Warialda High School

NSW Mental Health Month

Date

01-30 October

Time

All day

Location

Australia

Mental Health Month is celebrated each year in the month of October in NSW. This awareness month encourages all of us to think about our mental health and wellbeing, regardless of whether we may have a lived experience of mental illness or not. This month also gives us the opportunity to understand the importance of mental health in our everyday lives and encourages help seeking behaviours when needed. You could try the headspace Mental Health plan below, for the month of October!! You can download your own calendar and track your "small steps", or discover headspace's seven tips for a healthy headspace. Day 1 - be kind to yourself Day 2 - Take 5 minutes to read something fun - a chapter of a book, a comic or manga. Day 3 - Have a zoom dinner party - cook the same meal at different houses. Day 4 - Take the dog for a walk. Add another block each day. Day 5 - Do some deep breathing when you get into bed. Day 6 - Talk with someone you trust about how you feel. Day 7 - Reduce or cut out alcohol and other drugs by organising things for early the next morning. Day 8 - Do an act of kindness - compliment someone, offer to help someone or volunteer. Day 9 - Dance every day. Create a new dance choreography. Day 10 - Eat an apple a day - or whatever fruit you like. Day 11 - Stretch different parts of your body. Day 12 - Switch to passive screen time within 1 hour of bedtime. Day 13 - A phone call, email or text with a friend can help you feel connected and supported. Day 14 - Schedule other activities in for times you find hard. Day 15 - Breathe deeply; in and out for blocks of 10 or 20 breaths. Day 16 - Play an instrument. Try a different song each day. Day 17 - Make a meal with a friend. Day 18 - Explore new parts of your community. It might be a park or lake nearby. Day 19 - Set the alarm at the same time every day. Day 20 - Spend time with family doing a jigsaw. Day 21 - Find screen free time each day. Day 22 - Listen to a new song each day. Build a new playlist. Day 23 - Try a nutritious snack each day - carrot sticks, nuts. Day 24 - Dial into an online workout. Day 25 - Try mindfulness before bed. Find an app to support this. Day 26 - Send a text to a different person each day. Day 27 - Digital Detox when you walk. Lose the phone and look at what's around you. Day 28 - Play with your pet. Teach them a new trick. Day 29 - Have a meal with no processed foods. Day 30 - Choose one exercise - like squats or push ups and increase your repetitions by 5 each day. Day 31 - Join a zoom/facetime chat with friends each week.

Halloween

Date

31 October

Time

All day

Location

Everywhere

Halloween is a holiday celebrated in the United States each year on October 31, and Halloween 2020 will occur on Saturday, October 31. Halloween’s origins date back to the ancient Celtic festival of Samhain. This day marked the end of summer and the harvest and the beginning of the dark, cold winter, a time of year that was often associated with human death. Celts believed that on the night before the new year, the boundary between the worlds of the living and the dead became blurred. On the night of October 31 they celebrated Samhain, when it was believed that the ghosts of the dead returned to earth.

Remberance Day

Date

11 November

Time

11:00-11:01 AM

Road Safety Week

Date

15-21 November

Time

All day

Location

Australia

Every year, approximately 1200 people are killed and another 44,000 are seriously injured on Australian roads. Traffic injury is the biggest killer of Australian children under 15 and the second-biggest killer of all Australians aged between 15 and 24. These numbers are growing every year but are preventable if we choose to Drive So Others Survive. National Road Safety Week is an annual initiative from the Safer Australian Roads and Highways (SARAH) Group, partnering road safety organisations and Government. The week highlights the impact of road trauma and ways to reduce it.

International Men's Day

Date

19 November

Time

All day

Location

Everywhere

On November 19 International Men’s Day celebrates worldwide the positive value men bring to the world, their families and communities. The month of November is important for the masculine soul. Movember is the month to raise money for men's health. You might like to thank some men who are positive male role models in your community or use these IMD Appreciation Award certificates. You can download our posters and other resources here. International Men’s Day encourages men to teach the boys in their lives the values, character and responsibilities of being a man. Mahatma Gandhi said, “We must become the change we seek.” It is only when we all, both men and women, lead by example that we will create a fair and safe society which allows everyone the opportunity to prosper.

International Day of Persons with Disabilities

Date

03 December

Time

All day

Location

Everywhere

Disability inclusion is an essential condition to upholding human rights, sustainable development, and peace and security. Persons with disabilities are less likely to access health care, education, employment and to participate in the community. Did you know? Of the one billion population of persons with disabilities, 80% live in developing countries. An estimated 46% of older people aged 60 years and over are people with disabilities. One in every five women is likely to experience disability in her life, while one in every ten children is a child with a disability. Persons with disabilities in the world are among the hardest hit by COVID-19.