How Yoga Helps Children Mental Illness Prevention | Top 10 Yoga for Improving Children’s Mental Health

Mental health is directly proportional and unanimous to mental, emotional, and psychological well-being. It develops resilience and a remarkable tendency to cope with life’s vicissitudes.

Yoga influences how children think about various situations and perceive specific things, yoga helps children’s mental illness prevention. Yoga responds to different circumstances presented before us. It also helps us determine how we should handle stress, behave around others, and make important decisions in life.

 Mental health is important at every stage of life, from childhood and adolescence through adulthood. There are many cases when this acutely important mental health is compromised.

How Yoga Helps Children Mental Illness Prevention?

children’s mental health problems or disorders are often inborn or result from trauma at a very young age. However children with mental health issues pose a great hindrance to the nation’s workforce and overall prosperity.

Yoga has proved its importance in every place and every age group. Children get benefitted in an amazing way from Yoga and exercise…

We cannot overlook the fact that the most profound effect they have, are on the minds of the budding youth (usually under 18yo).

Because these hugely afflict the comprehensive growth of the child and restricts him/her from being on the same track with others of the same age group.

With this in mind, let’s have a closer look at how yoga helps children mental illness prevention and a handful of common children’s mental health issues and also, discuss some ways to treat children with special mental abilities.

Types of Child Mental Health Illness

(as specified by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, CDC 24/7, DSM-5): 

1. Anxiety and Depression
2. Oppositional Defiant Disorder (ODD)
3. Conduct disorder (CD)
4. Attention-deficit/Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD)
5. Tourette Syndrome
6. Obsessive-Compulsive Disorder (OCD)
7. Post-traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD)

How Yoga Helps Children’s Mental Illness Prevention

Yoga works and improves health in every age group of people. For us human beings, it does not only help grown-up people, but it also helps to boost the immunity, stability, and joyfulness of children’s mental health.

Children are a gift for us like flowers. We all know the effect of yoga on elderly people as it helps in any segment of age for us even for children also.

1. Mindfulness – Yoga helps to improve mindfulness for children. Children are too fickle-minded. They try to explore everything and there are so many questions inside them.
2. Psychological Improvement – Yoga contributes psychological benefits for children to improve their mental health and mental stability. They become calm and composed with psychological upliftment.
3. Focus – Yoga benefits for improving the focus for children. Children’s lose focus within a very short expanse of time. Their mind always roams around for so many things. So they could not focus on one thing. Yoga helps children to focus on the thing which they want with utmost priority and attention.
4.  Self-Esteem – Yoga helps to improve the self-esteem of children. Each of the children comes with a certain capability and genius within them. Parents should boost them to find what they want and engage them in certain things that give them a lot of joy.
5. Stress and Anxiety – Yoga reduces anxiety and stress for children. This is a major problem in grown-up people also. Yoga leads the way by various techniques, if children also practice they can get highly benefited for reducing stress and anxiety.
6. Concentration – Yoga improves concentration in children’s minds. Yoga improves awareness and with a certain body-mind connection they understand the positiveness of all the mysteries of the world with compassion and gratitude ideas and thoughts in academics as well.
7. Natural Behavior – Yoga can improve the natural behavior of kids in their home, family, their friends, and neighbors. It improves the quality to mix up, capability to mingle with others.
8. Classroom Attitude – Yoga especially for the school Goers improves classroom behavior by maintaining certain behavioral changes Yoga works great for young kids to improve school performance.
9. Confidence – Yoga improves their behavior aspect in many ways. Yoga is very effective for building children’s confidence and passionate mind to explore certain questions in their minds.

Top 10 Yoga For Improving Children’s Mental Illness

There are few best yoga technique helps amazingly for improving children’s mental health. Yoga is not only just by twisting and turning the body but it’s a certain mix-up of so many different postures, asana along with pranayama, breathing exercises, PT exercises, and so many other things.

There are many yoga exercises or simple exercises children can perform very easily. They can learn even more quickly. Children have a very flexible body and they are very fast. They can nicely twist their body.

For improving children’s mental health a simple fact that children love to play most of the time. A message to the parents is – “As Much Children, Will Play out Of the House, In the Ground or in the Play Field It Is Better for Their Development Both Mentally and physically.”

The more they spend time on the ground the more. Their overall improvement will happen especially when they play in groups. Because that way they will learn the behavior aspect also. They will learn how to behave they will learn how to talk, how to co-operate, coordinate with others, everything.

Breathing Exercises

The first type of yoga exercise they should practice is breathing exercises. Children have a very young respiratory organ. Most of them have fit bodies and healthy lungs.

Few of the basic breathing techniques like deep breathing exercises and holding the breath for a longer time. Certain energy dimension opens up for children which lets them think positively.

