The lighter side of SEMH

Hello everyone! Hope your week is getting off to a great start, as well as the first 6 days of October.

From the 1st - 3rd of October, I had the privilege to work 3 days at an independent SEMH school in Dorking. Although I didn't get offered a contract to work at the school, I enjoyed spending time with the pupils, as well as get to learn about how their SEMH needs impact their learning. 

This was where I got to see a more lighter side of SEMH, compared to the other SEMH school I worked at for 6 months.

My main inspiration for doing this post, was how blown away I was by seeing a completely different side of SEMH, as appose to the stereotypical disruptive behaviour, swearing & frequent deregulations.

The different side of SEMH included loads of politeness, wanting to engage in lessons & thriving on consistent routine.

Yes, I have seen very few deregulations whilst I was working there, but those deregulations will always be a part of SEMH kids, as this is their natural response to them being or finding something that is overwhelming them, and need to let out some energy to regulate themselves again. For example, taking a movement break.

I know I have mentioned this in a few previous SEMH posts whilst I was working at Grafham Grange, as I am continually putting this message out there for everyone reading to acknowledge (I suppose you can call me an SEMH activist at this stage).

As this is also an 'independent' school setting, the staff highly or fully expect all of their students to follow the structure & routine without needing any assistance. That being said, a majority of the pupils are capable of doing work on their own.

So, the morale of this post, is to understand that no SEMH person presents with the same behaviour. Especially in different school settings.

A little something for #InternationalVolunteerDay

Good evening everyone! I hope you're all enjoying your week so far. I know that I am 2 days late, but I felt like doing a post based on International Volunteer Day. And since I have a voluntary job myself, I want to provide you with some useful & inspirational insight that will, hopefully, reduce the stereotypical stigma of not being a "proper" or "actual" job just because it doesn't pay you money.

Since the 18th of January, I have been working at a local MIND Charity shop as a shop volunteer, and have enjoyed every second of it to this day.

Not only am I enjoying working for a charity that I am hugely passionate about, but every job I do in the shop helps to go to a well worthy cause, as well as support the community.

Now, some of you might be reading this thinking to yourselves: "Why would you want to do a job that is not earning you money?" Here's my personal response: It's not about the money, it's about working with people in the community who truly benefit from a charitable cause, such as MIND.

Moreover from the above paragraph, having a voluntary job is a great way of getting into employment, as it looks good on your CV. Plus, you also get the chance to learn a lot of new skills & qualities to put on your CV as well! No wonder why paid job employers get impressed when they see it on your CV, as volunteering shows you are all about community & people.

To conclude this post with a personal insight, having a voluntary job, or just any type of voluntary works, helps me to feel good & positive about myself. And for what it's worth, volunteering can go a long way.

MIND, you are amazing at what you do, and never give up... Ever...

Happy Saturday all! Hope you're all enjoying it so far, as for the rest of this week. I know I haven't been paying much attention on here lately, as I have been too occupied with my coursework & my jobs. 

During this time, I was disappointed to see on MIND's social media that the UK government has let down people's mental health, again... Although I do not consider myself to be somebody who requires support from any mental health professional who may have a degree of some sort, but I do consider myself to be somebody who cares about mental health being taken into consideration. Especially when it comes to people suffering from their mental health by having no one to turn to, as well as to seek professional advice. Read about it here: https://www.mind.org.uk/news-campaigns/news/uk-government-shelves-the-mental-health-bill/

Because I am a part of MIND'S workforce, I feel like it's only right if I speak up on behalf of the company/charity. Not just that, but also because I truly appreciate everything they do in a bid to fight for mental health.

MIND, if you're reading this, (or if you ever read this) I just want to say that I am a massive fan of what you do in your workforce. Whether these may consist of encouraging people to get a membership, volunteer or even create partnerships with work companies, you're doing a grand job with getting more people involved in fighting for mental health. That being said, you wouldn't be recognised for who you are, as well as what you do to this day if it hadn't been for any of those above things.

Let's also talk about your campaigning, as I can clearly see that you would happily go above & beyond to achieve. This also includes people happily going out of their way just so they can help you with the campaigning. This is obviously a inspirational success in a lot of people's eyes whenever they view these campaigning events on the media. Just a shame the government do not take this seriously...

