Come home to your wise body; wake up and stretch like a cat; take a self-defence class and feel the power of your body; rest; dance; stroll; sing; eat; drink water; hike; cartwheel; swim;

An apple a day keeps the DR at bay they say. Well although I cannot verify that, what we do know is our body needs looking after and the only people who can really look after our bodies are ourselves.

Health and wellbeing goes beyond our 5 pieces of fruit and veg per day, It is also about how we feel inside. Our emotions and being healthy is more than a jog in the park as being healthy is understanding who we are and what we need so we can have a positive health and wellbeing.

“Most children become looked after as a result of abuse and neglect. Although they have many of the same health issues as their peers, the extent of these is often greater because of their experiences. For example, almost half of children in care have a diagnosable mental health disorder and two-thirds have special educational needs. Delays in identifying and meeting their emotional well-being and mental health needs can have far reaching effects on all aspects of their lives, including their chances of reaching their potential and leading happy and healthy lives as adults”  (DOH)

As those involved in the day to day care of children we need to be able to recognise the emotional health needs of our children and that feelings of sadness, upset or anxiety are justified feeling in children as well as adults, these are feelings which can give us indictors of the child’s mental health and what their needs are. In order to fully support children to achieve a positive wellbeing we need to embrace mental health, as adults we need to work together to remove the stigma attached to the word “mental”, Mental health is seen in a negative light when it should be embraced.

I ask you, should we not look after our brain the way we do our heart?