Every year on the 10th of October is World Mental Health Day – a day dedicated to raising global awareness about the importance of looking after our mental health, fighting against the stigma around it, and mobilising support for the care required to help those with mental health needs. The theme for this year is Lived experiences heard: Real voices, real change.
At Life & Soul, we believe that mental health is just as important as physical health, so we strive to help the mental health of every child and young person we encounter. But first, what is mental health?
Mental health… refers to our emotional, psychological and social wellbeing. So, our mental health affects how we feel, how we think and how we behave around others. It’s something we all have. Just like we all have physical health, we all have mental health and sometimes the two can be interlinked. Our mental health can be something that changes on a daily basis, or it can be something that changes over a period of time. Various factors can affect it too, such as a bereavement or a stressful situation at work.
Why is it important to be aware of our mental health?
Our mental health can affect every part of our life, from how we take care of ourselves, to how we deal with our work colleagues and friends, to how we sleep. So, it’s good to be aware of how we’re feeling, what our thought patterns tend to be and how we’re responding to everyday situations. That awareness helps us understand the state of our mental health. We are all likely to struggle with understanding our own mental health at times and what we can do to help it, especially when we are younger. This is why at Life & Soul we love providing mental health tools and strategies for the children and young people we work with, supporting them to develop a better understanding of their mental health now and later in life.
Lived experiences heard: Real voices, real change…
Ruby, aged 9, found doing our Unlimited course incredibly helpful for her mental health. “I just feel so much more confident in myself… I’d recommend [the course] to anyone thinking of doing it because if there’s something going on at home or are school, it would be a really good thing to go to and something to look forward to.” Ruby’s mum, Jo, said it had been a “gamechanger” for Ruby and for their whole family. “Unlimited gave Ruby a place to be herself, to be heard. I started to see that she was putting strategies in place; she would remove herself from various scenes, she would write things down, she would create art and found ways to express herself compared to bottling up things as she had done before.”
Children and young people’s mental health
When children and young people have good levels of mental wellbeing, there are so many positive outcomes for them. For example, being able to express and manage their emotions, being able to form and maintain good relationships and coping with change and setbacks.
Key strategies to help achieve good mental health
- We always encourage the children we work with to have a trusted adult they can go to, to be listened to, to share any worries they have and to receive advice. Children often love to chat to their pets and teddies, which can be great for offloading, but pets can’t give advice!
- We encourage them to find something they enjoy doing that helps them calm down and feel some excitement or comfort, such as playing a game, listening to music, or doing some art and craft.
- There is power in focusing on our breathing, helping it deepen and slow down. We teach children breathing techniques, helping them discover easy ways to calm and ground themselves wherever they are, whether in the classroom or at home or out and about.
- Journalling is a brilliant strategy to help children process what they’re dealing with. Whether through words or drawings – putting pen to paper can provide clarity, release emotions and help calm the brain’s response to situations.
- We help the children realise that when they are tired, hungry or haven’t moved for a while, things often feel worse and harder to deal with. So looking after themselves, getting enough sleep/rest, eating well and including good movement in their day, are key aspects to maintaining good mental health.
