Wellbeing and Mental Health
Mental Health and Wellbeing at St Bernard’s
Our Approach
At St Bernard’s we have an established pastoral system to ensure that every child is nurtured. Students have a tutor who sees them every morning and meets with them individually, a minimum of once every half term. In addition to this, our Heads of Year and the Learning Mentor team work together to support students who need additional support. We believe that the earlier young people can access the right help, the more likely it is that they avoid reaching crisis point.
In PSHE lessons, the curriculum provides student with the tools to look after their own mental health and encourages students to make choices that promote their own wellbeing. Students learn about mental health in a way which is age appropriate and pro-active. This year, Years 11, 12 and 13 will be working with external training providers to help them manage stress around exams. We signpost students to further support if they are worried about their own mental health, or that of a friend or family member.
In addition to a school counsellor, in some cases, we also work with outside agencies such as the school nursing team, CAMHS (Child and Adolescent Mental Health Services) and charities such as Young Minds and Safe Steps to support students who need specialist help.
When You Need Help
We all have good days and bad days, but when negative thoughts and feelings start to affect your daily life and stop you doing the things you enjoy, or your ability to feel okay, this means you need support with your mental health. For example, everyone gets anxious before an exam, a job interview or a first date. But if you feel anxious all the time and this is stopping you from sleeping well or meeting up with friends, you might need help.
If you think you or your child need support or information about a variety of mental health and wellbeing issues, there are a variety of options open to you:
Contact your child’s Head of Year or mentalhealth@stbernards.southend.sch.uk
Contact your GP
Use the St Bernard’s directory of external support services to find out more about charities and organisations offering specialist help for mental health issues or adverse life events (such as bereavement) https://linktr.ee/sbhs_wellbeing
Please be aware that should you need emergency support in the cases of an urgent mental health crisis you should call 111. Where to get urgent help for mental health - NHS (www.nhs.uk)
Promoting Mental Health and Wellbeing through Simple Lifestyle Choices
We believe that establishing healthy habits helps students to build resilience, enabling them to cope better during periods of stress or uncertainty.
Sleep
Getting enough sleep is especially important and teenagers need 8-10 hours of sleep per night. Practise good ‘sleep hygiene’ by having a good evening routine, reading a book, or listening to a 10-minute guided meditation or breathing exercise to clear your mind before bed. Try to avoid the use of screens for half an hour before bedtime. If possible, keep phones and tablets out of bedrooms overnight. How to Sleep Well and Stay Healthy: A Guide for Teenagers by Chinnaiah on Apple Books
Routine
Encourage your child to go to bed and get up at the same time every day. Have regular mealtimes. Plan the week ahead so that there is enough time for homework, some exercise, opportunities to relax and connect with family and friends. Planning for the week ahead or using a family calendar will help students to understand the various demands being placed on their time and can help them to avoid feeling overwhelmed.
Eat Well
Eating well can have a beneficial effect on Mental Health. Aiming for 5 fruit, vegetables, or legumes a day, along with eating at regular times will help to keep young peoples’ energy and mood balanced throughout the day. Try to keep hydrated with plenty of water. Mind has some simple resources which may help Food and mental health - Mind
Keeping Active
Physical activity is not simply good for our bodies, but for our minds too. Students can try walking or cycling to school, attending a sports club in school or outside, or doing an online Yoga class. Exercising with friends can be great fun and is a way to strengthen friendships and meet new people.
Connecting with Friends and Loved Ones
When everyone has busy lives, it is difficult to find time to connect with family and friends. Try to eat together at least a few times a week and schedule time every week to do something together – this might be watching a movie or streaming a TV show that you all enjoy, playing a game or going for a walk. Teenagers can prefer to talk ‘alongside’ adults, so getting them involved in jobs alongside you may provide a way for them to open up about what is going on for them.
Go with the Flow
Whatever it is that you enjoy, build that into your routine as well. Singing, knitting, sewing, drawing, playing instruments, puzzles, craft, colouring, reading, Lego, baking. Start a new hobby. ‘Flow’ activities can be immersive and are fantastic for helping to promote positive feelings by calming the sympathetic nervous system.
Identify and Express your Feelings
Recognise your feelings, some days will be better than others. Identifying your feelings will help you manage them better. Acknowledge and coping with that there are some things you can control and some you cannot. Finding an outlet for your feelings can help, a journal, a notebook. Finding and celebrating the positives. Mind has some useful activities emotion-wheels-downloadable-resource-2022-pdf.pdf (mind.org.uk)