Blog
Just Breathe!
Mental Health Awareness week is an excellent opportunity to highlight mental health and the affect it has on our minds and bodies.
At the moment we’re in the middle of a global pandemic and these are unprecedented times.
How much does that sentence baffle you and increase anxiety? How many of you know what unprecedented and global pandemic means?
Epidemic is a large outbreak of a disease, such as the flu during Winter, or chickenpox. If lots of people are catching chickenpox or the flu, it’s an epidemic. A pandemic is an epidemic which has spread over much larger areas. A global pandemic is an epidemic which has spread around the world.
Unprecedented means unknown or unheard of before – for example, me managing to work out a maths equation!
These are all words which need to be used in the correct context – but they’re less worrying once explained.
Having things explained to us makes us all a little less anxious. Yes, we all have to try to stay indoors and stay safe but we can also try not to worry too much.
All the emotions you and your family members may have felt over the past few months are completely normal. We’re out of routine, we don’t know what’s going to happen, we’ve never felt like this before – why is this happening?
If you feel like this, stop for a second and breathe. Just breathe. You’re safe and well and need to ground yourself.
If you do find yourself becoming overwhelmed with emotions, try some simple steps to relax:
These techniques are really good when you’re feeling anxious.
You could also try the countdown. This is excellent when you’re in situations where you’re starting to feel overwhelmed but can’t possibly remove yourself from whatever is causing stress – for example, waiting to go into an exam, being in a large crowd, being in assembly or waiting to perform something in front of an audience. If you can master this simple technique, it can help in so many areas and it really does work.
Simple things can be done to improve your mental health. Maintaining routine is very important, as is eating well and getting enough sleep. These will all make you feel mentally better. This week our focus is kindness; being kind makes us feel good, being unkind does not.
I’ve been delivering food to my Mum regularly, as she’s staying safe in her house. Every time I shop, I add something nice to the delivery that she hasn’t asked for. This week was a pack of walnut whips.
After I deliver her shopping to her - from a safe distance - she enjoys finding the item and calls me afterwards. She told me every food shopping delivery day is like Christmas! Now, if you’re like me, you’ll be thinking, wow she’s easily pleased as that’s nowhere near as good as Christmas. But, to her it’s everything and that makes me feel so good about myself and it improves her mental health too.
Try to always #BeKind, as being unkind has the exact opposite effect on peoples’ mental health and I’m sure you can all think of examples of this on social media platforms and in the news. Social media can be used to our advantage – for example, I share anything I think might make someone else’s day brighter. At the moment that may be home-schooling tips, mental health support or how to make a T-Rex from a milk carton (yes, that’s actually a thing - as is making honey from dandelions, who knew?).
When I come across comments or articles I disagree with, rather than stopping and commenting, I scroll past them, because every one of us is entitled to our own opinions, even if they differ from someone else’s.
Other things can make us feel good and these may be different for every one of us. I like spending time with my children and my cats. I like to listen to music and sing very loudly. I like to dance, (albeit badly!). I love books and films too, so when I need to switch off I’ll immerse myself in a good book or film.
What makes you feel good? Let me know – I’d love to hear from you!
No matter what we do or how we cope, time will keep passing and soon enough this lockdown period will be over and we’ll be better for it. Some of us will have just about coped, some of us will have learned new skills but we’ll all come out of this stronger – Valley Park, our staff and our students will be a closer, stronger community.
I’ve added some links below just in case you’d like some extra support. Please remember, if ever you feel completely overwhelmed, do talk to someone at home if you can and, if not, then I’m always at the end of an email.
I can’t wait to see you all again and, when I do, I want to hear all about your activities and how you’ve coped and adapted. Stay strong and remember this, you have become part of history and you are the generation that kept its cool, adapted – and stayed home to keep everyone safe. For achieving that, you are amazing!
