Our Year 9 Wellbeing Reps gave a fantastic assembly this morning for Children’s Mental Health Week. Children’s Mental Health Week was launched in 2015 and each year, hundreds of schools, children, parents and carers take part. Now in its 10th year, the theme was ‘My Voice Matters.’ 

Martha W, Anahita A and Isobel L-B spoke about what good mental health means, emphasising that no emotion is wrong or a bad thing. Mental Health is your social, physiological and emotional well-being and good mental health means that you are in a state of well-being where you feel good and function well in the world. Achieving a good state of mental wellbeing can allow you to connect with others, manage stress, have a sense of meaning and have an overall more positive outlook, which is why knowing how to care for your mental health and the mental health of others around you is an important skill to learn. 

Martha said, “Give yourself a break. Life is busy, challenging and overwhelming for all of us at times and this is why giving yourself time to relax, decompress and enjoy yourself every so often is so important. Remember that you are deserving and that taking care of yourself is the first step to a more productive and successful life. Some of the best ways to do this are simple things like doing an activity you like, meditating, treating yourself or just by resting.” 

Isobel said that dance was her top tip for good mental health. “Put some music on that you love and just let loose! It might sound cheesy but having a good time when no-one is watching can be just as important as hanging out with your friends. Having some ‘me’ time is really important to allow yourself some time to think, and process. Allow yourself to feel different emotions, and none of them are bad or wrong. You don’t have to be happy all the time, and giving yourself some mental space and time to think through your feelings can be really helpful.”

They asked staff and students, ‘What do you do that makes you happy?’ and shared a fun video of their top tips which included dancing, journaling, spending time with their families, resting, reading and listening to Taylor Swift! 

Anahita talked about worrying, fear and anxiety and suggestions of how to feel better. She suggested to calm down your worry and anxiety to try box breathing or doing a complex maths problem, or something that provides a distraction from the worry and lets us focus on other things around us which could lift us into a better mood. You might also feel happy to talk to somebody about this worry afterwards and this can alleviate the stress of it from yourself.

Miss Cagnino, Head of PSHCEE, spoke about the problems caused by comparison, which often stems from social media, whether it relates to friendships, academic success or body image. The Be Real Foundation found that 40% of young people (26% of boys and 54% of girls) said that images on social media have caused them to worry about their body image. Referencing mental health advocate Natasha Devon, Miss Cagnino suggested a digital clean up to make sure our social content is positive, enriching and happy. 

Isobel reminded us of the importance of choosing our language carefully and the potential effect of our words on other people around us – make sure that we are using language that everyone feels comfortable with. Scientific terminology and conditions (like depression, anxiety, PTSD or trauma) are words we all need to understand should not be thrown around because they are scientific diagnoses. It’s understandable that everyone makes mistakes with how they speak to others but let’s make a conscious effort to improve together. 

Earlier in the week all students made motivational postcards, with many featuring the messages that it’s ok not to feel OK’ and how it is good to strive to be better at things, but to remember to enjoy the journey along the way. The Reps then announced the winners of the competition, with all the fantastic postcards being put on display for all to see in the atrium. 

Miss Cagnino reminded everyone of the Wellbeing Hub – a fantastic resource for all students and staff for good mental health and wellbeing, available via the Student Noticeboard.

To round off the week, we are looking forward to a screening of ‘Inside Out’ with hot chocolate and popcorn on Friday with donations going to MIND charity.