Mental Health and Wellbeing - 5 Steps - Connect

Hello all, welcome to our first mental health and wellbeing post. Once a month we will be focussing on different areas to help spread the message of a positive whole school approach to this very important area of school life.  

At Prospect House, we have used the ‘5 ways to wellbeing’ as a framework for our approach to Mental health and wellbeing. This comprises of

5 different elements:

Connect - Making time for relationships with friends, family and colleagues and elsewhere within your community.

Be active - Exercising, physical activity and enjoying good health.

Take notice - Being aware of the world around you and reflecting on your

experiences.

Keep learning - Trying new things and challenging yourself.

Give - Doing something nice for others, volunteering, making yourself

and others happy

Whoever we are and whatever our role, we all need support from the people around us. In a school this includes teachers, senior leaders, support staff, pupils and parents.

Taking a holistic approach means looking after the whole person, respecting and supporting them, and valuing their unique experience and contributions - the opposite of a ‘one size fits all’ approach.

In practice, this means:

• Providing support for colleagues to meet their individual needs.

• Being a role model for wellbeing wherever possible.

• Removing stigma attached to concern for wellbeing.

• Talking openly about wellbeing and mental health.

• Asking for help and encouraging others to do the same.

• Positive thinking and believing the best about others.

Our first area we would like to focus on is:

Connect

There is strong evidence that indicates that feeling close to, and valued by, other people is a fundamental human need and one that contributes to functioning well in the world.

It’s clear that social relationships are critical for promoting wellbeing and for acting as a buffer against mental ill health for people of all ages.

They can:

• Help you to build a sense of belonging and self-worth

• Give you an opportunity to share positive experiences

• Provide emotional support and allow you to support others

Why not try to do something different today and make a connection.

Here are some ideas you could try:

• Make time for relationships with colleagues.

• Take a break in the staffroom so that you interact with other people.

• Greet the people that you meet on your way around the school.

• Join a local club based on your interests (such as a walking group or reading group).

• Find time to spend with family and friends.

• Create a better work-life balance.

• Make concrete plans for meeting up with people so that it is more likely to happen.

• Ring someone or speak to them face to face instead of sending a message