Helping Young Minds

Just last week, Kate Middleton made a rare but inspirational speech where she outlined her reasons for supporting children’s mental health causes and charities.

Kate admitted that as a child she had been ‘lucky’ to have a ‘wonderful and secure childhood’ surrounded by supportive parents and teachers. But stressed, that even those who come from happy and stable homes can still suffer from mental health issues. She stated:

‘As today’s theme reminds us, many children – even those from stable, happy homes – are finding that their heads are just too full. It is our duty, as parents and as teachers, to give all children the space to build their emotional strength and provide a strong foundation for their future.’

The children’s mental health charity Place2Be, which was recently supported by the Duchess of Cambridge, has launched a Children’s Mental Health Awareness Week for 2016, which will take place from the 8^th – 14^th February. By launching this special national event, Place2Be hope that children will have the time and the space to open up freely about their feelings, get help if needed, and learn that asking for help is not a sign of weakness.

According to Place2Be, three children in every classroom have a diagnosable mental health problem. In contrast to this worrying statistic, it has also been proven that children who receive support from a younger age are less likely to suffer from mental health difficulties later on in life.

To help children and young people cope with their emotions, anxieties and stresses, numerous schools across the UK have begun to introduce meditation and Mindfulness into the classroom. There is a wealth of research out there that suggests Mindfulness sessions for children have so many benefits, from decreasing bullying and aggression, to increasing optimism, happiness, encouraging compassion and empathy for others.

With every Mindfulness workshop we deliver, we hope that we are providing children and young people with tools they can use anytime and anywhere: tools to calm down, slow down, and hopefully feel better. Imagine if all the children around the world learnt to use these tools during their childhoods. What a change our world would experience within just one generation!

Love Victoria and the One Day team x