Parent/Carer Support

Tips for wellness from our Mental Health In Schools Team

“Real life begins where Wi-Fi ends” – Anonymous

Digital Detox

Taking a digital detox is important to give our minds and bodies a break from screens and technology. Too much screen time can lead to tired eyes, difficulty sleeping, and feeling stressed or distracted. Stepping away from devices helps us to recharge, focus better, improve our mood, and spend more quality time with family and friends. It also encourages healthier habits like playing outside, reading, and being creative, all of which support overall wellbeing!

Our tips for taking a digital detox:

1. Set yourself clear limits for screen time – Set specific time limits for screen time, such as an hour after school or 30 minutes of games or social media. Try setting limits on your device, or a visual reminder.
2. Create Scree-Free Zones – When you are eating meals with your family or friends, leave your phone or devices in a different room. This allows you to talk and enjoy your food without distractions and improves your quality of connections with others.
3. Avoid screens at night – Try to avoid using devices in your bedroom, most importantly for at least 30 minutes before bed. Keeping your bedroom a peaceful space can help you to fall asleep more easily.
4. Do fun activities without screens – Try drawing, playing a game with your family, playing a musical instrument or reading instead of your usual device. Spend time outdoors if you can!
5. Take small breaks from screens – After playing video games or watching TV for a while, get up and move around. Try to take short breaks where you move between rooms, stretch or walk around.
6. Turn off notifications – This can reduce the number of distractions and help you focus on what is important to you. You might even discover a new activity you enjoy!
7. Find mindful alternatives – Try meditating or doing breathing exercises to reduce feelings of stress, rather than screen use.

Please contact [email protected] for information and advice about mental health and well-being for your child and your family.

Tips for wellness from our Mental Health In Schools Team

“If you see someone without a smile, give them one of yours.” – Dolly Parton

Thoughtfulness

Being thoughtful is when you consider, or think about, how your actions and words will affect other people’s feelings. Taking the time to make ourselves aware of the needs and feelings of others and then taking action to help them is great for our mental health; it helps reduce stress, improve friendships and creates a sense of belonging.

When we think about how others feel and show kindness, it makes us feel good inside and boosts our confidence!

Our tips for Thoughtfulness:
You can be thoughtful through small acts of kindness; it doesn’t have to be a grand gesture! Here are some examples below:

• Smile at someone.
• Listen carefully when someone is talking—it shows you care about what they’re saying.
• Give someone a nice compliment.
• Help out without being asked, like sharing your things or tidying up.
• Think about how others might feel before you act or say something.
• Hug someone you care about (e.g., parents/carers, family members or a friend).
• Hold the door open for the person behind you.
• Say kind things to others and try to cheer someone up if they’re feeling sad.
• Say “thank you” and “please”—small words can make a big difference.
• Tell someone that they are important to you.

For more information about the benefits of being kind and thoughtful to ourselves and others, follow this link to Newsround.

Please contact [email protected] for information and advice about mental health and well-being for your child and your family.

Tips for wellness from our Mental Health In Schools Team

“Laughter is the sun that drives winter from the human face.” – Victor Hugo

Laughter

Laughter is like a natural boost for your brain and body—it helps you feel happier, less stressed, and more relaxed. When you laugh, your body releases chemicals that make you feel good and even help you connect with friends. Laughter also helps to boost your immune system, helps you think more clearly and be more creative too. So, having fun and sharing a laugh is a great way to take care of your mental wellbeing!

Our tips for laughter:

1. Keep note of your favourite memories — write down some of your favourite memories that have made you laugh the most and keep them in a jar. You can then pull one out and read them in the future. It can feel difficult to start laughing f you are feeling low, but a good place to begin is to remember what has made you laugh in the past.
2. Spend time with friends who make you laugh — hanging out with funny, positive people lifts your mood.
3. Watch or listen to funny shows, cartoons, or jokes — find things that make you smile or giggle.
4. Don’t be afraid to be silly — make funny faces, play games, or be playful to invite laughter.
5. Share jokes or funny stories with family or friends to spread the laughter around.
6. Look for humour in everyday situations — try to find something to smile about, even on tough days.

Laughter is contagious…by laughing more, you will not only boost your own wellbeing but also the wellbeing of those around you!

Please contact [email protected] for information and advice about mental health and well-being for your child and your family.

Tips for wellness from our Mental Health In Schools Team

“Enjoy the little things, for one day you may look back and realize they were the big things.” – Robert Brault

Appreciation

Appreciation is a feeling of thankfulness or an act of recognising something that is important or meaningful to you.

We can appreciate or recognise another person through complementing them and sharing what you like about them. We can say ‘thank you’ to others when someone is helpful or supportive. This has benefits for both our mental health and for the people around us. We can also appreciate ourselves – you are important and unique! Remember to celebrate when you achieve big and small things and stop to appreciate what you have done.

Learning to appreciate others and ourselves can improve our self-esteem, improve our mood and improve our relationships with others.

