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I found this poster in a noticeboard in Holland Park. I think we can look into it

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How to cope with loneliness? - BBC Bitesize

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We’ve asked some sixth form students to tell us about times they’ve felt lonely.

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Healthy relationships - elementary (English)

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Scotland - Mental and emotional wellbeing - How to connect with others and ourselves - Connection - P4, P5, P6, P7 - Second Level classroom and home learning for Curriculum for Excellence with BBC Bitesize Scotland - BBC Bitesize

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Find out how connecting with others and ourselves can improve our wellbeing with BBC Bitesize Scotland article for P4, P5, P6, P7 - Second Level CfE

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Anyone can feel lonely, whether they are young or old, a girl or boy, confident or shy.

Some celebrities, including singer Justin Bieber, have opened up about feeling lonely too.
Childline says the number of young people wanting help to deal with loneliness has gone up.
The charity's latest figures show that they gave 4,636 counselling sessions for loneliness in 2017/18 - compared to 4,063 the year before.

Most were teenagers but the youngest person to call with the problem was 10 years old.

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There's nothing wrong with feeling lonely from time to time, but there is lots of support you can get if it makes you feel down.

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The kids tackling loneliness in their playground

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There are lots of reasons why people might feel lonely, so pupils at one school in Aberdeen have come up with a plan.

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This guide explores why it can be difficult to talk about mental health problems.

When people say mental health, they are talking about how people think and feel, and how they are coping with things happening in their life.

It's completely normal to feel sad, angry or worried from time to time. But when those feelings won't go away and they start to really affect day-to-day life, that is when there can be a problem.

Many people with a mental health problem find it hard to talk about it.

This guide looks at why that is and what you can do if you feel this is something that is affecting either you or somebody that you know.

Who can be affected by mental health problems?

The truth is that mental health problems can affect anyone.

An NHS survey of 9,117 kids showed that one in eight children over five has a mental health disorder.

This is said to be due to an increase in emotional problems like depression or anxiety.

Why do people find it hard to talk about mental health problems?

There can be many reasons why people might find it hard to talk about mental health problems.

Josh, Lucy and Matty explain why they found it difficult.

The truth is there are many reasons that people might find it difficult to open up about a mental health problem.

Some reasons for this that young people told Newsround include:

Worries that people may think you're 'weird' or leave you out

Not wanting to be treated any differently

Worries that people might spread rumours

Thinking that people might say it's rubbish and you're just being silly

Concerns that people will make a big deal of it

Worries that people might say nasty things

It is completely normal to have these concerns and there are many people who have felt this way.

But overcoming these worries - and speaking to someone - can have a really positive impact.

Why is it important that people talk about how they're feeling?

In this next video, Michael Rosen, Josh, Lucy and Matty discuss what a difference talking about their feelings made to them.

When Michael Rosen's son was 19, he died and Michael told Newsround how, at first, he found it difficult to talk about what had happened.

But he explained how the moment he stood in front of a big audience and told them what had happened to his son, it gave him the courage to write down how he felt - and it turned into a book.

"In a funny sort of way, I felt free and I felt better," Michael explained. "I could feel good that I had said that I feel bad - I know that sounds weird but that is actually how I felt.

"Maybe if you wrote something down about how you feel, and maybe if you showed that to somebody, that way we can help each other, can't we?

"Sometimes we have really strong feelings. If you feel like that, it really is important to find somebody you can talk to, somebody you can trust. Getting help early, quickly, very soon, can make a big difference," said Michael.

Advice if you are worried about talking about mental health problems

If you are worried about talking about how you are feeling, or you're worried about a family member of a friend, Michael Rosen, Josh, Lucy and Matty, have lots of advice.

BBC Radio 1's Dr Radha also gave us advice about why it is important to look after our mental health, what signs you can look out for, and where you can go for help and support.

If you are worried about mental health problems or are finding it difficult to talk about how you are feeling, there is lots of support out there.

The first thing you should do is speak to an adult that you trust about it. That might be a parent or family member, a family friend or even a teacher at school.

If you're not sure who you would like to talk to, ring Childline on 0800 1111 who will be able to help you with how you are feeling, or visit www.childline.org.uk.

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Mental health: Why is it hard to talk about problems? - CBBC Newsround

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This guide explores why it can be difficult to talk about mental health problems. When people say mental health, they are talking about how people think and feel, and how they are coping with things happening in their life. It's completely normal to feel sad, angry or worried from time to time.

