A recent search on “parents greatest concerns” resulted in a BBC.com article sharing the result that 40% of parents say their child’s emotional well-being and mental health is a primary concern.

Society is looking for a solution and it’s actually right in front of us but we are not seeing it. We can advocate awareness for mental and emotional well-being and we can encourage people to “ask for help” but the reality is, most people don’t really understand what good mental and emotional health is much less how to go about achieving it. At this point, it seems we just don't know what to do so we end up ignoring our mental health until a catastrophic problem occurs such as a school shooting, a bullying-related suicide, a drug overdose, a drunk driving accident, a stress-related heart attack and the list goes on.

Let's be clear, mental health and mental illness are two different concepts. Poor mental health, over time, may eventually lead to a mental illness and a mental illness can occur even with good mental health. Therefore, let's review a few definitions so we're all on the same page.

Mental Health - “A state of well-being in which the individual realizes his or her own abilities, can cope with the normal stresses of life, can work productively and fruitfully, and is able to make a contribution to his or her community.” (source: World Health Organization)

- “A state of well-being in which the individual realizes his or her own abilities, can cope with the normal stresses of life, can work productively and fruitfully, and is able to make a contribution to his or her community.” (source: World Health Organization) Emotional Health - "The ability to understand ourselves and cope with the challenges life can bring. The ability to acknowledge and share feelings of anger, fear, sadness or stress; hope, love, joy and happiness in a productive manner." (source: University of California, Riverside, Wellness)

- "The ability to understand ourselves and cope with the challenges life can bring. The ability to acknowledge and share feelings of anger, fear, sadness or stress; hope, love, joy and happiness in a productive manner." (source: University of California, Riverside, Wellness) Mental Illness - "A mental illness is a condition that impacts a person's thinking, feeling or mood and may affect his or her ability to relate to others and function on a daily basis. - (source: NAMI - National Alliance on Mental Illness)

The reality is long-term mental health and emotional well-being are intimately linked to positive day-to-day relationships and feeling truly connected and supported by at least someone. In other words, "relationships and feeling connected to others supports our mental health and emotional well-being." (source: National Health Service, United Kingdom)

With each passing year we, as a society, are investing less and less in each other, as people. We are sharing less and confiding less which means our relationships are superficial, at best. We don’t feel connected to anyone and studies show it. In fact, as many as 30 percent of Americans don't feel close to people at a given time (The Lethality of Loneliness) based on the UCLA Loneliness Scale Questionnaire.

If we can help people recharge their relationships and get to know each other, simply as people, we will make great strides improving mental health and emotional well-being. We hear time and again that people need to "have the conversation" and that's true. But our conversations must be meaningful and have a certain degree of sharing regarding how we think and feel about different aspects of our lives.

What we share should be personal but does not have to be private. If I know your favorite color, a story from childhood or what thought you woke up with then I am learning about you and your world. One does not need to know your political views, when you lost your virginity or the fact that you failed your driving test four times in order to feel close to you.

These types of conversations DO take effort but not a lot of time especially if they happen regularly. In fact, they MUST happen regularly; as regularly as you would exercise or eat well. Just like with good physical health, fitness and nutrition, they must be practiced and become a lifestyle. A person cannot train for a marathon in a day, or lose 30 lbs overnight nor can you build a meaningful relationship in a day. It takes a little practice EVERY day but only a few minutes as long as it's deeply sincere.

Sometimes it can be a challenge to even know where to begin a conversation. I would be remiss if I did not offer help. Fortunately, there is at least one tool that can help and that is FamilyeJournal.com (FEJ). This website provides a vast database of questions you and your family (or friends) answer and share privately in sets of four at a time. The beauty of FEJ is users communicate through writing which can easily span distance and time zone as well as makes sharing even easier since you ARE NOT face-to-face or in real-time verbal dialogue. For those of you who remember the days of letter writing and pen-pals, people can become deeply connected using the written word. It works!

So there you have it, a simple solution to parents' greatest concern. If you want your children (and yourself) to enjoy good mental health and emotional well-being, all you have to do is sincerely share and deeply connect in a way that both people feel truly supported. The research is clear so now it's your turn to give it a try and see, no FEEL, what a difference it makes in your life and those you love.