Low Mood

 

If your child is struggling with low mood you may be wondering how you can help.

Feeling sad is a normal emotion and everyone feels low at times. Children and young people can be upset by many different things that might happen in their lives. They might describe themselves as feeling depressed, empty, sad, low or tired.

If your child has been feeling like this for some time, it can have a big impact on their life,  and may be a sign they need some extra support.

Signs of low mood

Low mood, or depression, can affect people differently.  You may notice your child:

  • Being critical about themselves Feeling hopeless or that they no longer feel like themselves.

  • Sharing suicidal thoughts or thoughts around self-harm.

  • Sleeping more than usual or struggling to fall asleep at night.

  • Talking about feeling tired or lethargic.

  • Eating a lot more than usual, or does not feel like eating at all.

  • Not wanting to do things they previously enjoyed.

  • Finding it difficult to concentrate on tasks such as schoolwork or other activities.

  • Struggling to motivate themselves to do things e.g. not wanting to get out of bed in the morning.

Helping your child with depression or low mood

There are some practical steps your child can try that might help straight away. “ACCEPTS” is an acronym to help remember them:

  • Activities – Try new activities they might enjoy or they have tried in the past.

  • Contributing – Do something in their day for someone else. It can help them feel better about themself and their difficulties.

  • Comparisons – Compare how they feel now to a time when they felt different. Why did they feel differently?

  • Emotions – Try to change the way they feel and focus on different emotions to the ones they’re feeling now. For example, if they’re feeling sad, suggest they watch their favourite funny film or listen to an upbeat song.

  • Pushing away – When faced with a difficult situation that they cannot solve right now, it can help to leave the situation or deal with it at a later time when they’re better able to handle it.

  • Thoughts – Engage in other thoughts to the ones they are having now. Think about a past fun holiday, event or do a puzzle to distract their mind.

  • Sensations – Focus on their senses to ground themself. Some things they could try include:

    • The five senses technique, for example, identifying something they can see, feel, hear, smell and taste.

    • Squeezing a stress ball helps muscles contract and release, which can ease tension and stress, and be a great distraction technique.

    • Taking a cold shower can help when we’re experiencing overwhelming emotions, as it cools down the body temperature. This leads to feeling alert and thinking clearly. It also releases endorphins into our system, otherwise known as the happiness hormone.

Get more support

Parent Talk: Find further information and guidance to help you support your child with low mood on the mental health and wellbeing page on the Action for Children website. For advice on your specific issue, speak to one of our parenting coaches.