Published 11 October 2023
Basseterre
Buckie Got It, St Kitts and Nevis News Source
DEAN GLASFORD AND IRISH TOWN PRIMARY HOST SPECIAL ASSEMBLIES ON MENTAL HEALTH AWARENESS
Basseterre: St. Kitts, Wednesday, October 10, 2023: Special assemblies were held at the Irish Town Primary and the Dean Glasford Primary schools with the sole objective of promoting awareness about mental health to the students. World Mental Health Day was observed on Tuesday, October 10, 2023, under the theme Mental Health is a Universal Human Right. Rev. Onita Warner guest speaker at the Irish Town Primary School, simplified the concept of mental health for the students.
“Mental health is how I think and feel about myself, the people and the things around me. When we think and feel, and think about our mental health, we are really talking about our emotions. When we are happy, when we are sad, when we are angry, or when we are frustrated. Part of our mental health is learning how we are going to cope when things affect us in life. Part of our mental health is learning how to express our feelings.”
Students engaged in meaningful and interactive discussions about their feelings, including why, when, how and to whom they might express themselves. Students were then given some child-friendly ways in which they could cope with anxiety which could help prevent it from becoming a problem.
“Sometimes we all get overwhelmed. Sometimes we may get nervous about something new. Sometimes we may get angry about something that has happened. Sometimes, when we are angry, we may want to shout at somebody, we may want to hit somebody, or we may want to punch our fingers or hands against the wall, but those are not the ways we are supposed to express ourselves. We may express ourselves by calming down, counting from 1 to 10, take deep breaths…going for walks with our parent’s permission, listening to music, sleeping, drawing, writing, find a quiet corner to sit”, shared Rev. Warner.