Our tips for appreciation:

1. Create a “be proud” board at home or at school where you post your drawings or good deeds.
2. Start a gratitude journal – write or draw things that make you feel proud or happy every day.
3. Give a compliment – think about a person who is important to you and tell them 3 things that you like about them. You could write a letter or a small note to let them know how much you appreciate them. Use these sentence starters to help you:

• I like how you…
• You are…
• Thank you for…
• You make me happy when you…

4. Say ‘thank you’ – remember to thank other people throughout the day, to show them you appreciate what they do for you. If you have a friend who speaks another language, you could learn to say ‘thank you’ in the language that they speak. You could also learn to say ‘thank you’ in Makaton (sign language) too! Have a look at the video to help you!
5. Self-appreciation – think of something small that you have achieved this week. Pause and take a minute to appreciate what you have done. Which of your positive qualities did you use? Kindness, thoughtfulness, curiosity, creativity?

Please contact [email protected] for information and advice about mental health and well-being for your child and your family.

Tips for wellness from our Mental Health In Schools Team

“It’s not that I’m so smart, it’s just that I stay with problems longer” – Albert Einstein 

Persistence

Persistence is all about keeping going, even when times are challenging. It is normal to want to give up when you are going through something difficult, but if you can stick with it and overcome the obstacles, you will be closer to achieving your goals.

Having a growth mindset will help us persist, which means you believe you can learn, grow and develop your skills by putting in the hard work and practise. This can be tricky, so make sure you reach out to friends and trusted adults to support you.

Our tips for persistence:

1. Break the goal down into smaller steps. You can set yourself smaller goals that are more achievable, to help you reach your ultimate goal. Make sure the smaller goals are linked to your ultimate goal; this may help to encourage you to keep going, as you will be able to measure your progress.
2. Try something new – this could be a new hobby, sport, craft activity, or puzzle. Having a go at something new can help to develop your persistence, whilst also having fun. You might find it challenging at first, but you will receive a greater sense of reward and achievement by sticking with it!
3. Positive self-talk – instead of saying “I can’t”, add “yet” onto the end of the sentence. This tells your brain that it might be difficult, but you will get there in the end.
4. Talk to yourself like a friend – we are often kinder to our friends than we are to ourselves, when we go through challenging times. Practise talking to yourself like you would talk to a friend! What advice would you give if a friend told you they were rubbish at something? What would you say if they felt they wanted to give up?
5. Practise mindfulness. A good way to improve our mental wellbeing is by paying more attention to the present moment and the world around us. Think about sounds and smells around you, what can you see, and how does this make you feel. By being more aware, this can improve our mental wellbeing and enable us to improve skills such as being persistent.

Please contact [email protected] for information and advice about mental health and well-being for your child and your family.

Tips for wellness from our Mental Health In Schools Team

“Kindness is not weakness; it is strength wrapped in grace,” – Anonymous

Strength

Each of us has a unique set of strengths and abilities that help us face life’s challenges. Focusing on your strengths doesn’t mean ignoring your weaknesses — it means using what you’re naturally good at to help you grow, build confidence, and work through tough times. In doing so, you move closer to living a more fulfilling and resilient life.

Our Tips for strength:

1. Appreciate your strength – when you experience a difficult time, it’s easy to forget how strong you are! Try and remember other times in your life when you’ve got through something challenging. Remember how strong you were to get through those circumstances and know you have the strength to get through other difficulties too.
2. Remind yourself “all we can do is try our best” and “you are good enough”.
3. Being kind to others can help build our own strength as well as others! As a class, have a go at playing ‘kindness bingo’ by following this link: School Of Kindness
4. Take Time to Rest and Recharge – your mind needs breaks just like your body. Take a few quiet minutes to breathe, read, draw, or go outside. That helps your brain feel strong and calm.
5. Ask for Help When You Need It – being strong doesn’t mean doing everything alone. It’s smart and brave to ask for help – that’s how we grow and learn!

Please contact [email protected] for information and advice about mental health and well-being for your child and your family.

Tips for wellness from our Mental Health In Schools Team

Mind And Body

“Your mind is like a garden. With care, it will bloom beautifully” – Unknown

Just as we look after our physical health, it’s important to look after our mental health. In fact, the two are closely connected!

Most of us will know what it’s like to feel worried, stressed or low from time to time. We might be affected by our relationships with friends and classmates or things we see on the news, and we might feel worried about school or our home lives (this is understandable!) Recognising how our mind health and physical health work together can keep us mentally healthy.

Our Tips for looking after your Mind and Body:

To ensure a healthy mind and body, why not try some of the activities below? Can you choose one
from each category?

1. Physical– healthy eating with plenty of water, time away from technology and get fresh air where you can, regular exercise every day (e.g., walk to school or get off the bus a stop earlier, dance, or stretch), a consistent sleep schedule (children aged 6-12 years should aim for 9-12 hours sleep per night, adolescents should aim for 8-10 hours).
2. Social– spend quality time with friends and family, connect with others in person (as well as online), join a club or community group, reach out to others and don’t be afraid to ask for help or offer support.
3. Practical– keep a daily routine to create structure and stability, use checklists to act as reminders and to hold yourself accountable, get ready for the day each morning, set yourself small and achievable goals to stay motivated.
4. Emotional– develop supportive friendships, write down three good things from your day, take time to do something relaxing every day, practise self-kindness (e.g., treat yourself how you would treat a friend!)

The Anna Freud Centre has some fabulous resources to help you and your child develop a self-care plan, that you can download here.

Please contact [email protected] for information and advice about mental health and well-being for your child and your family.