In the most updated reports from the CDC, more than one-third of youth experienced poor mental health. More specifically, 44% of youth reported feeling sad or hopeless during the past year. We’re now faced with an exacerbation of a rising pre-pandemic trend.
In addition to this, over 36% of students experienced racism, with the highest levels coming from Asian students coming in at 64%, and black, and other ethnic groups at 55%.
It’s sobering to see the stats, but this helps us get a better grasp as to what our kids are actually going through, and triggers us to develop an effective solution. With informed knowledge we can better address the root cause and give the best support to help our youngsters thrive.
We spend a lot of time thinking about, and putting into place actions to support the health of our kids. We focus on their nutrition (although let’s be honest we can’t always do much about this, and can hope to lead by example here) and sleep to try and give them the best odds to function well both mentally and physically. These factors alone are important influences that alter the trajectory for health, but we may be missing something here, as mental health and obesity continue to rise.
There is growing scientific research showing that there is in fact something we can do to help build emotional resilience in our kids again. Something that hasn’t been a big topic of discussion or practice.
Step 1:
Science is pointing to the powerful benefits when we eat together!
Gathering around the table may seem like a nostalgic concept, reserved for a simpler life with less busyness. But what COVID has taught families, even if it was a fleeting moment, was that we can muster and rouse ourselves from the vortex of life to spare 15-20 minutes to eat with each other.
Teens who have dinner with family have lower rates of drug and alcohol use, compared to those who have fewer meals together. They also exhibit fewer symptoms of anxiety and depression, better nutrition and lower rates of obesity.
So just what exactly is the number of meals needed to get these benefits? It’s difficult enough to carral various schedules, and surely we can’t expect to eat together for every single meal… Thankfully, studies show that it doesn’t have to be every single day or every single meal to see positive outcomes. Just 2-3 family meals together a week lowers rates of obesity, and kids have better mental health outcomes compared to those who only get one or no meals as a family. Teens who eat meals together 3-5 times per week show an even more significant improvement in physical and mental health.
The second way we can build resilience and create an inclusive, more positive environment for the younger generation is a more hypothetical thought experiment from yours truly.
Step 2:
Expand the curiosity and experience of other cultures.
What I mean by this is that learning about, being exposed to variety helps to open perspectives. With an increased awareness of life’s diversity, we begin to develop more empathy for lives that are not like our own.
So when we combine step one and step two, I suspect we can create an engaging way to reconstruct meaningful connections that will offer more protection for kids and teens. Gathering for a few meals together, and introducing a theme weekly or monthly about another country. Whether that’s simply listening to music, bringing forth an interesting piece of knowledge, or making and enjoying a cultural dish together can take meal gatherings to the next level.
Yours to create, whichever way we can enjoyably, and meaningfully build in more meals together may just be the missing link in helping kids and teens thrive.
Reference:
Eisenberg. M. E., et al. (2004). Correlations between family meals and psychosocial well-being among adolescents. Arch Pediatr Adolesc Med, 158(8), 792-796.
Berg. M. J., et al ( 2021). Are there protective associations between family/ shared meal routines during COVID-19 and dietary health and emotional well-being in diverse young adults? Preventive Medicine Reports.
