YoungMinds is leading the movement to make sure every young person gets the mental health support they need, when they need it, no matter what.
If you are a young person and need support with your mental health, visit youngminds.org.uk. If you are a parent or carer worried about a young person, call the Parents’ Helpline on 0808 802 5544.
It’s normal to worry about things. Almost 40% of children from eight- to 18-year-olds feel worried every week. For some children these feelings of worry can start as young as seven.
Social media and bullying can cause us to worry more, on top of what we might already be worrying about – the weather or if we haven’t done our homework! It is tough being a young person today and knowing where to start when trying to figure out your mental health.
Identifying your emotions is one thing, managing them is another.
Let’s talk about it!
Anxiety
Also known as ‘the orange one’ from Inside Out 2, simply put, anxiety is when you feel nervous and you’re not sure why. A little bit of anxiety can be good – nerves before a football match can help you go that little bit further and perform your best. A lot of anxiety can cause you to feel frozen in the moment, and not sure what to do.
If you feel your anxiety is getting the better of you, there are things you can do to help.
- Box Breathing: This is where you breathe in for four seconds, hold for four seconds, exhale for four seconds and finally, hold for four seconds. The idea is you picture a box in your mind and each step is a side of the box.
- Butterfly Hugs: Place a hand on each shoulder and take it in turns to tap each hand on to your shoulder. Do it one at a time for a minute and you will feel calmer. This is good to use when your anxiety is preventing you from doing something.
Anger
The ‘red one’ from Inside Out! Anger is what we call a ‘secondary emotion’, meaning it is usually there because we are feeling sad or hurt. Anger is a response to other emotions, rather than a feeling by itself.
Anger can be hard to control and might mean you do things you later feel bad about. It’s important to remember when you’re angry, it’s your automatic way of trying to protect yourself. Here are some things you can do if you feel like you can struggle with feeling angry:
- Talk to someone. A problem shared, is a problem halved! If you’re not quite ready to talk to someone about what is making you upset, try writing it down in a journal or on your phone. Research shows that writing down how we feel can make us feel better.
- Get a change of environment. Going for a walk, or moving to a different room can help our bodies calm down faster than if we stay in the spot we became angry in.
It’s normal when you are growing up to feel like your emotions are too big to handle!
However, if you are worrying about things a lot and it’s making you sad then talking to somebody can help. You might want to talk to your parents, teacher, or another adult you trust. It is important to share how you feel with people who make you feel safe.
If you feel nervous talking to someone, try writing a letter about your feelings and giving it to your trusted person.
Check out this YouTube clip for some more tips
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ScienceVega and its accompanying website, sciencevega.com, exist to bring today’s science to tomorrow’s scientists. And it will do this in a way which is completely free to both school and pupil. The pathway from GCSE to A-level to degree to scientific career is not always obvious. Quite often it is ambiguous and not enough is done to show a fourteen-year-old the possibilities open to them in a decade’s time.
Many may harbour the vague idea of ‘saving the whales’, but how many know how to get there? How many realise that as they go along their focus might change? The draw of the ocean may remain, but how many realise that instead of studying whales, they actually add to our knowledge of disappearing corals in the Pacific Ocean? Or the marked drop off in populations of crustaceans unique to Western Australia? Or examining fish behaviours in the Indian Ocean? But those careers are there and ScienceVega will showcase them, along with the scientists, both established professors at the top of their field and young PhD scientists just starting out on their career paths.
Should you wish to advertise with us, and help this venture to continue to reach our young scientists, please contact: office@sciencevega.com
