Children's Mental Health Week: Olivia Coleman gives well being advice to Nottingham children

Credit: PA

Actress Olivia Colman has told schoolchildren in Nottingham it is 'vital that we look after our own mental wellbeing' as part of a series of virtual assemblies recorded for Children's Mental Health Week.

The Oscar-winning actress, 48, has partnered with Bafta and the charity Place2Be for the events about wellbeing and emotional growth, which will go live online today.

The assemblies focused on the theme of Growing Together through activities pupils can try in class or at home, in a bid to raise awareness of the stigma around mental health.

Colman said: “The past few years have been challenging for everyone, so it’s vital that we look after our own mental wellbeing but also find ways to support each other.

“We’re always growing, we just may not realise it. The most difficult growth to recognise is emotional.

“For Children’s Mental Health Week 2022, we’re encouraging everyone to explore how they have grown together and to celebrate how even through difficult times, with the right support we can all continue to grow and flourish.”

Children's Mental Health Week exists to raise awareness and support children who may dealing be with mental health struggles.

According to Forward Thinking Birmingham, there are some top tips on things you can to do help your mental health:

  • Talk about how you feel: If you are feeling a certain way make sure you talk about it with the people who trust.

  • Stay connected: Staying in touch with the people you care about is really important. This will help with your confidence, mood

  • Keep active: Making sure you keep your body active is really important. Whenever your body is active, chemicals are released that lift your mood, making you feel happy and positive.

  • Have a break: Having a break will help you think more clearly, reduce stress and improve your concentration.

  • Eat well: What you eat can make a massive difference to how you feel and eating a healthy, balanced diet can give you more energy, help you concentrate and balance your mood.

  • Give back: Volunteering, helping out a friend and contributing to a good cause can all give you a well-deserved boost, as well as providing you with something positive to focus on. 

  • Accept yourself for who you are: When you embrace yourself in this way, you develop a better sense of self, become more confident and find it easier to make and maintain healthy relationships. 

  • Remember to have fun: Having something to look forward to can help to motivate you for the less exciting bits of life.

For more links for advice and support click this link here.