Workshop by Elizabeth Barlow
In this session we will collaboratively create a mental health survival guide that we can use ourselves and pass onto other people. I’ll introduce some basics around mental health namely anxiety and depression. I’ll also introduce some coping strategies and helpful activities. I want participants to be actively involved in this session and it will be a mixture of me presenting and group discussions. Participants will work together to build a mental health guide that anyone can use but we will focus on issues that might be common for ALTs or English teachers within Nagasaki Prefecture. If you would like to attend without participating in the group discussions that’s fine you can just listen during the group section.
Mental Heath Survival Guide 2020 Edition
This guide was created following the “Mental Health Survival Guide” workshop at the 2020 Skills Development Conference. In this workshop, through group discussions, participants spoke about challenges they had faced during 2020 and what had helped them to work through these challenges. The issues identified in these group discussions have informed the content of this guide. This guide has been designed to be a mental health resource for ALTs and English teachers in Nagasaki prefecture. We hope that it will be helpful and provide some comfort to you.
Text by Elizabeth Barlow
Design by Kyle Yukawa
Click here for the downloadable PDF version
Q & A Section
*** This question was submitted anonymously through the feedback form. ***
Something we talked about was the importance of continuing contact with old relationships, but it would be nice to get some advice on making new ones in this current climate.
- I appreciate that with corona obviously it is potentially a difficult time to go about making new connections or relationships. I think maintaining an open mind and being receptive to new situations or people will help. I think if you can do things whilst social distancing then try new activities, groups or go to new places. Take small opportunities to talk to new people. Sometimes these things happen when we aren’t looking for them. I think just explore and be curious about things or places that you are interested in and you might meet some new people along the way.