Schools are a great place to open up the discussion and promote positive mental health. There are many ways schools can promote positive mental health. Teachers are able to create an open environment for talking about mental health within their classrooms. Such an environment can be created with various methods.
"When a flower doesn't bloom, you fix the environment in which it grows, not the flower." - Alexander Den Heijer
Overall health is an important aspect. Promoting active living through physical education, sports teams and DPA and teaching students about healthy eating can do this. Having a no sugary snack policy is a way to show healthy eating.
The environment of the classroom is an important aspect as well. Having spaces to let students relax and have a quite space within classrooms can be very beneficial. Furthermore, teaching skills such as for stress management and positive self-esteem is very helpful. A great way to do this with a PJ class is to have confidence cookies (link). Teachers can also display various materials and resources to allow students to educate themselves, a list can be found in the resource section of our website!
By creating an environment where students feel like they can talk about their problems it can open up the conversation about mental health. By implementing policies that creates a safe and positive environment, it can also contribute to opening up the conversation.