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BLOG N0. 125*

*MENTAL HEALTH OF CHILDREN*

*The last few years have brought increased awareness of the importance of mental health and behaviour in schools, showing how children’s mental health significantly affects their academic performance and later, career success*With studies showing an alarming increase in the number of children and teenagers who experience mental health issues, *the pressure is mounting for schools and educational leaders to provide adequate support so students can overcome any issues and go on to live healthy, normal lives*.

*A huge part of mental health support in schools starts with awareness*.

*Students need to be educated about mental health in order to be aware of the signs, so that they can know where to go for help and may also be able to help others*.

A 2018 survey by the National Education Union (NEU) revealed that *almost half (49%) of secondary school education staff reported students had been suicidal because of the stress they are under*.

*81% reported cases of self-harming as a way to deal with the pressures*.

The *more than half (56%) of pupils’ mental health issues are leading to self-harm*;

• 45% reported pupils having eating disorders;
• 48% said pupils were having panic attacks.

*Mental health disorders can affect classroom learning and social interactions*, both of which are critical to the students’ success. However, *if appropriate services are put in place to support young people’s mental health needs, we can often maximise success and minimise negative impacts for students*.

*Just like your physical health that focuses on taking care of external health, mental health is related to your emotional, social, and psychological aspects of life*. Your *mental health is responsible for your actions that come as a response to what you see, feel, and perceive*. 

*What you are today, as a person or an individual, its foundation was laid in childhood*. That’s why it’s *imperative that a child’s foundational years are built on sound mental health*.

*Children should be taught about the importance of mental health from the very beginning of their lives*. *They should understand that it is as important as breathing air*.

*Teach them about the relevance of thoughts and emotions. *Tell them that hiding or bottling up emotions isn’t an ideal way to deal with the situations*.

*As a parent, have an honest conversation with your children about what they feel and what’s bothering them*. Be as communicable as you can with them, however, make sure that *you don’t force a conversation*.

*They should be made aware that their personal space is very important and if they don’t feel like talking, then they shouldn’t*. 

Sound mental health isn’t just topic to discuss at home, but in school as well. Students spend most of their educational years in school where they are surrounded by numerous people from classmates to teachers to other people working in the school. Now school to see that children feel safe around other people. *Each and every student should be able to discuss or talk to their teachers freely*.

*Oftentimes, students don’t talk because they feel scared or ashamed of their problems, hence, it should be teachers’ responsibility to encourage them to become more vocal about their feelings and emotions*

More than a trained professional, *teachers are human first*. And being human isn’t easy because you just can’t tell what another person is thinking or going through. However, *in the case of students, teachers can still take note of their body language, verbal and non-verbal communications with others, what they write and draw, etc*. If you find something out of the place, don’t wait for them to make the first step, instead, you can initiate by asking – *“You don’t look like your usual today. Would you like to talk about it? Or is there something I can* do?” Questions like this with little empathy can put them at ease and they will be able to open up better. 

Mary Angelou said, “*When you know better, you do better*.” What does it mean? It means that *teachers should help students to understand their thought and feelings, and should tell them the importance of acceptance in life*.

The other thing that teachers could inculcate into their classrooms, is a *5- or 10-minutes session before starting the class. This session should be free and open, where teachers should promote children to become more vocal about their feelings*.

*They could start by telling what they ate in the breakfast, or what all they look forward to for the day, or anything they want to share with the whole class. It could be anything. The main purpose of this activity is to make children more open towards their feelings and emotions*. This will also help the students and teachers to start the class on a positive note. We at our Hasti school have plans as under ( to deal with Mental Health problem)

1.organise Mental Health evening to educate parents and students about signs and symptoms

2.encourage good physical health

3.lunch time and after school clubs to ventoff their energy and feeling

4. orgaanise wellness week

5.Creating a place where students feel comfortable and safe to talk

After all, said and done, the main focus of the article was to put more emphasis on the importance of mental health of the students, which could make a big difference in their lives if they’re nurtured properly and carefully. That’s why at The Hasti public school , we take extra care of the students’ mental health so that they don’t just grow academically but personally as well.

*Do not forget to give your suggestions on the topic mental health*