Support Ideas and Strategies
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Symptoms and Specific Issues (choose from the menu below) |
Can we get rid of all our worries and fears? An introduction by Mr Bell
What can we do to keep ourselves mentally healthy? Everyone knows moving your body more will keep it physically healthy but what is the equivalent for our minds? There are many different strategies we can use to support out mental health. This page details a few that you can try.
Breathing Techniques
Working with our breath is one of the most powerful and quickest ways to help us relax, increase our focus, calm our minds and improve our sleep. And the great thing is we always have it with us! There’s lots of different calming techniques out there, and some of them focus on our breath. We’ve recorded a few here for you to try.
Another great thing about certain breathing techniques is that we can do them in public and no one even knows……an in-built secret stress buster!
Another great thing about certain breathing techniques is that we can do them in public and no one even knows……an in-built secret stress buster!
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Mindfulness
Mindfulness is the ability to be fully present with what is here for us in each moment. It does involve some meditation practice but we can be mindful when we are eating and when we are walking and even when we are working. Miss Owens describes mindfulness in the video below and there are two mindfulness practices for you to try.
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Peer Support
Tellmi (used to be MeeToo) is a multi-award winning peer support app that helps young people aged 11 - 25 to safely talk about difficult things and learn how to help themselves by helping each other. It is used by over 30,000 young people. Informed by the latest psychological research, all content is checked before going live and discussions are guided by trained experts and super-peers. Tellmi is available for free to download for IOS and Android
Togetherall: Togetherall harnesses the protective and therapeutic effects of connectedness and healthy social networks in its unique community where people share with, and support each other. The evidence is convincing, the wider determinants of health such as the communities in which we exist have a more beneficial impact than individual lifestyle factors and health behaviours. Innovative technology, and first class clinical teams and trained moderators, create a unique environment for members to lead their own recovery.
Treehouse is an online education platform full of interactive, inspirational and confidence- boosting modules to support schools, their teachers, and pupils to be the best version of themselves.
Designed by the team of psychologists, teachers and motivation experts at Tree of Knowledge, Treehouse offers a unique, fun and flexible way to support the mental health and wellbeing of staff and pupils, and increase motivation and creativity.
See www.treeof.com to gain access to any of the modules.
Usernames and Passwords available through your PSE Teams pages.
Modules include;
Self-confidence, connectedness, resilience, inspiration, wellbeing & mental health.
Designed by the team of psychologists, teachers and motivation experts at Tree of Knowledge, Treehouse offers a unique, fun and flexible way to support the mental health and wellbeing of staff and pupils, and increase motivation and creativity.
See www.treeof.com to gain access to any of the modules.
Usernames and Passwords available through your PSE Teams pages.
Modules include;
Self-confidence, connectedness, resilience, inspiration, wellbeing & mental health.
Self-Care
Self-care is about doing things that look after our physical and mental health. Taking the time to practice good self-care not only makes us feel better about ourselves but also improves our relationships. So it’s important not to see it as selfish or something to feel guilty about. It can also help to do more of it when we are not feeling so great.
We are all unique so different things will work for different people. Notice the things that particularly work for you….to make you feel good/nourish/relax you/bring you joy. Keep an open mind as there may be lots more things out there you haven’t tried yet!
Here’s a few ideas:
We are all unique so different things will work for different people. Notice the things that particularly work for you….to make you feel good/nourish/relax you/bring you joy. Keep an open mind as there may be lots more things out there you haven’t tried yet!
Here’s a few ideas:
- Learning to relax – see our Marr made relaxation techniques for lots of ideas on how to do this.
- Being creative – drawing, painting, making things, listening to, playing music….
- Doing activities that we enjoy such as reading, playing games, watching films, TV…..
- Exercise and movement including dancing, walking, cycling, playing football, hockey, sports, yoga….
- Getting proper sleep and eating well. See sleep section of these pages for help with this.
- Connecting with others
- Trying to find a balance and recognise when we are engaging in things that overwhelm us - such as too much social media
- Taking breaks from school-work and seeking support if we need it
- Seeking support if we need help with our emotional health
Use Your Phone
There are a lot of apps out there to download and use on your phone to help keep your mental health in good shape. Some of them have a one off fee or monthly subscription but some of them are free and are equally as good as the paid for ones. Here are a few tried and tested and recommended apps to support our mental health.
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Insight Timer is the number ONE app for sleep, anxiety and stress. This app has lots of sleep stories, music for relaxation, meditations and yoga sessions. Used by staff in school, it comes highly recommended.
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Recovery Record is the smart companion for managing your journey to recovery from eating disorders including anorexia nervosa, bulimia nervosa, and binge eating disorder. This app is also intended for people with general eating, weight and shape concerns.
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The Stay Alive app is a pocket suicide prevention resource for the UK, packed full of useful information to help you stay safe. You can use it if you are having thoughts of suicide or if you are concerned about someone else who may be considering suicide.
In addition to the resources, the app includes a safety plan, customisable reasons for living, and a life box where you can store photos that are important to you. |
Grief: Support for Young People is an App created by a group of bereaved young people working directly with Child Bereavement UK. It was developed for 11-25-year-olds who have been bereaved of someone important to them, and can also be used by friends, teachers, parents, and professionals who would like to know how to support bereaved young people.
Visualisations
Close your eyes and imagine yourself in a relaxing place. This place is where you feel completely safe because stress and worries hold no power over you. If you can imagine yourself somewhere you are practising a visualisation. Mr Higgins introduces the technique and you can also listen to two variations; The Beach and A Peaceful Place.
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For Parents/Carers
Whilst all the information and resources contained within the health and wellbeing pages are suitable for use by everyone in the Marr community we understand that there is a need for specific advice for our parents/carers to assist them when they are discussing mental health and wellbeing with their son/daughter. Our guidance staff are available to discuss any concerns and discuss any support that can be delivered in school. Here are some recommended resources to help at home.
HandsOn is a website that provides help and practical advice for supporting children and young people's mental health and emotional wellbeing. It was developed by Fife CAMHS and partner agencies for parents, carers and people who work with children and young people.
It is an excellent resource providing clear information and strategies on a range of topics. An easy to navigate site using videos and text which you can dip in and out for a particular issue (see their A to Z) or follow a workshop for more in-depth understanding.
It is an excellent resource providing clear information and strategies on a range of topics. An easy to navigate site using videos and text which you can dip in and out for a particular issue (see their A to Z) or follow a workshop for more in-depth understanding.