Mental wellbeing

Mental Wellbeing (written for our school Bulletin in November 2019)

Hello to you all! I'm currently in the car with Bro. Francis, driving back from our school in Southampton (St. Mary's of which we are both former students). It's funny how life sometimes comes full circle. Last night, Bro. Francis chaired the school's annual Speech Night prize-giving celebration (their equivalent of our Proclamation) and I was the guest of honour, giving the speech and distributing the prizes to a great bunch of wide-eyed, engaged young people. A surreal experience for me. 34 years ago, when in 5th Year (Yr. 11) I received a prize from a certain Bro. Francis who was the guest of honour that night. Afterwards, the school shared a photo of myself and Francis taken during my speech, to which I added a photo from that night 34 years ago. As the great Paddy McAloon of the '80s/'90s band Prefab Sprout would say, it's a "Life of Surprises"!

Bro. Francis and myself back in 1984.

We've had lots of lovely comments coming in from former classmates of mine and other former students of the school, which brings me to one of the points I mentioned in my speech last night: the importance of our interpersonal relationships

Our own mental and physical wellbeing is not just important for ourselves, but also for others. I'm sure you don't need me to tell you this, but I will anyway :-). If we are happy in ourselves we are more likely to have good, happy relationships with pupils, colleagues, family, etc… Of course, it works both ways. The support we give and the care we show to each other can obviously be of tremendous benefit to those who are struggling, but also help us to feel more positive about ourselves. We may be struggling, but reaching out to help others is a way of also helping ourselves. It's a win-win, reinforcing, strengthening the bonds that unite us. I love the expression that our Brothers in Rome used one year for our annual theme: Weaving a tapestry of relationships like Jesus (i.e. being Jesus for each other). We can each of us do this whether or not we are Christians, and hopefully, we can all recognise the benefits.

Here are 5 simple steps for wellbeing provided by Imagine Independence, the mental health service provider for which I am on the board of Trustees (the school hopes to be able to tap into the services they offer in the near future):

Five Ways to Wellbeing

Follow these five steps to boost your mental wellbeing and feel happier and more fulfilled for 2019:

1. Connect

Feeling close to, and valued by, other people can help us all to feel more positive in our lives and is a key step in promoting wellbeing.

Try to do something different that helps you make connections with the people around you like your family, friends, colleagues or neighbours.

Try picking up the phone instead of sending an email or a text message, take the time to ask someone how they are, or even speak to someone new.

2. Be Active

Physical activity can help to lower depression and anxiety across all age groups and is crucial to our overall well being.

Try taking a walk, going cycling or taking part in your favourite sport. You don't have to go to the gym to be active,.

Find an activity that you enjoy and make it part of your life.

 3. Keep learning

Learning new skills helps to give us a sense of achievement and boosts our confidence, and it can be fun!

Try rediscovering an old interest, taking on a new responsibility at work, learning to play a musical instrument or setting yourself a new challenge like learning a language.

4. Give

Evidence shows that people who have a greater interest in helping others feel happier are more fulfilled.

Even the smallest act can count, whether it's a smile, a thank you or a kind word.

Larger acts such as volunteering for a local charity or community centre can improve your mental wellbeing and help you meet new people and make new friends.

 5. Take notice

Being aware of what is taking place in the present directly enhances your wellbeing, enhances your self-understanding and allows you to make more positive choices.

Take some time to enjoy the moment and the world around you.

Try walking to work, having lunch out with friends or taking notice of how people are feeling and acting.

Here are some other links to resources that you may find of use.

http://bit.ly/30ILRKX - a guide for improving teacher happiness and wellbeing

https://www.mentallyhealthyschools.org.uk/whole-school-approach/supporting-staff-wellbeing/

https://www.bbc.co.uk/teach/teacher-support/new-mental-health-and-wellbeing-support-for-teachers/z4g4scw

Three things that made me smile this week:

1. https://youtu.be/B_Ou3lAGl-M - these 3 Irish comedians are brilliant. This video, a skit on admissions interviews into Irish Catholic schools, is charmingly irreverent and very funny (especially the pay-off at the end). Oh, and if you've never seen the Channel 4 comedy series Derry Girls (by the writers of Father Ted, I think), check it out.
2. Spending last weekend in Paris with these two fellow Brothers (from Brittany) and 7,000 other people, attending events and celebrations that were part of a National French Mission Congress.
   
3. And finally, this https://youtu.be/ORO1FcEqBV8 which somehow put me in mind of this https://youtu.be/lI0TFWJy1Ns from one of my all-time favourite films.