It’s so important that all children know who they can turn to when they need help. Children need adults who they can trust will keep them safe.

‘Healthy hand’ is a quick and simple tool to help children (and perhaps adults, too!) identify who they can turn to for help if ever they need it.

Hold your hand out in front of you and stretch your fingers wide.

Count your fingers, and as you do, name someone who you could ask for help if you needed it. (You might want to help the child remember some of the grownups in their life, but don’t be afraid to let them sit in quiet and think for themselves.

For example:

Point to your thumb – that’s one. We can go to Granny for help.

Point to your index finger – that’s two. We can ask our teacher.

Point to your middle finger – that’s number three. We can ask our swimming coach for help.

Point to your ring finger – that’s four. We can go to our neighbour, Mary.

Point to your pinky finger – that’s number five. We can ask the lady who works at the library.

Five fingers makes a helping hand!

If you’re a member of staff in a school and would like to explore more tips and techniques for promoting wellbeing and resilience in children and young people, check out Action Mental Health’s MensSana service. Our experienced and committed team can run a variety of different programmes in your school, catering to pupils of all ages.

One of the simplest things we can do to take care of our minds is BREATHING.

Regular practice of breathing exercises can change the way we think and feel; it can affect our heart rate, lower blood pressure, reduce stress levels and combat anxiety.

Whether it’s taking a few deep breaths to help regulate when a child’s experiencing some big emotions, taking some time to wind down before bed time, to help feel ready for school or just to build some mindful rhythms into your routine, breathing intentionally can really help.

The following activity makes deep and mindful breathing engaging and accessible to young children (although will benefit people of all ages!). This is rainbow breathing.

Make sure you have space around you to stretch your arms out wide and high.

We’re going to imagine that we’re painting a huge rainbow in the sky – and your fingers are the paintbrushes!

Start by stretching your arms out wide to each side of your body – like this:

Perhaps you want to give your fingers a little wiggle to wake them up!

Take a deep, slow breath in, and as you do, raise and curve your arms to make an arch shape – just like a rainbow.

Breathe out slowly, and lower your arms.

That’s our red layer of our rainbow painted – how many other colours shall we do?

Repeat this breathing exercise as many times as is helpful and engaging for your child. You could do seven repetitions, one for every colour of the rainbow. You could simplify it with just their favourite three colours. Or you could draw the activity out, and ask your child to think of as many wacky colours as they can!

(If you’d like to learn more about the positive effects of breathing exercises, we like this episode of Just One Thing with Michael Mosely on BBC Sounds!).

Here at Action Mental Health, we believe that every child matters.

Recent studies show that 1 in 8 children in Northern Ireland experience emotional difficulties.[1] That’s three children in every classroom[2].

These figures are stark. Mental health services have been under-resourced for a long time in Northern Ireland, and too many children and young people aren’t getting the help they need.

But we know that a different story is possible for children and young people. Evidence shows us that empowering children and young people can have a profoundly positive impact on their health and wellbeing. For example, children and young people who feel that their voices are heard, and that what they say makes a difference, have higher levels of self-efficacy and self-esteem.[3] We know that there are so many tools and techniques that can help children look after their minds as well as their bodies – we’re so please that our AMH MensSana team are able to share these tips and techniques with so many children and young people every year.

We’re delighted to be participating in Children’s Mental Health Week 2024, an awareness week launched by Place2Be to empower, equip and give a voice to every child in the UK.

This year’s theme is “My Voice Matters”. Action Mental Health with be joining with others all over the UK to make it clear that we want all children and young people, whoever they are, and wherever they are in the world, to be able to say – and believe – “My Voice Matters”.

Over the course of the week (5-11 February 2024), we’ll be sharing content on our social media channels, all relating to children and young people’s mental health. With videos to watch, activities to enjoy at home, fundraising ideas and content created by our very own Action Mental Health Youth Panel, there will be so much for you to enjoy and get involved with as together we seek to celebrate and amplify the voices of children and young people in Northern Ireland and support their mental health and wellbeing.

We’ve compiled an online library filled with our blogs, videos and activities relating to children and young people’s mental health. You can view that here.

So, follow along and get involved this week – share with your family, your friends, your neighbours, your church, your class, your community group.

Join us in making it loud and clear to children and young people across Northern Ireland that their voice matters. Because every child matters.