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Young Minds (Charity)

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YoungMinds | Mental Health Charity For Children And Young People

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YoungMinds are a mental health charity for children, young people and their parents, making sure all young people can get the mental health support they need.

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info@drchatterjee.com

https://drchatterjee.com/site-search/?searchable%5Bquery%5D=relation

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Search Dr Chatterjee’s Health Resources / Dr Chatterjee

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Use our site search to find articles, podcasts, and videos by Dr Rangan Chatterjee on various health and wellness topics.

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This is my aunty's/Natalie's (the psychologist) email:

ngrudsky@gmail.com

This is my other aunty's/Ilona (the one who knows lots of types of therapy/ways of helping) email:

igrudsky@gmail.com

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BBC Bitesize Primary school article on Relationships,

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Loneliness charity

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https://www.youngminds.org.uk/

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How some friendships last — and others don’t - Iseult Gillespie

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How some friendships last — and others don’t - Iseult Gillespie

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How some friendships last — and others don’t - Iseult Gillespie

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Mental health house in Israel for teenagers

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Philippa.Carr@jamiuk.org

Philippa Carr, Senior Mental Health Education and Suicide Prevention Manager. The Jewish Association for Mental Illness (Jami)

‪+44 7480 370852‬

Head Room

jamiuk.org

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Maintaining healthy relationships and mental wellbeing

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Get relationship advice including on managing anxiety in relationships, dealing with a breakup and conflict. Find out how to build resilience in relationships.

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School Therapy Dogs | Therapy Dogs Nationwide

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Discover how Therapy Dogs Nationwide is leading the way in bringing calm, confidence, and literacy into classrooms through professionally trained reading dogs.

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https://pettable.com/blog/snake-emotional-support-animal

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Can a Snake Be an Emotional Support Animal?

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Make your Snake an ESA with Pettable. Speak with a licensed professional for qualifying and documentation. Get the emotional support you need today.

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https://pettable.com/emotional-support-animals - emotinal support animals

https://pettable.com/blog/benefit-of-esas-stories - the benifit of emotinal suport animals

https://pettable.com/blog/what-animals-can-be-esa - what animals can be emotinal support animals

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https://pettable.com/blog/benefit-of-esas-stories

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5 Real Stories on the Benefit of an Emotional Support Animal

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Real people share how emotional support animals changed their lives — offering comfort, healing, and purpose in their darkest moments.

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For Yuval and maybe (probably not) for others

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For Yuval and maybe (probably not) for others

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Mental health patients find calm with reptile therapy in Kent and Medway

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Geckos, bearded dragons, tortoises and snakes have become an unexpected part of care at Kent and Medway Mental Health NHS Trust, where a new reptile assisted therapy programme has been running on its hospital wards in Maidstone.

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This might help with our PEEL paragraghs 

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This might help with our PEEL paragraghs 

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When the Vibe Shifts: Normalizing the Change in Friendship Dynamics after Major Life Events

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Pacific Health Group discusses navigating dynamic shifts after life events and why boundaries are key to mental wellness.

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Read our tips to manage feelings of loneliness. Making new connections, peer support, looking after yourself and more.

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dickens.whitney@gmail.com

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snake therapy place maybe to interview info 

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snake therapy place maybe to interview info 

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Address:

KENT & MEDWAY NHS PARTNERSHIP
PRIORITY HOUSE
HERMITAGE LANE
MAIDSTONE
ME16 9PH

Phone:

07707153706

Email:

kmpt.charity@nhs.net

Website:

www.kmpt.nhs.uk

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Kent & Medway Mental Health NHS Trust Charitable Fund - Charity 1202262

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Charity details for Kent & Medway Mental Health NHS Trust Charitable Fund - Charity 1202262

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Maya - Why do I feel so lonely even though I'm surrounded by people?

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Maya - Why do I feel so lonely even though I'm surrounded by people?

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Why do I feel so lonely even though I’m surrounded by people?

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We live in a bustling, crowded world, yet loneliness appears to be on the rise. Why are so many of us feeling isolated and what can we do about it?

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Maya - Children’s Mental Health Week: How connecting with others can improve your mental health

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Maya - Children’s Mental Health Week: How connecting with others can improve your mental health

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Children's Mental Health Week is an annual awareness week that helps shed light on the importance of young people's mental health.
2023's theme was Let's Connect, which looked to encourage both children and adults to consider how we can make meaningful connections.

