Mental health conversations are tough to make. But never let that stop you because if we don't talk about it now then when will we ?

It's high time we start normalising mental health as a part of health and it needs to be spoken and shared. And now we need to talk about it to children as well because then only they will have a great foundation of courage and strength to open up on the difficulties they face. 

So here are few firsts which you need to go about when making your child aware about mental health

Confront Any Internalized Bias and Stigma

So this step is a very important while talking to your child about mental health, first we need need to check on if there are any internalized bias and stigma we may have. And to figure this out you can ask yourself a couple of questions.

• Do you have negative opinions about certain mental health conditions? 

• How do you feel about your own mental health?

Model Vulnerability

So let us keep this as simple as it is, let your child see how you deal with big feelings. It is totally fine for your child to see you cry or see you in a upset state after a tough day, let them see what you do about the feelings you have so that they know that many stigmas that "We think" are normal to happen. Let these feelings be attached to normality rather than stigmatised to them.

Keep It Direct

There is no instinct of a parent. If you are a parent and if you feel something is wrong get it directly cleared out with your child to keep them safe.

If you get a sense of your child experiencing the symptoms of depression like suicidal thoughts or engaging in risky behavior, then don't avoid it but rather discuss it with them, make them comfortable enough for them to open up and let them cry it out, so that they know that no matter what you are there with them.