Mental Health Awareness Week 2021 - Nature

During Mental Health Awareness Week 2021, students were encouraged to connect with nature and were sent a daily message from Mrs Seedall and Miss Warburton.

Students were given lots of ideas about how amazing nature is and the wonderful and positive affect it can have on your mental health.

Thank you to all the Students who used their creative skills to decorate leaves and write caring messages. Mrs Seedall and Miss Warburton also created ‘acorns of support’ and they are on display in school.

You can see a selection of the fabulous creations and all the messages sent to students below:

Messages for our Students During Mental Health Awareness Week

Good Morning Everyone!

Friday - And just like that, we are on our final day of celebrations for Mental Health Awareness Day. I have thoroughly enjoyed this week's daily top tips and hope you have taken something from our daily blogs. Today's top tip is - 'Protect Nature'.

Taking care of something can be a really great way to feel good. And what better thing to take care of than nature? Nature is truly amazing – do what you can to look after nature - in your actions and choices. This can be as simple as recycling, to walking instead of driving or taking a car ride, or even joining community conservation or clean-up groups. Taking care of nature can help you feel that you’re doing your part, and that can make you feel more positive all round.

I think you will agree, we are so lucky to have our school in such beautiful surroundings and you can do your bit to protect it. If you see a piece of litter on the ground, pick it up and sanitise your hands afterwards. Put your rubbish in the bin in the restaurants when you have finished your lunch. Helping to maintain our precious school environment will give you a personal sense of pride.

Good Morning Everyone!

Welcome to Terrific Thursday Day 4 of Mental Health Awareness Week's #connectwithnature.

Today's top tip is 'Combine Nature with Creativity'.

Try combining creativity with your natural environment. This could involve taking part in creative activities outside like dance, music, or art. Perhaps listen to some feel good music and here are some examples from Mrs Atkinson-Brown; Classical Clair de Lune by Claude Debussy or Three Little Birds - Don’t Worry About A Thing! by Bob Marley. You could search from them on YouTube or other music streaming services. All these things can help reduce stress and improve your mood.

You could also increase your sense of connection by taking photos, writing, drawing, or painting pictures of the landscape, plants, or animals. This will also build up positive memories of your outdoor experiences and precious time spent with yourself or loved ones.

Please email me or Miss Warburton with your examples of creativity outdoors.

It would be great to feature them tomorrow in our final blog for Mental Health Awareness Week!

Here are a few from me!

 

Have a great day!

Kind Regards Mrs Seedall and Miss Warburton

Good Morning Everyone, Happy Wednesday

Welcome to Day 3 of Mental Health Awareness Week #connectwithnature.

Today's top tip is 'Exercise in nature'. If you're physically able to exercise, try to do it outside - whether it's a walk, run or cycle. Walking or running outdoors in nature may help to prevent or reduce feelings of anger, stress, tiredness, and sadness. Exercise releases 'feel good hormones' called Endorphins, which trigger a positive feeling in the body. Even in your break and lunchtime today, take yourself outside, have a walk around or kick a ball about safely, take in all the senses of nature, releasing some of that pent-up energy you've stored throughout the morning. After school, you could even encourage your family to go for a walk after tea, a good opportunity to have a chat about your day and talk about anything that is on your mind. Talking is a great way to build your resilience by 'chatting problems out' and coming up with solutions to issues you may be facing, whilst having the support of your family member or friend. It will also build a positive relationship with your loved ones, boost your self-esteem and help you sleep! What a perfect place to do it, out in the open fresh air. We call it 'walk and talk' and it allows you to look after your physical as well as emotional wellbeing. Give it a go!

Have a wonderful Wednesday and look forward to hearing about some of your examples of exercise with nature!

Take Care Mrs Seedall and Miss Warburton

Good Morning Everyone and Welcome to Tuesday

Welcome to Day two of Mental Health Awareness Week #connectwithnature.

Today's top tip is - 'Connect with nature, using all your senses!' Taking some quiet time to reflect in natural surroundings using all your senses can be a real boost to your mental health. Whether you're relaxing in the garden or on your way to school, try using all 5 senses to:

Listen - out for birdsong

Look - for bees and butterflies or notice the movement of the clouds

Smell - freshly cut grass or flowers, essential oils at home like lavender to help you rest

Touch - different textures on trees, plants, flowers

Taste - fresh fruit and vegetables

All of these activities make you aware of your surroundings and naturally ease your anxieties. We call this 'grounding technique' and can be used as a strategy of self-care and help build your resilience and positive mental health, separating you from stressful thoughts and feelings. You could even try it as a form of meditation and relaxation.

Please keep your wonderful leaves coming in for our display. We cannot wait to put them all together and show the great work you have created, in raising awareness of positive mental health. 

Have a wonderful day,

Take Care 
Mrs Seedall and Miss Warburton 

Welcome to Monday

Welcome to Monday and the first of this year's Mental Health Awareness Week's top tips for #connectwithnature. Nature is the best possible way to look after your positive mental health and you can even keep fit at the same time! it doesn't cost anything to get out and about, having a wander in your local area, where and when it is safe to do so, with a friend, member of your family or simply on your own, having positive 'me-time'. This week is all about raising awareness and realising once again that you are not stuck - there are ways you can challenge yourself and help yourself feel more positive and energised!

I know that some of you have been making lovely leaves, ready for the display we have planned for the Year 8 corridor. As some of you are unable to see it, I will make sure I post pictures of the finished product to show you all. Each day, myself and Miss Warburton will be setting you a daily challenge in our top tips, some of our fantastic teaching staff will be posting ways that their subject can support your positive mental health and there may even be a little competition (you know Miss Warburton loves a good comp!)! For many of us, 'being with nature' may not be as easy as it sounds. The good news is, you don't have to climb a mountain to feel the benefit - there are lots of simple ways to bring nature into your everyday.

My top tip for Day 1 - Find nature wherever you are. Nature is all around us. It might be a garden, a local park, a nearby beach or open countryside. Even in town and cities, where nature can be harder to find, there are places such as community gardens or courtyards to discover and explore. Look out for the unexpected - an urban fox when you're shutting your curtains at bedtime, changes in the weather (that's not hard to find at the moment!) or birds singing in the morning. Try to notice nature on your way to school in the mornings. It would be lovely to see what you find.

Email pics to myself or Miss Warburton - the more unusual the better!

Here are a few examples I found this weekend...