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World Mental Health Day
World Mental Health Day 2021
Good emotional wellbeing in children and young people helps them develop the resilience to cope with whatever life throws at them and grow into well-rounded, healthy adults - which is what we all wish for our young people. But not everyone is immediately comfortable talking about their feelings. Mental health problems can affect anyone, at any time in their life, but World Mental Health Day is a time to show your support for better mental health and start looking after your own wellbeing. Sunday 10 October 2021 is World Mental Health Day and this year's theme is 'Mental Health in an Unequal World'. The pandemic has highlighted and continues to highlight global inequalities. Since the beginning of 2020 we have seen news stories from around the world with emergency services overwhelmed by the global spread of coronavirus.
In the UK, the NHS is simultaneously trying to deal with the immediacy of coronavirus and tackle the backlog of people needing routine treatments. Along with increased waiting lists for medical appointments, there are long waits for access to mental health services, including, for the latter, record numbers of children and young people. Can you help support someone around you - whether a friend, family member, colleague or a neighbour? Or do you need to find support? As individuals and with our own set of circumstances, we are all different but contact with the right people can make a huge difference.
As well as a physical health pandemic, this has been a mental health pandemic. Whilst we have become more immediately and personally aware of the effects of isolation, worry, grief and stress, we may actually now also be better informed about how to find support for our own mental wellbeing and that of our family and friends. We know that being active, being connected, helping others, learning something new, switching off from social media and practising mindfulness are all good techniques. And that talking helps. In school, pupils can talk with their tutor, teachers or members of the Pastoral team. Aspects of mental wellbeing are also covered in our assemblies and curriculum lessons such as GC and PSHE lessons. We have also published several news items on our website since the start of the year:
- Mental Health Awareness Week (May 2021)
- Children's Mental Health Awareness Week (February 21)
- Mental Health (January 21)
Additionally, through our weekly parents' newsletter, we have regularly shared ways that we can boost our own wellbeing and that of family members and friends.
NHS: 5 Steps to Mental Wellbeing
- Connect with other people
- Be physically active
- Learn new skills
- Give to others
- Pay attention to the present moment (mindfulness)
Read more...
You may like to watch this 6 minute 'The Five Ways to Wellbeing' video to help boost your mental and physical wellbeing, shared with us by Gloucestershire Healthy Living and Learning (GHLL):
We hope that the links below are useful; some are specifically aimed at young people.
Useful Links:
