addiction: It is very common nowadays to have pornography addiction during teenage. Several factors including- hormones and curiosity can tempt teens to get addicted to this. At this stage, they are exploring their sexuality and dealing with physical changes along with the easy availability of porn on the internet leads to many children being addicted to it. The negative effects of porn addiction can be as follows-
- Problems in relationships
- Depression due to guilt and shame
- Distorted image of sexuality
- Social withdrawal
- Sexual thoughts might affect the ability to focus on tasks
Body Image issues: For adolescents, it becomes extremely crucial that they look good, especially if to attract the opposite sex. During this time, children can develop body image issues which can greatly impact their self-concept and confidence. It can occur at any given point in life but adolescence is a period of major bodily changes due to which there is a higher tendency for them to develop negative body image. Social media is also a crucial factor which plays a very important role in developing a negative body image.
Coping with traumatic events: If ever a child is involved in any serious accident, violent crime, terrorist attack, global pandemic or even natural disaster it can be very overwhelming and stressful for them. Any crisis or troubling event can cause traumatic stress which can further lead them to feel helpless. Even if a child is not directly affected by any disaster or terrorist attack, just hearing the news through social media can cause distress. All of this might lead to the child experiencing an intense array of emotions.
Behavioural Issues- Sometimes a child may show a range of behavioural problems like showing aggression towards others, getting frustrated easily by small things, they may also violate rules and regulations at home and school, may resort to physical violence like hitting other children, hurting animals and even have verbal fights with others. They may steal or lie about things frequently. They may also destroy others’ property or vandalize it. Breaking rules at home set by parents and running away from home.
Cognitive Issues- A young adult may have issues with concentrating in school for longer periods, staying focused on one task at hand and staying organized. They may show hyperactivity like being unable to settle down in class, being restless and fidgeting excessively. Children may also act without thinking about the long-term consequences which is known as impulsivity. Being impulsive means they may face difficulties in self-control, interrupting other students, and having the desire to have rewards immediately after completing a task. They may make careless mistakes while doing schoolwork, and difficulties in following instructions as they may lose their focus or may get distracted easily. They may also have difficulty in waiting for their turn.
Solution:
Parents and caregivers play a very important role in the lives of children. Focusing on mental health is as important as it is to focus on the physical health of your kids. The support and love you provide to your children is very important as it will impact their lives positively. It would give them the strength to overcome the hardships and challenges in life. Furthermore, it deepens the relationship you have with your children. A few ways through which you can show support for your children are-
* It is crucial for parents to create a space where the children feel safe enough to come and talk about the issues they are facing. Always have open communication with them so they feel free to discuss their feelings.
* It is important to strengthen your family bonding by spending time with them. Talk to them about different things, creating a safe space for them to openly discuss their feelings without any judgment. Show interest in their life, as it would make them feel important.
*Instead of pressuring them, praise them for small achievements as it helps in building their confidence.
* The environment you create at home is very important as it will affect the child. If there are constant fights and stressful environments at home it may negatively impact the child.
When to get Professional help:
As the primary caregivers, you usually recognize the problems and issues of your child. It is important to seek professional help as there are many things with which you may be struggling. Getting professional help would help you understand the issues better and how you can deal with them in a better way. Such problems may not only cause distress but can also hamper the day-to-day life of the children.
