This week, we welcomed writer, activist and Mental Health campaigner, Natasha Devon MBE to NLCS. Natasha is a regular visitor and has delivered many talks and workshops to our parents, students and staff.
Natasha joined us for an online talk to our parent community about ‘Communication and Mental Health’. She discussed the difficulties many young people and their families have when talking about mental health honestly and without confusion. She provided tips for encouraging those struggling to open up about their feelings, gave advice to parents in understanding their role and offered advice on when to seek further information and guidance.
We are very fortunate to have Natasha speak to our students throughout the academic year as part of our PSHE and pastoral programme. She has most recently given workshops to our Middle School students about stress and anxiety and their impact on the brain and body. These interactive and practical sessions have introduced students to activities to help manage anxiety and support themselves and others during difficult and challenging times.
” We learnt about the science behind stress; it originates from the amygdala in the brain, which senses threats and sends neurons to your nervous system to excrete adrenaline and cortisol. These hormones can lead to an imbalance in your brain and make you more vulnerable to mental health illnesses such as anxiety and depression.” Middle School Student
For further information, please visit Natasha’s website: natashadevon.com
Natasha has also provided some helpful resources:
– Free downloadable resources including animated videos with BBC Bitesize, a social media activity sheet and a sample from Natasha’s book for teenagers on motivation.
– Download Natasha’s recommended reading list here.
– Links to organisations that provide safe, evidence-based and impartial information and support on a range of mental health issues.
Some helpful TED Talks
Thomas Curran on perfectionism
Anil Seth ‘your mind hallucinates your conscious reality’
Brene Brown on sympathy -v- empathy
