From the Counselling Team
- 11 Top Tips for Mental Health
- College Counselling Team
11 Top Tips for Mental Health
In these stressful times, post the events of COVID in Sydney, more and more students are struggling with mental health issues and the reality is that parents are also struggling to deal with this significant issue. Statistics from the "Black Dog Institute" reinforce this growing problem with around one in five (21.2%) of young people 15 to 19 years old meeting the criteria for a probable serious mental illness.
The number of students affected by a mental illness in recent years is growing with more likely one in four (or 25%), of students displaying some symptoms and characteristics of the early stages of anxiety, depression and addictive behaviours such as gaming, vaping and over-use of the Internet/Social Media.
What can parents do to prevent their sons from developing a mental illness?
The following list of 11 Top Tips for Positive Mental Health is an excellent checklist and starting point for all parents to reflect upon and implement for their sons, and in fact for all members of your family. I suggest you rate yourselves out of eleven (there are 11 helpful tips) and see how many of these practical, positive strategies you are implementing in your family.
Ref: www.peoplefirstinfo.org.uk
Remember, our College Counselling team is always available for both practical and reactive support for your son.
An important part of keeping fit and healthy is to take care of your own mental health. There are plenty of things you can do to help make sure you keep yourself mentally healthy.
1 Get plenty of sleep
Sleep is really important for our physical and mental health. Sleep helps to regulate the chemicals in our brain that transmit information. These chemicals are important in managing our moods and emotions. If we don't get enough sleep, we can start to feel depressed or anxious.
2 Eat well
Eating well isn't just important for our bodies, but it's also important for our minds. Certain mineral deficiencies, such as iron and vitamin B12 deficiencies, can give us a low mood. Try to eat a balanced diet. If you find you're a particularly stressed or anxious person, you should try limiting or cutting out caffeine as this can make you feel jittery and anxious.
3 Avoid vapes and drugs
Vaping and drugs will often leave you in withdrawal and can often cause very low moods and anxiety. More severe effects of drugs include paranoia and delusions. There is some research that suggests drug use is related to developing mental disorders like schizophrenia. Vaping also can lead to other addictive practices.
4 Get plenty of sunlight
Sunlight is a great source of Vitamin D. Vitamin D is a really important vitamin for our bodies and our brains. It helps our brains to release chemicals which improve our mood, like endorphins and serotonin. Try to go out in the sun when you can, but make sure you keep your skin and eyes safe. 30 minutes to two hours a day of sunlight is ideal. During the winter, some people become depressed because they aren't getting enough sunlight - this is known as Seasonal Affective Disorder (SAD). Some people find using a special light-therapy lamp helps to alleviate the symptoms.
5 Manage stress
Stress is often unavoidable, but knowing what triggers your stress and knowing how to cope is key in maintaining good mental health. Try to manage your responsibilities and worries by making a list or a schedule of when you can resolve each issue. Often if you break down your worries and stresses and write them down, you realise that they are manageable. Try to avoid burying your head in the sand, and tackle problems face on. If you find you are having trouble sleeping, or are waking up thinking about all of the things that are stressing you out, write them down and reassure yourself that you can deal with them in the morning.
6 Activity and exercise
Activity and exercise are essential in maintaining good mental health. Being active not only gives you a sense of achievement, but it boosts the chemicals in your brain that help put you in a good mood. Exercising can help eliminate low mood, anxiety, stress and feeling tired and lazy. It is also linked to living a longer life.
You don't need to run a marathon or play 90 minutes of football; a short walk or some another gentle activity might do the trick.
7 Do something you enjoy
Try to make time for doing the fun things you enjoy. If you like going for a walk, painting or a specific TV show, try to set aside time to enjoy yourself. If we don't spend any time doing things we enjoy, we can become irritable and unhappy.
Whether you need help to get out and about or not take a look at our Things To Do section, or go to our Events calendar, for ideas and information on what is going on in your area.
8 Connect with others and be sociable
Make an effort to maintain good relationships and talk to people whenever you get the chance. Having friends is important not just for your self-esteem, but also for providing support when you're not feeling too great. Research has found that talking to others for just ten minutes can improve memory and test scores!
Whether or not you find going out and meeting people difficult you can have a look at our Social Activities pages or our Events calendar for inspiration.
9 Do things for others
Helping others isn't just good for the people you're helping; it's good for you too. Helping someone can help with your self-esteem and make you feel good about your place in the world. Feeling as though you're part of a community is a really important part of your mental health. You could try volunteering for a local charity, or just being neighbourly.
10 Ask for help
One of the most important ways to keep yourself mentally healthy is to recognise when you're not feeling good, and to know when to ask for help. There's no shame in asking someone for support if you're feeling low or stressed. Everyone goes through patches where they don't feel as good as they should. You can try speaking to your friends or family, or if you think your mental health is getting on top of you then you can speak to your GP.
11 Co-curricular Activities at SPX
Finally, the College strongly encourage your son to participate in as many co-curricular activities as possible. Connectedness and participation in activities are paramount in helping your son build his strengths and resilience - two essential qualities of a healthy young adolescent.
What score would you give yourself (out of 11) as a parent in providing and promoting these conditions/situations to enhance your son's mental health? Remember our counselling team is here to add further support if the need ever arises.
Keep healthy and well!
Mr Rick Russo - College Counsellor/Chaplaincy Services
College Counselling Team
The College Counselling Team look forward to providing confidential emotional and social support and guidance for your son and family throughout this year. For reference our College Counselling Team contact details are shown below.
Mr Rick Russo
Counsellor (Full time Monday to Friday) working with students across all year groups.
Email: rrusso@stpiusx.nsw.edu.au
Direct Phone: 9414 4359
School Mobile (in case of emergency): 0418 438 325
Ms Joe McCarthy
Psychologist (2 days per week: Tuesday and Thursday) working with students across all year groups.
Email: jmccarthy@stpiusx.nsw.edu.au
Direct Phone: 9414 4322
Mrs Judy Gill
Psychologist (2 days per week: Wednesday and Friday) working with students across all year groups.
Email: jgill@stpiusx.nsw.edu.au
Direct Phone: 9414 4315
Throughout 2021 the Counselling Team, together with the Learning Support Team, look forward to providing CONFIDENTIAL support to assist your son to build his SELF CONFIDENCE / SELF ESTEEM AND RESILIENCE within a caring, supportive Catholic school community. Please do not hesitate to make contact with any of the above team should the need arise.
Mr Rick Russo - College Counsellor/Chaplaincy Services