On Monday 24th April the senior room had a visit from Carol Leonard from the Cork Mental Health organisation. Carol spoke to the senior pupils from 4th class upwards about looking after their physical and mental health and how physical and mental health goes hand in hand.
The children watched the video ‘We all have mental health’ which showed two adolescents and how they cope with the different emotions and stressors in their lives. The video highlighted the importance of talking to someone if you have any worries and not bottling it up.
Carol also talked about the changes that the 6th class children would be facing when moving to secondary school and emphasised how important it is to take some time out if you feel stressed and to let your feelings settle. She demonstrated this by shaking up a bottle and then letting the contents settle.
Carol also showed the children the ‘5 a day for mental health’ poster, which recommends doing the following things every day:
- Connect with other people.
- Be active (exercise and sleep).
- Keep learning.
- Take notice (use your senses).
- Be kind and learn gratitude.
Finally, before she left Carol gave the children a stress ball and a ruler with useful tips for looking after their mental health. The visit was very helpful and enjoyable.
