Parents and Carers and Mental Health

The focus in the last few weeks has rightly been all about improving children's mental health after lockdown.

Whilst it will always be the number one priority of OWPS to nurture and support your child's wellbeing, it is important to remember that as parents, we need to take care of our own mental health as well.

You may recall, if you've ever sat waiting for an aeroplane to take-off (in the pre-Covid world, of course!), hearing the safety instructions that the air stewards give out.  If oxygen masks are needed, they tell us calmly, the adult must put on their own mask first before helping their child to put a mask on. The rationale is that if our own oxygen supplies are not plentiful, then we won't be able to support our children.

In some ways, supporting our children's mental health and wellbeing is a little bit like the oxygen mask situation. In order to help our children, we also need to make sure that we are looking after our own mental health.  

This is where the NHS initiative, Every Mind Matters, can help.

What is Every Mind Matters?

Every Mind Matters is a mental health campaign that was launched by Public Health England in 2019. It provides a range of resources and materials to support mental health including apps for both body and mind. 

What does Every Mind Matters Offer?

The core of Every Mind Matters is two short quizzes that ask about your mental and physical health.  Your answers generate suggestions about how to enhance your wellbeing and energy.

• Take the Mind Plan Quiz to assess your current mental health and receive practical advice on how to improve it.  The short quiz contains 5 questions. Afterwards you will be given a list of suggestions to help boost your wellbeing. It will also signpost you to useful information.
   
• Take the One You Health Quiz to assess your physical health and create a plan for how to improve it.  It looks at lifestyle, physical activity, eating and drinking and other health related areas.  When the quiz is finished, it suggests useful apps and tools that may help to increase your energy and wellbeing.

To discover more and explore the resources, please visit the NHS website, Every Mind Matters. 

Where to go for support

If you have any concerns about your child/ren's mental health, you can get more information and advice by visiting chums.uk.com, the Mental Health and Emotional Wellbeing Service for Children and Young People. 

You can also contact your child's class teacher to raise any mental health and well-being concerns by emailing office@owps.org.uk, using the website contact form, or emailing your child's year group (all the year group emails are listed here).

If you are concerned about your own mental health and well-being, you can read more about how to access further advice and support by clicking here to visit Mind's website.

Mind states that despite the pandemic, the NHS is still encouraging people to come forward for support with mental health and well-being, with the GP cited as the first port of call.  

 

 

^{Photo by Tim Mossholder on Unsplash}