Following their Mental Health Week assembly, Year 5 and Year 6 each attended a workshop held by Mrs Horgan, thinking about how our brains work, how they cope with stress and exploring strategies to support us when we are under pressure. Together with Mrs Horgan, the children considered the importance of resilience and wellbeing and how our body reacts to stress.
Mrs Horgan explained the workings of the brain, its impact on how we deal with stressful and emotional situations and how the body releases chemicals and hormones to enable us to react to unfamiliar and uncomfortable situations. The children undertook interactive activities around how our brain copes with negative and positive thoughts.
There was a lively and informative discussion on how stress can be beneficial in situations, and it is how we manage this stress that can be beneficial to our wellbeing and perspective. All the children were given a notebook where they could jot down their thoughts and positive points from the week.
The workshop drew to a close with the children laying down and taking part in a calming meditation, visualising a calm and happy place.
They were encouraged to ask themselves – What small steps they could make to make positive changes to their wellbeing and what techniques they could use to overcome anxiety. They became aware that they were more capable then they could ever imagine!
The children in Years 5 and 6 all felt extremely positive after the workshops and spoke of how much they had learnt about the importance of their own mental health and wellbeing.