On that note Charles, how come you didn't think to mention all of this in your speech last Tuesday? (7/11/23) I mean, it's not like this is a rocket science situation that will just fix on its own, this mental health crisis has to be dealt with by actually putting the mental health bill into action. Words cannot even begin to describe as to how shocked I am that this has been not been sorted out for the past 6 years now, and the UK government think it's okay for people's mental health to go unnoticed in this country?! 

All I can really say at this point, is that something HAS to be done in order for the UK government to put the mental health bill into action, and to ensure no one's mental health gets ignored. But until then...

Keep on fighting for mental health MIND.✊🏻💙

   

 

Today's quote of the day (Explained)

Well, looks like summer is starting to come to an end... I know that it was a random thing to say, but I felt like saying it anyway!

Moving on, I hope everyone is good & has been keeping productive, whatever that may well be. In my case, I've just been knee deep in work at Challengers Play scheme, as well providing myself with more better work opportunities for myself in the near future. (Something I might mention on here IF I get the job) 

As the above title states, this QOTD shall be dedicated to my current busy lifestyle.

Why does this chosen QOTD speak out to me? Well, this is due to the fact that my mental health always seems to be at its best when I am out & about doing stuff. This would also include my busy life, as I'm pretty much outdoors almost everyday doing something. Most of which are for essential reasons, such as work.

That being said, this would define my high level of physical health, because I like to get out everyday & do stuff. By doing so, helps me to distract myself from boredom. Or to be more specific on that, prevent myself from unnecessary worrying about things that don't need worrying about.

To conclude my explanation, my recommendation for anyone struggling to keep physically & mentally motivated would be to get out everyday & do something. Even if it's only for a walk round your local area, it's still better than doing absolutely noth8ng at all! Plus, this was something I've learnt myself when I did the Samaritans 310,000 steps challenge.

My outtake on YoungMinds #EndTheWait Campaign (20/3/23)

*Just so we're clear, I'm not fully back on here just yet. I'm only making a brief pop up on here, because I want to share my opinion on something that is important/concerning*

I was meant to make this post on Monday, but I never got round to doing so until now. Better late than never I suppose.

On Monday, (20/3/23) local MP's were invited to attend the Houses of Parliament to participate in YoungMinds' EndTheWait Campaign.

Why? This is because the government has not been taking people's mental health seriously enough. The government had opened their eyes up to what was going on, and said that they will make a solid promise to end the wait for people's mental health to be seen to back in January of this year. Unfortunately, that solid promise had been abolished soon after, as the government decided to make other things their priorities instead.

Last summer alone, including the time where the government first delivered its "end the wait" promise, young people have not been getting the much needed support for the following 3 reasons: Didn't feel supported by their GP when trying to seek support, waited over a month or simply turned away when trying to seek support. (Statistics will be shown in the attached link to YoungMinds webpage below this post)

I, as an individual with mental health, find it shocking to say the very least. I actually find the government's actions more appalling, as people (whom had tried seeking support) out there are still suffering with their mental health because of the poor choices that the government had made. I personally feel as though no one has the right to suffer with their mental health due to not being enough support. It's shameful, and something needs to be done to improve on it.

As soon as YoungMinds had announced that the government had broke their promise to "EndTheWait", they sent out the message to everyone that they booked the Houses of Parliament for the 20/3/23, so local MP's would be in attendance to discuss young people's ongoing mental health problems, mental health support & making their voices heard. This was followed by getting young people (including myself) to sign a petition to "EndTheWait" on mental health treatment, as there were a lot of people suffering enough due to the mentioned above circumstances. Yes, I did sign the petition, as I wanted my voice to be heard, as well as participate in the campaign. I feel it was absolutely the right & necessary choice of action, in a bid to hold the government accountable in this manner.

The next part of the campaign, had involved inviting local MP's to the EndTheWait event at Parliament. This also included writing a letter to local MP's explaining why they should attend this event. I wanted to invite my local MP to this event, as again, it was only sensible that they address myself & other young people's concerns over ongoing mental health problems we still face today in society. Like everyone else in this campaign, I thought it was a good idea that local MP's needed to be involved in young people's issues, such as mental health. In my view, if MP's can debate about everyday issues in our country day in, day out as part of their job description, then I don't see any reason why MP's can't step away to address young people's mental health concerns. 

If you've finished reading up to this point, thank you for taking the time to read through. Remember, everyone has their own opinions when it comes to talking about something like this, so please don't be offended in any kind of way. 

