Good morning Year 5!
Today we are going to talk about mental health.
What is mental health?
Which of these statements do you agree with?
Then, take a look at the answers:
Did anything surprise you?
In the same way as everyone has physical health (which is about their body), everyone also has mental health – both children and adults – which is about their mind, their emotions and feelings. It can include how we feel about ourselves, our relationships and how we deal with challenges and difficulties.
Physical and mental health are connected. Being fit and well physically helps us to be fit and well mentally and vice versa.
Our mental health can be thought of as being on a scale that can move up or down, a bit like a thermometer.
Mental health can move anywhere up or down the thermometer, between being healthy or unwell. We can all move along the scale at any time, but there are things that we can do to support us to stay in the health and coping areas. Sometimes, we may go in to the struggling or unwell areas. To support us with our mental health, we can put things in place to help us feel better and move out of the struggling or unwell areas.
Where do you think you are currently on the thermometer? (You don’t need to share this in the comments)
How do we know if someone feels good in their body (physical health) and their mind (mental health)?
How a person looks or behaves can suggest how they are feeling (in their body or mind), but we cannot always tell – sometimes illness or ill-health is not obvious to others.
Task: Can you plot Jay’s mental health on the thermometer?
1. Jay enjoys drawing cartoons and skateboarding. Jay is quiet and thoughtful, has good friends and likes school.
Mostly Jay feels generally happy, although like everyone, Jay has ups and downs.
2. Jay has recently started feeling sad. Most days the sadness seems to come and go, but some days it feels as
though a dark cloud is gathering above and following Jay around all day. Skateboarding takes Jay’s mind off it and
when the feelings start to get stronger Jay draws a cartoon that shows the feelings and the cloud.
3. Jay feels very sad most of the time. Every day when Jay wakes up, Jay feels the day ahead is just too much.
Everything feels grey and dark. Jay is finding it hard to concentrate at school and some days doesn’t want to go to
school at all. Nothing seems enjoyable anymore, not even skateboarding! Jay’s friends are worried.
Explain your answer in the comments.
Can you suggest ways to strengthen Jay’s ability to cope, so that Jay can manage his wellbeing to avoid moving in to the struggling zone, and reduce his chances of being in the unwell area?
What do you do to avoid moving in to the struggling zone or what do you do to get out of it? I find that talking to someone about how I am feeling always helps me. Some people find exercise or more sleep helps them. What about you?
I look forward to reading your responses!
Mrs Avdiu xx
If you or someone you know, does not feel good, help and support are available.
In the first instance and if possible, you should talk to a trusted adult (at home or school). Advice can also be accessed
at Childline: www.childline.org.uk; 0800 11111, including for mental health.
If someone is ‘struggling’ or ‘unwell’ on the thermometer scale, seeking help and advice would be a good idea.
Hello everyone I hope you are all ok this is what I would do:
If I was having the same problem as Jay then I would just talk to someone like a friend or a pet if I you have one because for me it makes me feel better. I usually do this but I sometimes tell my parents (rarely though). I also feel better knowing someone is always there for me.
Hi Claudia! I think you are right – it is very important to talk to someone. Thank you 🙂 If you can’t tell your parents, there are lots of other adults in school who you can talk to 🙂
Hello everyone,
Here is my work for today:
My recommendations for your mental health:
– Do something that you enjoy and try to have pleasant family times.
– Relax; appreciate the warm weather and try to have fun in the outdoors.
– You could play board games; monopoly or articulate!
– Set your self a target for the week. Maybe you could attempt to run 8km by the end of the week.
All these things take your mind of your worries. I hope that these tips help!
Regan
These are great tips, Regan! I really like the idea of setting targets for well-being every week. My target this week is going to be to sleep earlier every single night!
Good morning everyone!
If I was having Jay’s problem I would speak to someone about it, it could be your mum your dad or any other family member that you feel comfortable talking to. Another thing to do if you are having Jay’s problem is doing something you enjoy to keep your mind off the problem you are having. You could also do some exercise and maybe that will take your mind off the problem.
This is what I would do if I had Jay’s problem.
I hope you all have a nice day!
These are fantastic tips. Exercise always helps me to boost my mood 🙂
Hello everyone
I think that meditating would help Jay’s mental health because then Jay would feel much more calm and relaxed and he wouldn’t be so stressed. Did you know that petting a cat or a dog can bring down your blood pressure and can make you feel less stressed?
