Mental Health Week 2022

1. When out be sure to park the car in the furthest spot from your destination to increase your steps - easiest way to increase that count without even trying!

2. Leave one item at a time at the bottom of the stairs to be taken up, that way there will several daily trips up and down the stairs.

3. Set a daily challenge with a reward chart that the whole family can get involved in - every day 20 star jumps - tick it off and at the end of the week if everyone has completed the task there is a relevant reward for everyone :)

The only bad workout is the one you didn't do! Find out more:

1. Create a space for connection and conversation about your child's online lives- Don’t just ask them how school was, ask questions like “What’s the latest Tiktok trend?" or “How does being on Snapchat make you feel?” “What do you like least about it?” etc

2. Disconnect to reconnect- Introduce regular screen free family time- meal times, walks in nature anything which enable you to reconnect with the offline world in order to foster real conversations, connections and experiences.

3. Go device free at bedtime- (that’s parents too!) Ensure all phones are kept downstairs to encourage better quality sleep and a calm mind.

Begin your journey to optimial digital health

1. Try and spend some time destressing you can incorporate things like going for a walk, allow yourself some wind down time before going to bed

2. Don't lie in bed tossing and turning if you feel wide awake, get out of bed and move to a different space spend some time ding something relaxing

3. At least once a day go outside for some natural light

Take the first steps towards a good night sleep. Find out more:

1. It's important to include starchy carbohydrates at regular intervals throughout the day - this will help keep our blood glucose nice and stable.

2. It's also important to keep our diet rich with nutrients, minerals and protein which will support our daily bodily functions

3. As a rule plenty of fruits and vegetables, starchy carbohydrates, proteins that are rich like oily fish will help to support a good supply of nutrients resulting in good health and a good mood

1. Firstly, it’s ok to feel lonely. We all experience times when we feel lonely, where we seek connection and contact but can’t access it. It is important to validate feelings of loneliness and let children know that it is often temporary and very normal.

2. Encourage your children to problem solve. If they feel lonely, ask them to think about what might help. As parents, we have a natural instinct to solve our children’s problems. However, when we jump in before they have had an opportunity to experience the emotion and problem solve themselves, we deny them an opportunity to build their resilience and tolerance for uncomfortable emotions. Give your child time to tell you how they feel. Be curious in understanding exactly why and when they feel lonely and then problem solve together.

3. Encourage them to find their passion points. The easiest and best way for children to make meaningful connections is through shared interests. Spend time supporting your child in identifying what they are passionate about. Whether it’s sport, art or even a love of comics, identify your child’s passion points with them and then seek opportunities for them to connect with like-minded people.