Promoting resilience and wellbeing

  Have you ever noticed how, around the age of 11, many girls start making themselves smaller? They go from being loud, playful, cartwheeling kids to standing awkwardly, pulling their sleeves over their hands, lowering their heads, and trying to blend in rather than stand out. It is hard to watch but it is something we need to pay attention to. According to Amy Cuddy, a social psychologist and author of Presence , our body language doesn’t just affect how others see us—it shapes how we see ourselves, too.   When we hold ourselves confidently, we are more likely to speak up, take risks and lean in to opportunities.   When our body language signals insecurity, we are more likely to hold back.   Cuddy talks about two types of body language: High-power postures – Open, expansive body language where we physically take up more space. Think of the classic “Wonder Woman” stance—standing tall with hands on hips. Low-power postures – Closed, hunched body ...

  I was speaking to a friend this week and she was talking about the focus on mental health and wellbeing in her daughter’s new school.   Like most parents she was pleased to see the school shift in this direction but she had also observed a change in her daughter’s choice of words.   Words like worry and sad were being replaced with words like stressed, anxious or depressed.    And while more sophisticated use of language is part of the normal developmental trajectory it got me wondering about how our young people are making sense of their feelings within this new world of embracing mental health.     Mood swings are a defining feature of adolescence.   During this period of development our kids will experience their emotions more intensely than any other time in their lives.   This happens because their brains are under construction – they are getting faster and more specialised, ultimately supporting our kids move into adulthood.   ...

Next week is children’s mental health week and the theme this year is “ Know yourself, grow yourself”.  In our schools our children will be exploring the different parts of themselves – the kind part, the mean part, the lazy part, the super competitive part.  They will be meeting their big feelings and learning that all our emotions have a place and a job and it is important to make room for every single one.  The tide has finally started to change and we are now beginning to support our young people to shift themselves from a “BUT” to an “AND” From “I would like to go to the party BUT I am feeling anxious about going” to  “I would like to go to the party AND I am feeling anxious about going” This may appear to be a benign change but within these small words lies so much agency both for ourselves and for our children.  Within this context imagine your child has been invited to a playdate.  They are super excited and they are super anxious.  Their mind ...