Moodboosters spoke to psychologist Mireille Wallace to find out how connecting with others can improve your relationship with your mental health.

The importance of connection

So what exactly is connection? Mireille told Moodboosters: "Connection is one of our strongest human needs. It is essentially a bond that we create with another person and is based on genuine, positive, and caring interactions.

"When we connect with another person, we are exchanging positive energy which makes us feel seen, heard, understood, and valued."

Connections form the basis of human relationships, they are about being in the moment together, sharing experiences and emotions, and feeling good with that person.

However, it's important to note that connections can be varied and that they won't always be the same. While we have the closest connections with our inner circle, comprising of family and friends, we also have wider connections with our community, school or workplace.

But what is so important about connecting with others? Mireille explains: "From the moment we are born, we form bonds with our caregivers and rely on these to keep us safe. These bonds create trust and a sense of belonging.

"We are social creatures and being together and connecting with others is how we survive and thrive."

In turn, these connections can help us feel happy and secure. Strong connections improve the quality of our lives, whilst keeping us healthy and resilient.

"Social connectivity supports our mental health and reduces stress, anxiety and depression. Positive connections support our self esteem and improve our mood."

Differences in adults and children

With this week's emphasis on children's mental health, is there anything fundamentally different between the mental health of children and adults?

Mireille explains that while both can experience the whole spectrum of emotions, the key difference between the two is that adults have often had more life experience. This means that adults tend to use more logic and reasoning when responding to emotions, whereas children may be more reactive or lack perspective.

"With brain development, maturity, understanding, experience, we develop a better sense of control over our emotions and are more able to think through consequences, outcomes, and use reason to guide our behaviour."

"This doesn't necessarily mean that a child is more or less likely to be anxious than an adult, but these are some of the differences we see in terms of presentation."

But despite any differences, there are plenty Moodboosting ways that both children and adults can connect with those around them.

Setting aside the time to connect can involve anything from arranging a walk with a friend, meeting up with a family member for a coffee or even trying out an act of random kindness. You could also try joining a club, scheduling a phone call with someone you'd like to catch up with or eating lunch in a communal place.

If you have children, you could also try connecting at school or at home, by copying each other's movements in the classroom or doing a country and western style dance at home with your family.

Remember, words aren't always the only way that we can connect with others. Non-verbal communication can also be vital for connection. This can be anything from touch and eye contact, to smiling and nodding.

Connecting in the age of technology

Connecting online is something most of us do on a day to day basis. The ability to connect digitally with others, especially friends or family members who may live far away, can be essential in maintaining those relationships.

Mireille explains that when you're connecting safely with others online, whether that be through social media, forums or gaming, it is important to remember that technology should only enhance our connection with others, it should never replace it.

"Online connection can't beat the real thing. Connecting face to face is what our brains know best, we evolved to need human connection long before anyone could ever even imagine doing it on screens.

"When we connect face to face, we share a much richer experience where we can really engage with all aspects of an interaction, the shared space, the body language, the eye contact, and these all help make the connection a much more genuine and enjoyable experience."

Avoiding reliance on solely online connections can also prevent loneliness. Loneliness occurs when we are lacking genuine human connection to other people. This was demonstrated during the pandemic, with researching showing that not being able connect in ways we were used to had a negative impact on many people's health and well-being.

"So even though we had endless ways to connect online, it was the real-life connections, the hugs, the closeness, the shared moments that we needed the most."

While life can get busy, making some time to connect with others, nature and the other things that make you feel good can go a long way.

Further information

To access more mental health and wellbeing related videos and activities go to bbc.co.uk/moodboosters.

For more information about mental health and wellbeing, check out the dedicated area on the NHS website.

BBC Action Line has details of organisations that can offer support.
The BBC is not responsible for the content of external websites. By clicking the link to access the external website you will be redirected to a site controlled by a separate organisation. Please note that the BBC is not the data controller of the personal data you enter into the external website and it is not responsible for the services provided by any external organisation. When using an external website, you are subject to their Terms and Conditions and Privacy Policy. This article was written in February 2023.

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Moodboosters | Children's Mental Health Week | Connect | Mental health and wellbeing

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The theme for Children's Mental Health Week, an annual awareness week that helps shed light on the importance of young people's mental health, is 'Lets Connect'.