South Otago High School
This year’s Mental Health Awareness Week is all about reconnection with the people and places that lift us up. The week falls next week which is the last week of term and exam week for our seniors. The past couple of years have been tough and it’s easy to feel disconnected from the people and places that are important to us. The following is some information that has been provided to students in assembly this week and also resources shared with staff, some of the links have really useful information that parents/whanau may be interested in accessing.
Mental Health Awareness Week 26th September-2nd October 2022
Whether it’s reaching out to someone you have lost contact with, visiting a place that is special to you, or getting outside in nature to enhance your wellbeing, reconnect with the people and places that lift you up this mental health awareness week. The week is an important reminder that we all go through ups and downs in life and that’s okay. It’s good to remember that with the right tautoko/support people do recover.
Wellbeing and supporting mental health is important for everyone. There are all sorts of ways to help us cope in difficult times, the mental health foundation’s five ways to wellbeing; being active, taking notice of the simple things, connecting, giving and keeping learning as well as te whare tapa wha offer some models of wellbeing. Different things work for different people at different times. Use next week as an opportunity to tune in to your mental health and wellbeing, reconnect with the people who lift you up and the places that are special to you and notice how this makes you feel.
I’d like to take this opportunity to mention our thanks to all the students who completed the recent student wellbeing survey, your ideas and feedback are appreciated. I will be talking with other staff about how we can help support you further. I would encourage you to speak with an adult that you trust if there is something you need help with, mean and unkind comments made to others at school or online are not in line with our school value of respect. If we can encourage others, step in safely to help where possible if we see negative behaviour and respect people’s property and space treating others as we would like to be treated. We all have a responsibility to support a positive culture here that lifts people up and connects people to a place that we can all be proud of.
Contacts and resources
1. Mental Health Foundation website, huge range of resources, ideas and information
2. Thrive website- Wellbeing e coach tab
https://www.thriveservices.org.nz/wellbeing-livestream-recordings
- Building Healthy sleep
- Gratitude for beginners
- Mindful Journaling and drawing
- Digital downtime
- Stress and Coping
- Confidence positive self talk
5 Ways to wellbeing, resources to take notice, be active, keep learning, give, connect.
4. Pause, breathe and smile, a host of resources here to support mental health on mindfulness, gratitude, breathing and kindness from mindfulness month.