Flying Bird Breathing

 The second type of yoga exercise children can practice is flying bird breathing. Flying but breath is performed by mountain pose called parvatasana.

Let them think that they are beautiful and strong birds they have very strong arms. They can pose hands as their wings and tell them to breathe deeply as long as they can.

Jogging

The third one is jogging. Jogging is one of the exercises which improves many different organs in children. The more they perform jogging better their stamina and their performance.

It improves their leg and waist muscle, geometry, etc. by performing jogging they improve their postural geometry correction they get more stamina in their overall body three organs also become very fit.

Running

 The next type of yoga exercise they must perform is running. Running is considered as one of the best stress reliever yoga exercise or simply exercise for children. Some of the children without any reason keeps on running.

You might have watched the movie Forrest Gump where forest keeps on running. The same idea that the more the children keep running it will improve many of their vital organs.

Yoga Games

 The next type of yoga is playing any kind of game. Yoga games are a part of yoga but it is considered a great exercise for improving their mental health. games improve their cooperation with friends, how they talk with anyone their behavior lacks aspect everything improves the type of yoga exercise is yoga games like the mirror-mirror games then red light green light yoga so there are different type of yoga games also available

Meditation

The best exercise for children is meditation for teaching meditation children must be introduced to a very e introduce to a to very well-known yoga instructor who is compassionate with the kids and their mental health

Children Mental Health Issue 1 – Anxiety and Depression

An anxiety disorder may be diagnosed in children who are not able to outgrow the quintessential fears and concerns of young age. Childhood anxiety and depression include separation anxiety (when away from loved ones), different phobias, panic disorder, nervous problems, and general anxiety.

It can result in anger, irritation, trouble in sleeping, fatigue, and a list of different health problems. Some children are not as expressive as others and thus do not present the symptoms of anxiety disorder.

A depressed child can be identified when he/she is uninterested in things that others of his age love to do or feel negative or unnecessary sorrow in particular circumstances.

The child being irritable, tired, and sluggish, feeling guilt or worthlessness, or undergoing a drastic change in child life patterns, sheds limelight on the fact that he/she might be depressed. Self-destruction, restlessness and not being attentive also point towards the same consequence.

Extreme depression can also lead to suicidal thoughts at a very young age. Suicides are the leading cause of day in youths nowadays.

How Yoga Helps Children’s Anxiety and Depression Illness Prevention

1. Parents should teach them to stay calm when the child is anxious.
2. The child’s feelings must be given priority.
3. Praising each small accomplishment.
4. Not being unnecessarily rude.
5. No pressure of expectations.
6. Parents should make sure that the child maintains a yoga routine and healthy food habits.
7. Prevention of bullying and youth violation.
8. yoga and Physical fitness, mindfulness, and relaxation should fend off negative thoughts from the child’s life and mind.
9. For already anxious and depressed children, Cognitive child anxiety medication is a must. Behavioral Therapy and consultancy from counselors and psychiatrists are a must.

Children Mental Health Issue 2 – Oppositional Defiant Disorder (ODD)

Prominent only in the age range 8-12, Oppositional Defiant Disorder (ODD) can be recognized in children who act out persistently and thus, cause unwanted problems with their peers.

Such children are likely to oppose or defy their family members, teachers, and loved ones. Loose temper, rudeness, arguments, resentfulness, blaming, and annoying others are symptomatic behaviors of ODD in a child.

How Yoga Helps Oppositional Defiant Disorder (Odd) Illness Prevention

1. Positive parenting, teaching asanas, and yoga.
2. Child maltreatment prevention.
3. Strengthening family relations.
4. Teaching the child to respect elders and other virtues at a very young age.
5. Maintaining good yogic life habits.
6. Treat before you punish the kid. Reduce hostility.
7. Use a code word. This is a private signal that tells the child to calm down.
8. Stay cool and control around them.

Children Mental Health Issue 3 – Conduct Disorder (CD)

When children show an ongoing pattern of aggression toward others, and serious violations of rules and social norms at home, in school, and with peers, they might be suffering from this mental disorder.

A child with such mental health tends to break serious rules, show unnecessary and malicious aggression, and indulge in petty acts like stealing, lying, or damaging the possession of others.

How Yoga Helps Children’s Conduct Disorder (CD) Illness Prevention

1. Start early to teach yoga and good conduct for the mental health of the child.
2. Consult a child psychiatrist from children’s mental health services.
3. A comprehensive evaluation by a mental health professional may be needed to get the right diagnosis.
4. Parents should learn effective ways to boost up the parent-child relationship and respond to the child’s behavior.

