This year’s theme is ‘Know yourself, grow yourself’. Exploring the importance of self-awareness and expressing emotions, by getting to know who you are and recognising your emotions, will enable you to build resilience, grow and develop.
It’s crucial we help and support young people to be able to speak up and feel empowered to talk about mental health.
So, what is mental health? This is our emotional, psychological and social wellbeing and effects how you think and feel and at times how you respond, act and cope with things going on in your life.
As children grow, it’s not just physical milestones like learning to walk or write that matter. Emotional development of building confidence, independence, and resilience is just as important. By prioritising mental wellbeing from an early age, children are better equipped to handle life’s ups and downs as they grow into adulthood.
It’s completely normal to feel different types of emotions from, sad, happy, anxious, scared or angry and there are many more. We may even feel a few different emotions regarding one experience, situation or event. A problem may occur when these feelings won’t go away and begin to affect our day to day life.
There’s lots of ways to understand our emotions – why not try watching Disney Pixar movies Inside Out and Inside Out 2?
Here are some interesting facts:
- Five children in a classroom of 30 pupils are likely to have a mental health problem (The Children’s Society).
- 50% of all mental health problems start by the age of 14 (The Children’s Society).
- 75% of children and young people who experience mental health problems aren’t getting the support they need (Mental Health Foundation).
The more we understand about ourselves, the better we’re prepared to tackle life’s ups and downs. By helping young people to understand and accept themselves, they start to build self-awareness, which allows them to develop the skills they need to cope with what life throws at them.
As 1 in 5 children and young people have a probable mental health disorder, it’s really important to help each other out when we can, and to find ways to take care of our minds. One very simple but powerful way to connect with others is through kindness.
When we are kind to each other, it helps us to feel connected, which means we forge new friendships or deepen existing ones. Research has also shown that when we’re kind, when someone is kind to us or if we witness kindness, our bodies release ‘happy’ hormones which lift our mood. People who are kind have much lower stress levels, age more slowly and have healthier hearts. Kindness isn’t just a nice thing to do, but can help us improve our own well-being, while helping others at the same time.
Knowing yourself means understanding who you are, what you like and dislike, your strengths and weaknesses, your hopes and dreams, and what’s important to you. It’s about being aware of your thoughts, feelings, and motivations, which helps you make better choices and live a more authentic and fulfilling life.
Self-awareness is considering what others say/think about us, how we think and feel about ourselves, who we really are and who we want to become.
Being more self-aware lends to enhanced self-development, acceptance and proactivity while benefiting our overall mental health. We’ll be more confident, make better decisions, have stronger relationships, and be more honest.
If anyone you know is struggling and finding things stressful then please feel free to contact us at The Wellness Consultancy where we can offer individual support for you and or your child.
Helen Hyland
Child, Adolescent & Adult Counsellor
& Trainee Supervisor
Tel: 07894 212414
Email: wellness-consultancy@outlook.com
Resources from Place2be, School of Kindness