---

[1] Bunting, L., McCartan, C., Davidson, G., Grant, A., McBride, O., Mulholland, C., Murphy, J., Schubotz, D., Cameron, J. & Shevlin, M., (2020). The Mental Health of Children and Parents in Northern Ireland. Belfast: Health & Social Care Board. https:// online.hscni.net/our-work/social-careand-children/youth-wellbeing-prevalencesurvey-2020/ [Accessed January 2024].

[2] Based on an average class size of 25.

[3] Place2Be (2023). Place2Be announces theme for Children’s Mental Health Week 2024. https://www.childrensmentalhealthweek.org.uk/news-and-blogs/2023/october/place2be-announces-theme-for-children-s-mental-health-week-2024/ [Accessed January 2024].

The SkillSET partnership was delighted to welcome guests to a showcase event at The MAC, Belfast on Wednesday 13^th December 2023.

The SkillSET project is funded through the UK Government Shared Prosperity Fund (UKSPF) which is administered by the Department of Levelling Up Housing & Communities (DLUHC). Representatives from the Department attended the event and had the opportunity to meet and chat with representatives and participants from all seven SkillSET partners.

SkillSET is a disability employment programme providing support to adults with a range of disabilities  delivered by  Action Mental Health, NOW Group, Orchardville Foundation, Cedar Foundation, RNIB, Mencap and Adapt NI. SkillSET supports people with disabilities to build their skills through education, training and access to volunteering, further education and the workplace.

Guests who attended the showcase event included John Osborne (Deputy Director, Levelling Up, Major Programmes), Chris Taylor (Head of UKSPF Northern Ireland) and Emily Shepard (Head of UKSPF for England Scotland & Wales). They were accompanied by other senior UKSPF & DLUHC staff members from across the UK.

The event was hosted by David Babington, Chief Executive of Action Mental Health (SkillSET’s lead partner) and featured presentations from SkillSET participants including Jack Flaherty (NOW) Aaron Meehan (Cedar Foundation) Dave Morton (Orchardville Foundation) and Joanne McMillan (RNIB).

There were also video case studies from Finbarr & Ciaran from Mencap and Caitlin McNamara from Adapt NI.

Many thanks to our partners at the MAC, for providing the venue and helping to make the event such a success.

The SkillSET project is funded by the UK Government Shared Prosperity Fund (UKSPF) through the Department of Levelling Up Housing & Communities (DLUHC).

For more information on SkillSET, click here

Watch the recording from our webinar with Professor Siobhan O’Neill and Dr Colette Ramsey, and access some additional resources.

“Being trauma informed, at a basic level, means asking not ‘What is wrong with you?’ but instead ‘What has happened to you?’. It’s about asking what has happened in our past that has lead us to feel or behave in a particular way.” Professor Siobhan O’Neill, Mental Health Champion

Thank you to our panelists and to all who attended the event. If you were among the 140 attendees who joined us today, we’d appreciate your feedback – please take a moment to complete this short feedback form.

If you missed today’s event or would like to re-watch, you can view the recording below. We’ve also compiled a list of additional resources for those who would like to find out more about OUR Generation.

View the webinar recording

OUR Generation resources

You can also download the OUR Generation app from any App store.

What impact has Action Mental Health had this year?

We’ve outlined some of the highlights below – but you can download and read the whole report here.

This report is full of numbers – but each of these numbers represents a person and a story. We’re grateful for every individual who has entrusted us with their story, and for every person who has supported us to continue our vital work. Thank you!

Download the full report here.

A hard copy is available by contacting [email protected] 

As the days get shorter, the evenings colder and the mornings frostier, many begin to look forward to cosy nights in, warm fires and Christmas festivities. For others, the idea of darker days, cold weather and less time outside can be a daunting prospect. In fact, as winter creeps in, google searches for ‘seasonal affective disorder’ rise by approximately 500%, with many finding that the colder months negatively influence their motivation, mood and productivity. Whilst less than 3% of the population have a diagnosis of Seasonal Affective Disorder (NHS, 2023), many more find that the colder months leave them feeling sluggish, tired and struggling to keep on top of mental wellness habits.

Why does winter affect mental health?

