We all have problems, concerns, and worries – this is normal. The best thing we can do is continue talking about our feelings, mental health, and seeking help. As we do this, we start to identify the people, places, and things that can be supports to us when we need help. Whether that means we find the coping and calming strategies that work for us or learn what help is available at school and in the community, knowing what option are available when we need support allows us to be ready to ask for what we need from the people who are most helpful when we need it.
In today’s Wellness Wednesday, we identify our supports.
Try this:
As a class, group or family:
· Read and complete the “My Circle of Support Pocket Book", a resource to help us identify and list the people, places, and things that can be supports when we need it o Brochure style: https://smho-smso.ca/blog/online-resources/my-circle-of-support-pocketbook-student-help-seeking-resource/ o Accessible version: https://smho-smso.ca/wp-content/uploads/2021/08/Circle-of-Support-Pocketbook-Accessible.pdf).
· Talk about:
o Support options at school
o Supports from people
o Support in the community
o Strategies to support our mental health (e.g., Wellness Wednesdays www.ldcsb.ca/apps/pages/index.jsp?uREC_ID=1076472&type=d&pREC_ID=1369353)
· Invite people to share what they wrote for each of the support options. Encourage everyone to add to their own answers when they hear an idea that might work for them.
Ask yourself, there is no wrong answer:
Who can go to when I need help?
What are two ways I can support my mental health?
Where can I go when I need help?
Connecting to our faith:
“Ask, and it will be given you; search, and you will find; knock, and the door will be opened for you.” (Matthew 7:7)
Individual struggles and internal conflicts will happen to everyone. We can always count on Jesus, God and our Faith. Through personal reflection, and with the help of others, we learn to act in meaningful ways that support us holistically. We gain strength from God. From Holy Communion we are spiritually fed and united in each other.
Further learning:
· CHILDREN’S BOOK: “What Do You Do With A Problem” by Kobi Yamada
· RESOURCE: CAMH's "Talk About It" Gamechanger: www.camh.ca/-/media/files/gc-talk-about-it-infographic-pdf.pdf
· RESOURCE: Support Help-Seeking in Young People https://smho-smso.ca/blog/online-resources/no-problem-too-big-or-too-small-student-help-seeking-resource/
· ARTICLE: Breaking Down Barriers: How To Talk About Mental Health www.sunlife.ca/en/tools-and-resources/health-and-wellness/mental-wellness/breaking-down-barriers-how-to-talk-about-mental-health/