Jackie Scruton, Jonathan’s Voice Volunteer writes
Recently after a long day of video meetings, I was sat enjoying catching up on missed episodes of the quiz show Only Connect, when an ‘advert’ caught my attention. The BBC launching a mental health toolkit: Headroom. I decided to log on and have an explore.
From the outset I was reassured by the tone. The introduction clearly stating: ‘We know we can’t solve all your troubles, but we can give you tools to help’. Some of these tools include detailing inspiring films to get you talking, how to use nature as an escape and a variety of sounds/ music to help you to relax.
Of all the content two things caught my attention. Firstly, the support and advice for young people (found under the Bitesize tab) The articles written by Dr Radha Modgil are not only up to date but give advice that is clear and well presented. The section Healthy Ways to Explore Your Feelings, although aimed at young people, I found to be pertinent to understanding my own feelings and how to help myself.
The second piece of content that I found really interesting was an episode entitled ‘Calming the voice in our head’ from the sports podcast Don’t Tell Me the Score. It is a discussion with the psychologist Ethan Kross which explores the concept of Chatter, namely the voice in our heads, that can spin out of control when we are worried or stressed about things. For me the key point was learning about talking to yourself using the third person. For those of you interested in sport and especially tennis, there is a great insight as to why Rafael Nadal is so meticulous about his routines prior to serving named at the change of ends: have listen it is fascinating!
Image credit BBC website 10th March 2021