Children Mental Health Issue 4 – Attention-Deficit/Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD)

Children suffering from ADHD have difficulties in focusing and controlling impromptu behaviors and are often inordinately active.

A child with ADHD might daydream a lot, talk excessively, squirm or fidget and might as well make careless mistakes or take unwanted risks.

The biggest problem lies in the fact that a child suffering from ADHD has an inconsistent mind and cannot get along well with others.

The children suffering from this mental health issue have differences in brain development and brain activity that affect attention, the ability to sit still, and self-control. ADHD can affect a child at school, at home, and in friendships.

How Yoga Helps Children’s Attention-Deficit/Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD) Illness Prevention

1. Daily yoga-practicing habits.
2. Limiting the amount of screentime (TV, mobiles, iPad)
3. Consulting a child psychologist or a developmental pediatrician may help the child overcome this mental disorder.
4. Behavior therapy (both for patient and parents).
5. Medications (for a little older children, 6+).
6. Spending time on yoga games, running doing creative playfulness outside.
7. Stimulants and supplements.
8. Parents helping the child plan his life and making sure he has minimal stress.
9. Instead of scolding, yelling, or spanking, use effective directions, time-outs, or removal of privileges as consequences for inappropriate behavior.
10. Make sure the child isn’t overwhelmed or overstimulated at any second. This might affect the mental state adversely. Things should be done very calmly around the ADHD victim.

Children Mental Health Issue 5 – Tourette Syndrome (TS)

Tourette Syndrome (TS) is a nervous disorder that involves the repetition of unusual movements (jerks), sudden twitches or unwanted sounds, or ”tics”. This is completely involuntary and cannot be controlled easily.

Tics can be motor or vocal and are defined by their names, suggestive of unanticipated movements or such related to voice, like repeating a certain word or phrase or a sound.

They can be simple or further based on their complexity. Tourette syndrome makes the victim a laughing stop for others who do not care about the immense mental effects this kind of behavior can have on them.

The most profound treatment or rather help towards these types of children’s mental health issues suffering from TS would be not to make unnecessary fun of them because this is completely natural and the person isn’t at all responsible for his/her unusual behavior.

Showing a little empathy can help a lot. This not only boosts the mindset of the child but also calms the mind and has shown great results in controlling other additional mental or developmental conditions that are common in almost 87% of victims who have TS mental disorder.

Unwanted agitation and insulting may negate the effects on the brain of the child/victim and no one should indulge in such shaming of a person who is in no way liable for the condition.

TS is just a spontaneous mental condition and should not be equated with other malignant or destructive mental states.

Do you know about Tourette syndrome?

• 1 in every 162 children.
• Half cases are undiagnosed.
• Boys are affected 3-5 times more than girls.

How Yoga Helps Children’s Tourette Syndrome (TS) Illness Prevention

Tics cannot be stopped with external interference, but some medications and behavioral treatments exist, if tics cause pain or injury or even cause a great deal of stress.

It generally stays on throughout the whole life, so practicing yoga daily and pranayama is great for them. But should never be taken as a setback. Rather, a little support may encourage the mental disorder victim and ensure that he/she too has a normal life like others.

Children Mental Health Issue 6 – Obsessive-Compulsive Disorder (OCD)

Obsessive-Compulsive Disorder or OCD is a complex mental disorder. This is a little different from the others we have talked about in the preceding sections.

A child with mental health issues of OCD feels the need to do certain things or perform certain routines repeatedly (called “compulsions”) or even has certain recurring thoughts (“obsessions”). Unfortunately, either of these notions or activities cannot be controlled for more than a short period.

These eventually become habitual and rather, involuntary and the victim even keeps on thinking or doing the same things subconsciously.

This isn’t such a malignant mental disorder but can immensely damage the psychological state of the child if the recurring thoughts are negative and the deeds which he/she is obsessed with, may not be socially appropriate or may even cause minor self-harm. 

Examples of obsessive and compulsive behaviors

1. Unwanted thoughts, images, or impulses causing a great deal of stress and anxiety.
2. Thinking about or saying something repeatedly.
3. Handwashing, placing things in a specific order, or checking the same things over and over, like whether a door is locked.
4. Having to do something over and over according to certain rules that must be followed exactly to make an obsession go away.

Children do these behaviors because they have the feeling that these will make them feel better. However, the behavior is not typically connected to the actual danger of something negative, such as washing hands multiple times per hour. Obsessions and compulsions can also change over time.

How Yoga Helps Children’s with OCD Illness Prevention

1. Arrange an evaluation with help from a healthcare provider.
2. Practicing yoga and Behavior therapy and medications.
3. Support the health of women during pregnancy. This reduces the chances of OCD and other related mental illnesses in the offspring.
4. Keeping the child’s environment calm and destressing.
5. Parents should focus on better relationships with the child’s mental health and not let undue pressure affect their little minds.
6. OCD is incurable but treatments can lower its influence on the victim.

