7 Characteristics and Tips to Educate Children to Have a Resilient Mentality

Liputan6.com, Jakarta As a parent, you may often ask: What are the main strengths I should teach my children?

Although there are some things that are no less important, but according to Amy Morin, a psychotherapist, who will really help every child to be the best version of themselves and get through the toughest challenges in life is mental strength.

Mental strength requires you to pay attention to three things: the way you think, feel, and act. Always being open-minded, feeling good, and acting bravely will help children in building their resilience mentally.

Of course, it takes practice, patience, and constant strengthening to get to the point where these things are done naturally. But Morin I see a lot of young people who have made it over time.

Quoted from CNBC, Tuesday (03/23/2021), here are 7 characteristics that are always done by mentally strong children and how to help your children reach the same point.

1. They empower themselves

If your child says, "My friend scored higher on the quiz, that makes me feel bad about myself."

Basically, this will only leave others in control of their emotions. But children who feel empowered don't rely on others to feel good and happy.

They choose, for example, to be in a sunny mood even when others are having a bad day or trying to vent their anger.

Morin's workable recommendation is to discuss with your child to come up with phrases they can repeat themselves.

Use words that show that they are responsible for how they think, feel, and behave, regardless of what people around them are doing.

This will help dampen the negative voices in their heads that try to convince them that they don't have the potential for success. The most effective phrases are short and memorable:

• "All I can do is try my best."
• "I choose to be happy today."

2. They adapt to change

When it comes to moving to a new school or not being able to play with friends during a pandemic, it's possible that such changes will be difficult for a child to accept.

But mentally strong children understand that change can help them grow into stronger persons, even though at first it may not feel that way.

You can help lead them to recognize the emotions they're feeling in the midst of a change in an uncomfortable situation. Naming feelings, according to Morin, can practically make a child feel a little better.

Unfortunately, most of us don't spend enough time thinking about and processing how we feel. In fact, even as an adult, you may tend to give more energy to fight those emotions.

So, when your child is faced with a major change, have them talk about their feelings. More importantly, help them find and define the right words to describe them, such as sad, happy, frustrated, nervous, or excited.