Children’s Mental Health week is happening now – February 6 – 12th. Supported by the Duke and Duchess of Cambridge, this year’s central theme is: Spread a little kindness.
Estimates show that:
- 50% of all mental health problems are established by the age of 14
- 75% are established by the age of 24
Also evidence shows that:
- Approximately 290,000 children and young people have an anxiety disorder
- Approximately 80,000 children and young people are seriously depressed
- Approximately 132,00 children and young people have severe ADHD
(Source: Young Minds)
Hence, it’s vital that positive mental health and wellbeing is built into everyday teaching and learning from an early age.
CoolFire – Positive Children’s Mental Health – for Life
CoolFire offers a practical way of developing children’s mental health within a whole-school culture. We are so much more than just “Mind”. Every emotion or feeling creates a biological action or reaction. So from Early Years, CoolFire works with the Mind-Body connection – a bio-feedback loop.
CoolFire features
- Programmes that integrate a range of established therapies & disciplines
- Continuing group and classwork
- A range of brief routines and exercises for school
- Home routines and exercises
- A focus on identified needs in specific pupils
- Internal teacher-training and ongoing support
- – and more…
These features work to embed a core of positive inputs:
- Positive Enotions
- Strong Self-esteem
- Resilience and the ability to cope with stress
- Strong sleeping patterns
- Loving, supportive relationships
- Inner balance – lack of tensions and conflicts
- Resolving self-destructive conditioning
All these factors can bring the Thinking Body back into an equilibrium as the springboard for fulfilling “What You Can Be…”
So, in “spreading a little kindness”
– let’s start by being kind to yourself.
Here’s The Square Breath – which children from as young as three years old – and anyone – can do
A simple breath that you can use at anytime: whenever you start to feel stressed or a bit tense; if you can’t sleep – or if you quickly want to change the way you feel: CoolFire calls this “a switch”. After all, everything we do might start with a thought – but every thought is embedded in a feeling:
In Changing the feeling – You Change the thought – and therefore – You Change the Action
So to begin with, just take a few gentle breaths – in through the nose and out through the mouth. Then – when you’re ready:
- Breathe in through the nose – for a count of three
- Hold that breath – for a count of three
- Release that breath through your mouth for a count of three. Breathe out through pursed lips to deepen your breathing
- Then rest for a count of three
Feel better..? A bit more grounded and calm…
It’s called the Square Breath – as each stage forms “four sides” of a square. You can draw an “air-square” if you like whilst you are doing this. You can do several Square Breaths in succession (pausing between each of course).
Once you’ve got used to the Square Breath, you can gradually extend the count – to 4, 5 – and so on. But there’s no rush – and a three-count is fine.
The Square Breath will help you to slow and deepen your breathing – a great first step to creating that everyday feeling of Energised Calm.
CoolFire can make a positive difference to effective teaching and learning through the mental health and holistic wellbeing of your school’s pupils and staff team.
Contact Dave Read – dave@the-lightworks.co.uk
or on 07804 785305
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