Evidence suggests there are 5 steps you can take to improve your mental health and wellbeing. Trying these things could help you feel more positive and able to get the most out of life.
1. Connect with other people
Good relationships are important for your mental wellbeing. They can:
- help you to build a sense of belonging and self-worth
- give you an opportunity to share positive experiences
- provide emotional support and allow you to support others
In school, we provide lots of opportunities to help build stronger and closer relationships with our children and families. We also link with other schools to enable our pupils to develop friendships with those from other communities in readiness for secondary school.
2. Be physically active
Being active is not only great for your physical health and fitness. Evidence also shows it can also improve your mental wellbeing by:
- raising your self-esteem
- helping you to set goals or challenges and achieve them
- causing chemical changes in your brain which can help to positively change your mood
PE is taught for a minimum of 2 hours per week. Children also get opportunities for physical activity throughout the day - utlising our outside areas and allotment. We also make the most of our beautiful surrounding area and get out when ever we can to learn outside.
3. Learn new skills
Research shows that learning new skills can also improve your mental wellbeing by:
- boosting self-confidence and raising self-esteem
- helping you to build a sense of purpose
- helping you to connect with others
Our curriculum and outy of school activities promote learning new skills from our DT (woodworking area) in EYFS to growing in our allotment. A range of activities are also provided thropugh out of school clubs - these are changed termly and are open to all.
4. Give to others
Research suggests that acts of giving and kindness can help improve your mental wellbeing by:
- creating positive feelings and a sense of reward
- giving you a feeling of purpose and self-worth
- helping you connect with other people
At Abbey Village, Kindness is our first school rule! We actievely encourage kindness to all. We particiapte in charity fundraising activities and involve ourselves wioth the commubnit ywhere we can for example celebrating World Down's Syndrome Day, Hosting a Macmillan Coffee Morning for the whole community, donations to Living Waters Foodbank and singing Christmas Carols to our local Dementia Centre residents.
5. Pay attention to the present moment (mindfulness)
Paying more attention to the present moment can improve your mental wellbeing. This includes your thoughts and feelings, your body and the world around you.
Some people call this awareness "mindfulness". Mindfulness can help you enjoy life more and understand yourself better. It can positively change the way you feel about life and how you approach challenges.
Mindfulness is actively taught through our nurture sessions with our trained counsellor and in class through Yoga Bugs. This is open to all children.
If you require any further information about any of the activities that we provide or have any suggestions or comments, please feel free to speak to us. We have a Provision Map document below that shows the services and resources available to all of our children to promote positive mental health and wellbeing. Please take a look.