This week was Children’s Mental Health Awareness Week.  It is clear from recent news items that children continue to be significantly impacted by their experiences of Covid and school closures as well as the specific impacts on elements such as examinations. 

This is amplified by social media and gaming platforms so it was good for us to also be supporting Safer Internet Day which was on Tuesday.  A few years ago, events like this were focused on removing the stigma of mental health issues and promoting openness and discussion around mental health.  Within young people this has been improving for some time and children do now see the importance of monitoring their mental health, however the world around them can still make acting on mental health issues difficult.

The Wellbeing Committee of the School Council produced a noticeboard in the dining room to raise awareness of some of the ways that their peers can seek out support if they are worried about their mental health.

There are now a plethora of Apps and organisations promoting different activities to support mental health, from open water swimming to mindfulness.  What all these different options have in common is the importance of finding your own ‘thing’ that allows you to switch off from the elements in life causing stress or difficulties for short periods of time regularly.  In our busy lives this can be a challenge but if we are to support the well-being and happiness of our young people we do need to help them find positive, healthy activities which give them pleasure and reward.

Please use the link below to a very useful site relating to mental health for teenagers and useful information:

Charlie Waller Trust