Here's the webpage link: https://www.youngminds.org.uk/support-us/join-the-movement/end-the-wait/

Just a little something for #WorldMentalHealthDay

Hello peeps, hope you've all been healthy and well recently, especially on a day like today. Why? Because today (10/10) is World Mental Health Day.

Why the occasion? As mental heath can impact one on a day-to-day basis, without even acknowledging that it's even playing inside your mind at all. With that said, you could say it's like living with a demon inside your mind, which somehow got trapped in there and can't get out - Making people feel down.

This is why I feel like talking about the reality of how Mental Health works and why, so I can ensure people that they are not alone in relations to this.

Now, in case if you're new and not aware, I have always had an interest with how different minds work and why they work the way they do, hence I became hooked onto psychology. However, when I was much younger, (probably up until 15) I didn't even know the term was called psychology. I actually got hooked onto it when I was 17.

 

DEAR SELF... 

You are absolutely bloody amazing of who you are and what you've become. Your Mental Health is just there to sometimes tell you that you're not good enough, therefore, making you feel anxious and miserable all the time. Never let it define you as a person.

However, the reality is you are smart enough to know that these thoughts are just lies to make you feel guilty.

You have many people that care about you, to ensure you are doing alright. Always check on them back to repay the same human kindness.

You know you're exceeding in life, as you have a planned future ahead of you. Just keep yourself focused by constantly finding that self-motivation you've never had before.

Knowledge the fact some people like to put you down, as they have no understanding of the impact of Mental Health. In this case, YOU are your only limit to success.

Cherish every loving moment with friends/family or even if it's on your own, as it can may well have a good reflect on your life, as well as Mental Health.

Never, ever, EVER feel like you can't interact with anyone, just because your demon thoughts are taking over your mind. Talking will always be the solid reason why people feel motivated the way they do. You'll never know... it could may even save somebody's life.💜💜💜

The psychology involved with politics

First, let me begin this topic of discussion by saying that I have NO interest in politics, but at the same time however, I find it really fascinating why a large population of the world feel like they NEED to know how the law works in every country. Or even how different political parties work to make a difference in their local area.

Question overall:

How do politics influence us on how we see the world?  

First scenario:

Say if you were someone who was not happy about the current laws in your country, so therefore, you wanted to be the one who made those changes.

Right from this moment on, you start to gain an interest in politics, their parties and what they do. This way, you're inhaling in all of the understanding of how a party works curtsy of your curiosity, as well as what they do to make it work, which will make changes to your local area.

Eventually, all of your knowledge will pay of by joining a local party in your borough council. This will help you gain more knowledge by volunteering for businesses, campaigning for your chosen party and rising through the ranks to become a local MP in your area.

By doing so, this will give you more confidence to push yourself to become an MP for the UK! Which will help you to gain more power on these learned skills can shape the country.

Second scenario:

You have a very keen understanding with how local businesses can bring your whole local community together, and so you start researching some ideas on how to improve them...

You then proceed to share your ideas with your local party, in which, they've agreed to and begin working closely with them to work on their improvements for the community.

All of these improvements can consist of by asking these questions: Should we hire more people? Should we start more conversations with our customers; To help bring a more positive and encouraging attribute to our businesses? How about we include more cafes? Which would encourage more local people to come and spend their time at our businesses.

If all these ideas do come into play, you see a shining light inside you that says: "Well done! You should be proud of yourself by cleverly inventing these ideas to your community!" This kind of positive reflection will boost your confidence to get bigger with your ideas!

Third scenario:

You are very passionate about how different people are treated in this country, (Human Rights act.) but at the same time, you are not happy about how some people choose to diss obey that.

You then feel the need to start up a social media page which is aimed at 'Individual Liberty' and consists of this very question, but with different reasons: Why do people get treated differently because of their age, race, height, weight, gender, sexuality or even face?

By doing so, you'll be sending the message out there to the world, which will also be encouraging them to do the EXACT same thing, so that way, this law shall come down harder on anyone who chooses to go against it. This type of action is what's known as: Activism.

If your motivational account proves to be successful by having a million followers, as well as supporters, your fame and determination will be recognized by the creator of your social media account, and will therefore make it verified, as it will then start earning you money to help you build your activism career to a bigger level! Again, making you more confident to learn more about this topic.

Which now brings me to an end with this discussion. Thank you so much for reading and feel free to let me know how politics help YOU see the world. See you soon.