This week we kicked off our efforts to raise Mental Health Awareness in our school.
First completing a pupil well being checklist from second to sixth class covering topics such as Thoughts and Feelings; Life Satisfaction; Vitality; Optimism; Resilience; Personal Autonomy; Meaning and Purpose and Relationships to highlight the importance of checking in with how we are feeling and to highlight areas we are doing well in and areas that we might want to work on during the year.
To finish the week out we then had our first Mental Health Awareness Day. This week marks National Mental Health Awareness Week and we decided to make it special for everyone in the school by planning activities to get us interested and informed about looking after our well-being. We also chose to wear odd/colourful socks as a way of highlighting our uniqueness and exploring self expression!
We started our day with meditation. As Friday is usually test day, all the pupils found this time to meditate, connect with their breath and clear their mind helpful before their tests.
We also spent time outside as we learned that what benefits our physical health is also important to our mental health.
After break we had a whole school Mile with a Smile Walk around the GAA field, so we could begin to unwind for the weekend and connect with our friends by slowing down and chatting together.
We also learned how to do Classroom Yoga which helps us to connect mind and body and take time for ourselves even when we don’t have a lot of space. It showed us that we don’t need complicated poses or even mats to do it. It’s just all about taking time for ourselves.
Finally, to round out our day of activities we relaxed with a movie afternoon watching the movie Inside Out, a fantastic film to help children understand our emotions better.
Well done to the Amber Flag Committee for all their efforts in organising it.
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