• Decreased Sunlight: Whilst the clocks going back may bring an extra hour in bed, the shorter and darker days can be a big contributor to lower energy and motivation levels. Vitamin D (typically sourced from sunlight) helps our bodies to produce serotonin, the neurotransmitter which affects mood. Vitamin D is also key to the production of melatonin, the hormone responsible for regulating sleep. Therefore, when sunlight is in short supply during winter, many experience a dip in vitamin D which leads them to feel sluggish, decreases mood and causes disruptions to their normal sleep schedule.

• Decreased exercise: The link between exercise and mental health is well established, with those who exercise 3-5 times a week experiencing significant improvements in mood, stress and anxiety (Nie et al., 2021). Yet with pavements coated in ice and rain seemingly endless, it’s not surprising that many of us opt to forgo a lunchtime walk or post-work run during the winter season. Whilst cosying up indoors can feel tempting, exercise is known to trigger dopamine, a pleasure hormone known to improve mental well-being.

• Financial concerns: Whilst the festive season brings opportunities to catch up with loved ones, it also often carries increased expenses. A 2022 study by ‘The Independent’ found that nearly half of people are concerned about whether they could afford Christmas presents, yet less than a fifth were prepared to communicate this to friends and family. With the cost of living crisis in effect, many find that the financial pressures of Christmas presents, increased winter bills and festive social obligations play heavily on their minds.

• Loneliness: With increased time indoors and a change in regular routines, winter can prove a challenging time with 45% of adults reporting feeling lonely (Campaign to End Loneliness, 2022).

How can we protect our mental health during the winter months?

Find the light: We know that the lack of sunlight experienced during winter is a primary contributor to seasonal dips in mood and motivation. One of the best ways to counteract this is to find opportunities for brightness throughout your day. This may include getting outside in natural sunlight where possible (even if just for 5-10 minutes at a time), opening blinds and curtains in your home, situating your desk close to a window and using lamps and mirrors to increase brightness indoors. Whilst natural light is ideal for boosting mood, studies have found that exposure to bright indoor lights during the day help our bodies to regulate the sleep cycle and stimulate the brain to feel alert and revitalized.

Get sleep savvy: When the mornings are pitch black, it’s tempting to press snooze and roll over into another bout of sleep. Whilst sleeping too little can lower our resilience and ability to deal with stress, sleeping too much can also be detrimental to mood and motivation. Instead, try setting a consistent sleep and wake time, allowing 7-9 hours of sleep each night. Whilst getting the right amount of sleep will benefit your mental wellbeing, focusing on sleep quality is important too. Keeping an eye on your caffeine intake, dimming lights before bed and avoiding screens in the run up to bedtime are all important contributors to good quality sleep.

Keep Connected: Whether you’re trying to limit the financial stress of Christmas or reticent to get outside in freezing temperatures, it’s easy to become isolated over the winter months. Yet too much time alone can often lead to unhelpful thinking patterns, rumination and anxiety. Rather than opting for overpriced activities, would you feel up to meeting a friend for a walk or having a friend or two over for coffee? If you’re concerned about catching winter illnesses, try connecting online or over the phone where you can.

Plan for difficult times: The festive season can often bring increased socializing and family functions. Whilst this a great chance to catch up for some, others may find this period tense and challenging. If you notice that you feel particularly stressed in specific situations or around certain people, try putting in place self-care strategies for before and after these occasions. This may include trying some breathing exercises to de-escalate (box breathing is a great strategy to start with), journaling about how you’re feeling or planning ways you can take breaks throughout the event to prevent feeling overwhelmed.

Accessing support for your mental health:

If you are suffering from poor mental health, you are not alone. As many as one in 4 adults in Northern Ireland experience signs of a mental health issue every year. Help is available:

Reach out to your GP: When you talk to your GP about your mental health they’ll listen, give you advice and introduce you to a mental health service they think will be most helpful to you. These services may come from your GP surgery, a large local health centre, a specialist mental health clinic or a hospital.

Lifeline: Lifeline is a free 24/7 crisis response helpline service for those experiencing distress or despair. Lifeline is there to help 24 hours a day and can be contacted on: 0808 808 8000

AMH New Life Counselling: AMH New Life Counselling provides free, high quality counselling services across Greater Belfast. Further information can be found at: https://www.amh.org.uk/new-life-counselling/

Details of further support services and helplines can be found at: https://helplinesni.com/