It is a devastating feeling when parents realize that one of their children is dealing with depression. This horrible disease can utterly devastate a person’s life, leaving them debilitated and unable to deal with even the simplest things. Luckily, there are many ways to help someone get over depression. Here are six great methods parents can use to help their children battle depression.
Help Them Develop Coping Skills
One of the best ways to fight depression is to have a coping skill. This can be something like playing a musical instrument, drawing, exercising or any other healthy, stress-relieving activity. “Parents should help their kids develop positive coping skills to use when they suffer an episode of depression,” according to author Stanley Martinson.
Keep Busy
One of the best ways to fight depression is to keep busy. Engage depressed children in lots of activities to keep them from wallowing in their problems.
Keep Them Responsible
One of the worst ways to deal with depression is to allow it to interfere with a child’s responsibilities. This will only make the problem worse. Make sure that children with depression know that they are still expected to finish their homework, do their chores and maintain all their other responsibilities. Having these responsibilities to perform will actually help them battle through their episodes of depression.
Give Them a Quiet Space
One of the worst things about depression is that it makes it hard to concentrate. This causes many depressed kids to struggle with their schoolwork. Make sure that they have a quiet space where they can concentrate on their homework without facing any outside distractions.
Let Them Know Everyone Feels Down
One of the best ways to help kids deal with depression is to let them know they are not alone. Let them know that everyone gets moody and feels down from time to time. This does not mean that they get to shirk their responsibilities. Let them know that it is perfectly natural and okay to feel depressed, but that life still must go on. They must battle their depression and do the things they need to do.
Let Them Know They Can Talk About It
Parents should always make sure that their kids know that they are always there for them to talk with. No matter how depressed or upset a child is feeling, they should be able to discuss the situation with their parents. This is one element of shared decision making. For more about shared decision making read the entire article here. Communicating about life’s issues is a huge help to depressed kids, and it keeps them from ever feeling desperate about a situation.
