SupportING our children's Mental Health
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Emerging Minds
Emerging Minds
The Emerging Minds site is filled with support for parents, carers and young people. Their resources section includes recommended resources to best support children and young people with their worries and anxiety. The PDF document you can see embedded on the School page signposts a number of useful sites to help support the mental health of all young people. But visit the Emerging Minds page -Advice for Parents- to access many more resources which will help you at home.
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Young Person's Mental Health Toolkit
Young Person's Mental Health Toolkit
Welcome to the young person's mental health toolkit for 11 to 25-year-olds. Here you will find six playlists to direct you to a wide range of online resources to help you through the lockdown and beyond. In each of the playlists you'll find self-help websites, apps, helplines, and more that are here to support your mental health and well-being. Click on the link below to access these resources.
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Pastoral Support
Pastoral Support
We have a dedicated team at school who are available for pupils to contact if things get a little overwhelming for them, or they are struggling to cope. Urgent concerns can be sent in to the Pastoral Manager via this Google Form which gives students the preference of an email or phone call in return.
We also have our school counsellors, Mrs Brigit Osborne and Mrs Amanda Griffiths who you can contact directly. You can find their details on The Pastoral Team page alongside the names and email addresses of our Achievement Team.
Whatever happens, however you feel, remember there is always someone who can help so do get in touch.
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Art for Well-Being
Art for Well-Being
Getting creative when things feel a little bit too much to handle is a great way of addressing our mental health. These are just some ideas to show you how art can help tackle feelings of anxiety, stress and panic.
Art Projects to Help you Relax
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Journaling - Writing Through It
Journaling - Writing Through It
Having a journal can help people learn to express their feelings, fears, and desires. No matter your age, keeping a journal is a great way to think deeply about your feelings and reflect on your day. It can help you to work through difficult emotions, develop gratitude, set goals, and check in on your emotional well-being. Here are some journal prompts which may be helpful in starting the journaling process.
- If you could invent something, what would it be?
- Describe the happiest day of your life.
- If you could do anything all day tomorrow what would you do?
- Write about what you love about your family.
- Write about something cool you learned this week?
- Which room in your house is your favorite, and why?
- If you could have any special talent what would it be, and why?
- What makes you smile?
- What is one thing you would like to get better at?
- What words do you wish someone would say to you when you're having a tough time?
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Meditation
Meditation
The present moment isn't always an easy place for us to be in. Meditation can help us work through our feelings of stress and anxiety, and that's why it can be so helpful. Here are a few useful links to guided meditations that can help soften feelings of anxiety, reduce stress, and calm our moments of panic.
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Visual Therapy
Visual Therapy
Sometimes, just switching off from reality for a while can help us readjust our thought patterns and bring a sense of calm to a racing mind which may be filled with all sorts of anxious and stressful thoughts. One way of doing this is to play sensory videos which are filled with colourful visuals to help distract you from the negative emotions you may be experiencing. How about trying this out the next time feelings of anxiety, panic or stress set in? Here are some examples for you.
Sensory Soothing Visual Therapy
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Yoga
Yoga
Yoga is fast becoming one of the most popular complementary health practices, with over 1.7 million children and teens practicing yoga — a number that has grown by 400,000 in the last decade. It can help improve fitness and physical strength, reduces stress and anxiety, improves optimism, focus and school performance, as well as develop self-discipline and creativity. YouTube has a wealth of guided yoga videos for teens, so why not encourage your child to give it a go - it could even be something you can build into your family routine to help combat the stress associated with daily life.
Here is one enthusiastic example for you to try! Enjoy Yoga with Adriene.
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Useful Apps
Useful Apps
These days so many of us use apps in our everyday life - from shopping to listening to music to tuning in to our favourite shows. There are hundreds of free apps available which can help our young people get into the daily habit of checking-in on their own well-being. Here are some of the most highly rated:
Mindshift
Superbetter
Mindful Powers
Smiling Mind
SAM
It is important to note that whilst these apps can be useful, they are not a replacement for seeking professional medical advice if you have concerns about your child. Do not hesitate in contacting a health professional if you feel your child is displaying any worrying symptoms.