Children Mental Health Issues 7 – Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD)

PTSD or Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder is a mental disorder characterized by failure to recover after experiencing or witnessing a terrifying event. The condition may last months or years, with triggers that can bring back memories of the trauma accompanied by intense emotional and physical reactions.

Symptoms may include nightmares or flashbacks, avoidance of situations that bring back the trauma, heightened reactivity to stimuli, anxiety, or depressed mood.

Reason of PTSD

1. Physical, sexual, or emotional maltreatment.
2. Being a victim or witness to violence or crime.
3. Serious illness or death of a close family member or friend.
4. Natural or manmade disasters.
5. Severe car accidents.

When this health issue of a child’s mental health condition he/she develops long term symptoms (longer than one month) from such stress, which are upsetting or interfere with their relationships and activities, they may be diagnosed with post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD).

PTSD is another complex mental state and more than having maleficent effects on the child, it has devastating impacts on his/her brain and greatly affects the perspective towards life in the future.

How Yoga Helps Children’s PTSD Illness Prevention

Because the event was distressing, children may not want to talk about the event, so a health provider who is highly skilled in talking with children and families may be needed.

Being a parent you must teach them yoga and pranayama to help them in making a creative lifestyle and positivity in them. Once the diagnosis is made, the first step is to make the child’s life feel safe by getting support from parents, friends, and school, and by minimizing the chance of another traumatic event to the extent possible.

Psychotherapy in which the child can speak, draw, play, or write about the stressful event can be done with the child’s life, the family, or a group.

Behavior therapy, specifically cognitive-behavioral therapy, helps children learn to change thoughts and feelings by first changing behavior to reduce the fear or worry. Medication may also be used to decrease symptoms.

Prevention of Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD)

1. Protect the ones you love: Childhood injury prevention.
2. Bullying prevention external icon.
3. Child maltreatment prevention.
4. Youth violence prevention.
5. Caring for children in a disaster.

These were some of the most common children’s mental disorders affecting children and an approach to know a little about how to prevent or behave with children who have them. Mental disorders are unlike other health problems (which could be contagious sometimes) and more than medical help, the victims actually need some mental assistance.

A calm environment maintained around the children and their mental health, not putting a lot of stress on their minds and a good, loving attitude towards them could make them a little less prone to such mental disorders.

To those who already have them, unnecessary shaming, laughing, or making them feel down because of something they are not even responsible for.

This makes the situation even worse and often could agitate the victim to such an extent that he/she starts harmful practices (substance abuse & self-harm). These pave ways for an array of other grave health conditions.

Conclusion

Everyone needs to realize that mental illnesses are not curable, but could be minimized only when the victim receives a lot of love, care, and yoga practice. Practicing dhyana is also a good habit for having a calm, composed mind for children’s mental happiness. Endearment would help destress him/her and ease the wandering thoughts from the mind. Children are the pillars for the country’s future and despite many mental or physical constraints, some manage to succeed.

Thus, not shaming but making them realize that their specialty would one day become their biggest and strongest attribute, is what we should do. Everyone deserves a chance, until and unless they are harming the well-being of others.

One of the best books about parenting which I followed by myself for parenting is “Parenting Matters: Supporting Parents of Children Ages 0-8 by National Academies Press” It is bit costly but worth reading.

Medications and therapy would get better every day but people need to change their mindset about the children who are mentally ill as a lot of these illnesses have never been recorded to harm anyone.

A little goodwill and altruism can change the world. Well, that’s all I have for now. If you know more about children’s issues feel free to comment and please share this article on at least one of your favorite social media. Thanks to all the way…

Further Reading

Have you enjoyed reading about the Children’s Mental Health Issues and Illnesses and their possible treatment here? Take a look at our collection of articles about other categories in healthy vegetables. Alternatively, read our article about the top benefits of healthy foods and lifestyles also.

References

1. https://www.webmd.com/depression/features/recognizing-childhood-depression-anxiety#1
2. https://www.mayoclinic.org/healthy-lifestyle/childrens-health/in-depth/mental-illness-in-children/art-20046577
3. https://adaa.org/living-with-anxiety/children/tips-parents-and-caregivers
4. https://www.cdc.gov/childrensmentalhealth/depression.html

Author: Swastik Deb Majumdar. He is a young, dynamic, aspiring writer as well as a hardcore pro gamer persona. He is a travel enthusiast as he loves exploring new places and possibilities as well as new creative ideas of struggle in life. Motive in Life: To motivate people to achieve their goals and success.