Emotional Well-Being at Wyke

How Food affects your Mood We all know that food is important to us and helps to give us physical energy. But did you know that food also affects how you feel. We need food to be able to think clearly and so by eating the right foods can help to lift our mood. Ensuring we keep hydrated also affects how we feel, a lack of hydration can lead to headaches, stomach aches and feeling agitated. Quick tips: Stay hydrated- drink lots of water and avoid sugary drinks including energy drinks, aim to drink between 6-8 glasses of water per day. Tea and coffee count towards this number but try not to drink too much caffeine as this can lead to headaches and feeling irritable. Try hot water and a slice of lemon or herbal teas. Eat breakfast- some say breakfast is the most important part of the day, it sets you up for the day ahead, you have better memory and concentration and you feel less agitated. Carry small healthy snacks- snacking on fruit, nuts and seeds will again help yo

The NHS describes a Panic Disorder as; “Panic disorder is an anxiety disorder where you regularly have sudden attacks of panic or fear. Everyone experiences feelings of anxiety and panic at certain times. It's a natural response to stressful or dangerous situations. But for someone with panic disorder, feelings of anxiety, stress and panic occur regularly and at any time, often for no apparent reason”. If you are experiencing panic disorders it is important that you seek support in dealing with the issue. Do not feel afraid to talk to your GP, they are trained and experienced in dealing with Panic Disorders. They can assess you and identify what support would be best suitable for you. Click on the link for further information https://www.nhs.uk/conditions/panic-disorder / How can we support you? If you are suffering from Panic Disorders it is important that you speak to your tutor and make them aware of how you are feeling and how this is affecting you. They

Self-care are activities you can do to keep yourself well both physically and emotionally. This can be as simple as eating and sleeping well to completing activities such as exercise. Give yourself permission to focus on yourself and think about what YOU need to make yourself feel better. Sleep- when we suffer with anxiety or low mood it’s easy to fall into a negative sleeping pattern, for example, do you regularly wake during the night and find it hard to fall back to sleep? Are you exhausted at 6pm but when you go to bed you are wide awake? It is not lazy to listen to our bodies and have a snooze when we are feeling tired. We all feel guilty if we have a nap during the day, why is that? When we sleep, our bodies work hard internally to heal. If you are struggling to sleep, try Mindfulness techniques. There are plenty of mindfulness videos on YouTube which you can access, try Wise Mind Body, borrow a Mindfulness book from the library or listen to Mindfulness music vi

Stress Awareness Month What is Stress? Stress is how we feel when are under pressure. We have all felt stressed before, everyone’s experience of stress is different. Something that makes one person stressed might not affect you at all and vice versa.   Common symptoms of stress include but are not exhaustive to; Headaches Agitation A busy or full mind Feeling ill Sleeplessness Lack of concentration Feeling tense Feeling Nauseous Skin conditions may develop or become worse, for example, Eczema or Psoriasis What are the causes of stress? Changes in your life may impact upon you, they may include, parental divorce or separation, illnesses, bereavement, breakdown in relationships, exams or coursework deadlines. So how can I reduce my stress levels? There are a number of ways you can reduce your stress levels, for example, take control of your time and plan when and what you will revise and how long each assignment will take to complete. Buy yourself a diar

We are all faced with challenges in our daily lives or experience times when we find it difficult to cope.  With the difficulties experienced by young people, it is vital that you are able to access the correct support and guidance available to help you to combat and improve your own emotional well-being. Here at Wyke we care about the well-being of our students, as part of the pastoral services, the onsite counselling team are here to provide a non-judgmental environment to enable you to explore the issues which are affecting you.  Please email counsellor@wyke.ac.uk There are a number of services available externally to college which you can access for information, support and guidance, please click on the links below. Papyrus Mind Childline Grass Roots Suicide Prevention Beat (The UK's Eating Disorder Charity) Seed (Eating Disorder Service) Evolve (Eating Disorder Service) Cornerhouse Conifer Sexual Health MESMAC (Sexual Health) CASA Suite (Sexual assault

Start by making a list of wellness tools.Wellness tools are things you already do, would like to do or might want to try to make yourself feel better, stay well, feel positive and make your life the way you want it to be. The above image shows some examples that we have collected along the way which people we have spoken to use. You may only like a few of them but choose the ones you feel will help you to feel good, you can also add your own.     

Dear Anxiety, I do not think you realise how you make me feel, for if you did I do not believe you would hang around for so long. So I think it’s time for you to hear a few home truths! You need to know the impact you have upon me. You have zapped my energy, you make me feel constantly sick, you’ve affected how I manage stressful situations and you have given my confidence and self-esteem a big slap in the face. If you were a real person, you would be a bully. Someone who grinds you down and makes you feel insignificant. YOU become what is significant in an extremely negative way. Because of you I have felt the darkness of my thoughts BUT I have thankfully come through the other side. For that I am thankful. Now I can look back to those dreadful months and see how far I have come. No longer will I worry about what others think of me. No longer will I talk about myself in a negative way, I WILL be kind to myself and give myself a break! I have now learnt to put a p