Everyday is World Mental Health Day
World Mental Health Day is celebrated every year on the 10th October, to call attention to mental health issues, and educate on support available. It is an important day because it raises awareness, and educates and provides an opportunity for all students and staff in schools to communicate about their wellbeing.
This year’s theme for Mental Health Day was Anxiety.
What did Bath Academy do?
Many things can lead to feelings of anxiety; including exam stress, relationships, jobs or other personal life events. It is important to remember that anxiety can be made easier to manage. At Bath Academy we believe every day is Mental Health Day. From our friendly and supportive personal tutor sessions, to social events and activities, we believe that students and staff should take priority of their physical and mental health every single day.
This year on the 10th of October we encouraged students to write positive messages on post-it notes around the school in public areas such as the common rooms, café and corridor, to spread words of kindness and put a smile on each other’s faces.
What is Anxiety?
It is no surprise to hear that the Covid-19 pandemic period influenced and amplified mental health conditions around the world. There has been a 25% increase in cases of anxiety globally, this is particularly prevalent amongst children and teenagers.
Anxiety can affect us physically and mentally. If you are feeling anxious, you might notice your heart rate increasing, headaches, loss of appetite, breathlessness, or chest pain. Anxiety might make you feel tense or nervous, or find it hard to relax, you may feel tearful or have problems sleeping and concentrating. Friends or family might notice you are more irritable than usual, or withdrawn. Or perhaps you might seem fine on the outside but feel panicky inside.
It is important to understand that anxiety isn’t always a bad thing. It can encourage us on, and help us stay alert, as well as making us aware of danger and motivate us to solve problems.
However, anxiety can become a problem if it affects your ability to live your day-to-day life. If your anxiety is ongoing, intense, and hard to control then it may be time to seek some help and educate yourself on ways to control and cope with it.
Coping with Anxiety
What works for one person may not work another, at the end of the day, we are all different and deal with things in different ways, this is something to embrace. However, generally, some things that might be helpful for anyone and everyone struggling with anxiety include; being active, getting out in nature, practising breathing techniques, getting support to tackle money worries, and eating well. Talking to a friend, or spending time with loved ones, is often a good first step to facing your anxiety head-on.
The Mental Health Foundation brought together their top recommendations for ways of managing anxiety. We recommend all our students follow these simple steps on a daily basis to look after themselves and to love their mind and body: What can we do to cope with feelings of anxiety? | Mental Health Foundation.
Remember, help is always available, from your personal tutor, your classmates, or your teachers. Anxiety is an emotion no one should be ashamed of, it’s just a matter of finding the right way (that works for you) to cope with and manage it.