World Mental Health Day gives an opportunity for all of us to augment awareness of mental health issues and advocate against social stigma. The day provides an opportunity to add to the wider conversation that will be occurring on social media, television, and elsewhere. This initiative highlights the enormous work already being done to address mental health stigma and establish new and targeted activities anchored to help the students and most importantly our esteemed teachers.

“Be kind and reach out to someone within the classroom who is suffering in silence. Let’s raise awareness and be there for each other. “

Teachers at Bhavkunj School would like to take an opportunity to show their support on World Mental Health Day by talking about mental health and getting involved with activities to send a clear message that no one should feel alone with their mental health.

Unfortunately, due to COVID-19, we could not celebrate this event. Each year as a school we celebrated World Mental Health Day. After a whole school assembly looking at how emotions can change during the course of a day we divided into house groups and took part in activities designed to improve our mental health. These were mindfulness drawing and coloring, yoga, aerobic exercise, and cooking. We also had great fun in the photo booth.

Suggestion for the Aware Parents

Here are a few simple ways to encourage your child to spread a little kindness this week, and beyond… Point out kindness whenever you see it: in the news, in a bedtime story, in your family, on the street… helping your child notice acts of kindness all around them will inform and inspire them. Involve your child if you’re helping out a friend or a neighbor, doing kind things together can be really fun and they will learn from your example! When you notice your child being kind, comment on it. A little bit of kindness goes a long way. And finally, be kind to yourself – something that’s all too easy to forget. Being a parent or carer can be hard work, so don’t be too tough on yourself. Visit https://nhm.gov.in/images/pdf/National_Health_Mental_Policy.pdf to find out how you can get involved and support Place2Be Don’t forget: If you’re worried about your child, talk to your family Doctor or counselor at your child’s school.

Tips for the Students

Do you know how to take good care of your body? There are lots of ways – eating good food, getting exercise, lots of sleep… What about taking care of your mind? We all need to take care of our minds as well as our bodies. Sometimes people call this ‘mental health’. Here are three things to do every day to keep your mind healthy:

1. Ask yourself “How am I feeling today?” and then tell someone! It can be your friend, an adult, or even your pet – but it’s great to talk about how you’re feeling.

2. Help someone else: Sometimes it feels really good to help other people. Why not ask the person who sits next to you in class how they are feeling today? If they have a problem – see if you can find a solution together or ask an adult for help.

3. Have a break! Spend a little bit of time doing something that you enjoy – it could be playing music, doing artwork, reading, playing football, or just having some quiet time alone in your bedroom. Always remember, if you’re really worried about something, you can find an adult who you trust to talk to – it could be someone in your family, a teacher, or someone else in school. It can be helpful to think of all the adults you know who you might be able to ask for help.

Aju Thomas – Principal