Allow your children to feel safe in their own home
A n emotionally safe environment fosters emotional well-being in every member of the family. Emotional well-being improves our physical health eliminates compulsive and addictive strivings and enhances cognitive functioning and even spirituality. It’s characterized by an inner emotional world open to its own experience as opposed to being shut down blocked off or otherwise disconnected from oneself and consequently from others.
In this healthy state there’s a willingness to experience any emotion that arises — fear sadness joy anger — and by doing so to allow feelings to move freely. The result is an energized and joyful life experience.
Parents can facilitate emotional well-being. Children are born with all sorts of conditions that negatively affect emotional well-being such as tendencies toward depression anxiety and all other mental health conditions. Even so parental interventions can help. A depressed teen being raised in an emotionally intelligent environment may still be depressed but she’ll inevitably be better off than one being raised in an emotionally oppressive environment.
By welcoming and accepting all emotions parents can foster an emotionally receptive environment. Parents can accept a child’s anger for example while teaching him how to establish interpersonal boundaries with respect and sensitivity. (“Be mad but don’t call names.”)
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