We are holding a Mental Health Week this week across all our centres and with our outreach students, with a theme of ‘Taking care of our mental health in the holiday’. We know that the summer holidays can be a difficult time of year for some students and we are aiming to build resilience and develop some healthy strategies for coping in preparation.
Every student will receive a leaflet that has been written and produced by Breakthrough. It starts by helping students identify firstly how they are feeling, using the terminology from the Window of Tolerance, then reminds them of strategies to use depending on what they are experiencing. It also covers what to do if they are in crisis.
Each centre also has a giant head on the wall! Around the head are lots of strategies for looking after your mental health, which we have covered in previous mental health weeks. We are inviting students and staff to add to the collage throughout the week, by finding pictures or words in magazines or online of healthy ways to look after your mental health, thus creating one big collaborative healthy head collage.
Drinking enough water is so important for good mental health. We will be encouraging students to visit the hydration station throughout the week, to sample different types of water and talk about what they prefer.
Each centre will be having one or two afternoons where students can gather at 2pm to connect. There will be fruit tasting to encourage healthy eating, cake (for balance), and games.
