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Mental Health Awareness Week 2021

Mental Health Awareness Week 2021

For Mental Health Awareness Week we are sharing activities from Bottisham Community Primary School and raising awareness of how nature can be helpful in supporting good mental health.   Many of our other schools are also raising awareness of mental health through activities with their pupils, on their websites and through their social media accounts.

This week, Bottisham Community Primary School began with a whole school assembly finding out about how connecting with nature can have a positive impact on our mental health.

Additionally, each day we are sharing tips and ideas as follows:

  • Try to make a habit of connecting with nature every day. Stop to listen to birdsong, smell the freshly cut grass, take care of a house plant, notice the trees and flowers around you. Take a moment to appreciate these simple connections.
  • Another great way to connect with nature is for your family to become expert tree trackers.  This is possible with the free tree ID App from The Woodland Trust. It features over 70 British trees and helps you learn how to identify them by their twigs, bark, leaves and fruits.
  • Eat Well:  there are strong links between what we eat and how we feel, for example, caffeine and sugar are well-known to have an immediate effect.
    But food can also have a long-lasting effect on your mental health. Your brain needs a mix of nutrients to stay healthy and function well, just like the other organs in your body.
    A diet that is good for your physical health is also good for your mental health. A healthy diet includes:
    • Lots of different types of fruit and vegetables
    • Wholegrain cereals and bread
    • Nuts and seeds
    • Dairy products
    • Oily fish
    • Plenty of water.

 

Keep in touch – Strong family ties and supportive friends can help you deal with the stresses of life. Friends and family can make you feel included and cared for. They can offer different views from whatever’s going on inside your own head. They can help keep you active, keep you grounded and help you solve practical problems.
There’s nothing better than catching up with someone face-to-face. But that’s not always possible. Give them a call, drop them a note or chat to them online instead. Keep the lines of communication open. It’s good for you!
Protecting our mental health – Ask for help
 
None of us are superhuman. We all sometimes get tired or overwhelmed by how we feel or when things go wrong. If things are getting too much for you and you feel you can’t cope, ask for help.  Your family or friends may be able to offer practical help or a listening ear. Local services are there to help you.
 
For example, you could:
 
– join a support group to help you make changes to your life
– find a counsellor to help you deal with your feelings or make a fresh start
– call the council about noise nuisance
– visit a Citizens Advice Bureau if you want advice on debt.
 
Your GP may be able to refer you to a counsellor. You should consider getting help from your GP if difficult feelings are:
 
– stopping you getting on with life
– having a big impact on the people you live or work with
– affecting your mood over several weeks.
 
Over a third of visits to GPs are about mental health. Your GP may suggest ways you or your family can help you. Or they may refer you to a specialist or another part of the health service.

 

There are more ideas of how to connect with nature on the the Mental Health Foundation website.  We are also posting how to #connectwithnature daily on our social media pages @AnglianLearning

 

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CONTACT DETAILS

Anglian Learning
Bottisham Village College
Lode Rd, Cambridge
CB25 9DL, United Kingdom

CALL US

01223 340340

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