Colman Noctor: Our obsession with standing out means we undervalue the safe middle

Balance, moderation and equilibrium should be our focus if we are to maintain children’s mental health

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In a recent podcast interview, I was asked: “What is your top tip for parents?'

My answer was: ‘That would be the 4-7 Principle’. It's an approach I developed six years ago and I have been using it in my personal and professional life ever since. This simple principle involves rating everything we do, such as our exercise levels, alcohol intake and workload, out of 10. The aim is to avoid staying in the extreme ends of range - 1-3 or 8 -10 - and instead aim for middle ground 4-7.