Mental Health Champions

Some of our Year 5s and 6s have recently chosen to become 'Mental Health Champions'

These children have had training which taught them how to acknowledge and look after their own mental health. They are now teaching other children in school how to do the same.

What is mental health?

Mental Health doesn't mean you have a problem, although it can bring on challenges.

Mental health is a number of things...

How we feel within ourselves. – They may be pleasant feelings like happiness, love, excitement. Sometimes they may be unpleasant like sadness, anxiety, grief. We all experience these.

How we think and act. – Our thoughts affect our feelings and behaviour. You can be in control of how you think, act and feel. Your thoughts are your own. Positive thoughts will bring on positive feelings and positive actions. These can impact your relationships, positive thoughts and feelings can bring you positive relationships.

How we deal with problems – How do you deal with uncomfortable feelings? Everyone will experience uncomfortable feelings and have to deal with them. If your mental health is in a healthy place, you can cope with stress, deal with uncomfortable feelings and manage those feelings.

The 4 Stages of Mental Health

There are 4 stages of mental health

Healthy. – Life feels good and you can deal with challenges.
Unsettled – may affect how you feel and your sleep.
Struggling – a problem may be weighing you down and you need help with it. This can take a while to work through.
Unwell – Sometimes people can have a mental health illness. They may need professional help.

It is very important to speak up when you need help and are struggling. Other people can help you work through those challenges. You don’t need to try and do it all by yourself.