I hope everyone has a great day ???
That is very true- I always felt very calm after our daily meditation sessions in school and really miss those. Wow! I did not know that petting reduces stress. Are you suggesting I need to get a puppy? 🙂
Hello everyone, this is where I think Jay was on the mental health thermometer at the three different times and what you should do if you’re in his situation.
1. Jay is closer to healthy than to coping but he still has his ups and downs like everyone else. If you are on this part of the thermometer, then you are ok and don’t need to consult anyone.
2. Jay is struggling but has not yet reached unwell. You should tell an adult about what is troubling you if you think you might be high on the thermometer and do something that you like to do as Regan suggested.
3. Jay is mentally unwell and if you reach this stage on the thermometer, you should tell a parent or teacher immediately if you haven’t already. If it keeps happening, then you can go to your local therapist or get a therapy animal.
Have a great day and I hope that these ideas help.?
Thank you so much Zavan! I am super impressed with the way you are reading other people’s comments and making reference to them in your blog response (eg: Regan’s). I like the idea of a therapy animal- can you tell me a little bit more about how this would work?
Hi Mrs Avdiu, Here are my recommendations for keeping a healthy mind.
– Speak to an adult it always helps to share your problem.
– Stay in touch with your friends. Even though we are in lockdown we can still talk on the phone.
– To take your mind off things, try and do things that you enjoy like baking or reading.
– Make sure you get enough sleep as everything feels worse if you are tired.
Thank you for these fantastic tips. I agree with all of them and will try to remember them when I am feeling stressed!
Hello everyone!
I hope that you have had a great weekend!
I did today’s PSHE task on my own, but I enjoyed it very much.
On the thermometer, I think that Jay is in the middle of struggling and unwell. This is because she is not coping very well and people who just wake up and judge the day ahead without actually living it out, are defiantly struggling and are very unwell.
If you are struggling like Jay, the best thing to do is tell a trusted adult. For an example, when I have downs, I tell my mum who I can trust very well. I tell her how I feel and how I need help with this and that. I also tell the staff in St.Vincent’s as I trust them and I know they will try very hard to help me and other students. If you want, you can tell your siblings, but in my experience, I think it is best to tell a sibling that is older than you.
You can also go outside for a bit and if you really want you can scream. I do this in my garden and it really helps. Or,if you don’t want to make as much noise, try screaming at your pillow. It does work, even though it sounds silly.
As Regan said, if the weather is nice go outside, ask your parents is you can run around your block. I cycle around my block and I also scoot. Try it, it does help!
Try doing exercises, it also helps!
I hope that you understood what I wrote!
I hope to see you all soon!
Nika ???️
Nika, I really enjoyed reading your advice and I am so impressed with your outlook on life. It is inspirational! Thank you for your brilliant tips!
Hi everyone,
1) I think that Jay is in the healthy area at the very beginning and that he is happy and he is not having problems with mental wellbeing.
2) I think Jay is right in between the “coping” area and the “struggling” area; his mental health has ups and downs and some days are better than others
3) Jay is in the Unwell zone now and he is probably struggling quite badly with mental health problems at the moment.
If I were Jay I would talk to a trusted parent or adult as when I am upset and I go to an adult I always feel much better afterwards.
Have a great day! ??
Sebastiao ⚡️⚡️⚡️
That’s a great idea, Seb! It always helps to tell a trusted adult 🙂
Hello Everyone !!
If I were Jay I would talk to a friend or a trusted adult talking to someone always makes me feel a lot better.
Keeping a Healthy mind:
– Staying in touch with your friends
– Making sure you get a good night sleep
Thanks for your great tips. I think those two tips are very important! A good night’s sleep or a chat with my friend always helps me to feel better.
Hi Everyone,
This is what I would do:
If I were feeling the same as Jay, I would try to do something fun that would calm me down such as have a talk with a friend on Skype or I would go to tell my parents only if I’m at the top of the thermometer ( so over unwell ).
That’s great. I am pleased that you can identify some strategies for coping. Talking to a trusted adult is very important 🙂
Hi everyone.
I think if you are in the same situation as Jay I would maybe talk to someone or just do what you like doing best. Maybe Jay could use her skateboard in the park or she could draw about how she feels.
Drawing is a great way to express how you feel. Thank you for this great tip!