Mental Health

What is Mental Health?

Mental Health includes emotional, psychological or social well-being. It affects how we think, feel and act. It also determines how we handle stress, interact with others and make choices.

Who can be affected by Mental Health illness?

Mental Health illnesses can affect anybody at any age. It can be caused by many things; for children it may be the separation of their parents, teens because of exams and personal problems, and adults because of work. Mental Health illness can also be linked to physical or psychological abuse.

What did LIS do to prevent students from developing Mental Health illnesses?

At LIS, we care for our students’ mental health as much as we do for their physical health. We were lucky enough to host Sandeep Saib to talk about how to prevent being mentally ill.

Sandeep Saib is famous for fighting against mental health illnesses and helping young minds cope with what hardships they face in life because life is never perfect. She visited LIS and shared her story about what mental health illnesses she faced and how she managed to cope with it. One of the most important things (in my opinion) she said was ‘It’s okay to not be okay’ By this, she meant that everyone has a reason to be stressed, worried, or even jealous. And this is not their fault. They are just human, after all, and these kinds of emotions are normal for everyone.

Notice for Parents/Carers:

If you feel that your child is not acting like they usually do, or you notice that there is a negative change in their behaviour, don’t ignore it. The earlier you deal with it, the easier it will become for your child and yourself.

Advice:

Find spare time to talk to them privately.

• Contact their school for tips and more detailed advice
• If the situation is serious, talk to a therapist or arrange a meeting with their headteacher or a counsellor.
• Give them the confidence and strength they need to cope with their situation.

Notice for students:

If you feel you can’t cope with something or you know that you are not acting like yourself, don’t keep it locked deep down inside you. The main thing to do is to talk to someone about it. By doing this, you can relieve most of your stress.

Advice:

• Talk to someone you trust.
• Talk to your teachers.
• Express your feelings through writing and drawing.
• Do the things you like to do.
• Distract yourself from the thing that is causing you stress or things linked to it.

By Iqra in 7.3