Health & Wellbeing
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The following guidance and information is intended to support St Joseph's immediate and extended communities to feel well, healthy and happy. If you feel that you need help immediately call Childline on 0800 1111 or click here.
Five steps of health and wellbeing:
- Connect. If possible, connect and keep in touch with people around you: family, friends, colleagues and neighbours. Check on one another, if visits are not possible then phone, WhatsApp, text or face time.
- Be active. If possible, get active; walk, run, cycle, play a game, gardening, dancing or construct your own home-made circuit. Ensure you are eating well, drinking water and getting the rest you need to be healthy.
- Take notice. Be observant of yourself, others and your environment. Give compliments, support one another, be kind and look for something beautiful in your family or nature.
- Keep learning. Stay interested in local, national and international developments. How can you help yourself and others? Be aware of other opportunities to progress your learning through the school website and Google Classrooms.
- Give. Being there for one another is so important; random acts of kindness, encouragement, love and generosity. Invest in yourself, family and loved ones; compassion, time, patience and citizenship.
listen and talk
Click on any of the buttons below to move straight to a specific link or take your time and read all the options we have found for you.
We are ready to listen...
Parent/Carers at home: Always try and find time to speak to your parent/carer or a sibling at home. They know you best and know how you tick so are in the best position to provide loving advice and support. However, for a wide range of reasons, not all young people find it easy to express themselves at home. In such situations it might be easier to talk to people in school.
Friends/Peers: Often your friends or peers are the best people to speak to. They may have had similar experiences and feelings, and they might be able to provide you with examples of support and next steps that have helped them. However, young people often want to talk to an adult, someone a bit older, a bit wiser and someone they really trust.
Our inclusive family ethos is based on the 3 Rs: Respect, Responsibility and Relationships.
These underpin every aspect of life at St Joseph's RC High School.
From their first day all students are supported in our caring community and central to this is our pastoral system. Within each year group we have eight form tutor groups, one Head of Year and one Assistant Head of Year. Form tutors play a vital role in keeping a watchful eye on students' academic and personal development. Students and tutors meet at least twice a day. At St Joseph's, all staff and teachers pride themselves on developing warm and caring relationships with the pupils in our care. If and when a pupil needs support we want them to know that we are here for them, and we are ready to listen.
The Form Tutor is the first point of contact and daily link between home and school, normally the first person in school you might speak to. They see you for nearly 30 minutes a day, they know who you are, and they have a vested interest in you as one of their form family. The Form Tutor will also quickly seek support from your Head of Year if they feel it is needed.
Your Head of Year and Assistant Head of Year have the wider responsibility for your year group family. They are also very willing to listen to you if you need support. They will work with your Form Tutor to try and find the best way forward for you.
Your class teachers and teaching assistants. It is often the case that a pupil wants to talk to a class teacher about how they feel, as well as or instead of their Form Tutor. This is absolutely fine as we want our pupils to talk to an adult they feel most comfortable with.
Senior Leadership team (SLT). All the leadership team will take the time to listen to you during breaks or whenever you see them. Please arrange a meeting time with them if you need to speak at more length or need complete privacy. Mr Humpage is the Year 7-9 support link, Mr Nunn is support link for Years 10-11 and Mrs Morgan is the support link for our Sixth Form.
No pupil needs to feel alone or unsupported.
We have tried to provide a clear structure of support from our experienced and caring St Joseph's staff.
Newport MIND: Call 01633 258741
Newport MIND provide advice and support to empower anyone experiencing a mental health problem. We campaign to improve services, raise awareness and promote understanding. We won’t give up until everyone experiencing a mental health problem gets both support and respect.
Adults email:
Young people and families email:
Papyrus: Hopeline UK 0800 068 41 41
PAPYRUS is the national charity dedicated to the prevention of young suicide
Are you, or is a young person you know, not coping with life? For confidential suicide prevention advice contact HOPELINE UK. We are open 9am–12am (midnight) every day of the year.
Papyrus exist to reduce the number of young people who take their own lives by shattering the stigma around suicide and equipping young people and their communities with the skills to recognise and respond to suicidal behaviour.
Further help:
One of the main ways we can help reduce suicide within our community is by having more conversations and being open about suicide so that those who may be experiencing suicidal thoughts and feelings may feel able to open up with someone sooner. Below is a list of the resources and helplines that we would like to share with our families.
- If your friend is not ok – Headspace
- Hello Yellow lesson plan – Young Minds
- Info about suicide aimed a younger audience
- 24/7 Childline helpline – click this link or call for free on 0800 1111
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TALKINGZONE: Confidential Pupil Counselling
TalkingZone Counselling Service is for young people attending Secondary Schools in Newport. TalkingZone provides your school with a counsellor who works with any pupil wishing to talk about their personal problems.
Counselling is private and confidential. That means anything you tell the counsellor stays between you and the counsellor unless you say something that means you are being seriously harmed, or at risk of serious harm. The counsellor will tell you more about this before you start.
TALKINGZONE: Confidential Parent Counselling
Due to the Coronavirus pandemic, TalkingZone has expanded its service to include Parental Consultations, and telephone or video counselling for parents. We are also able to provide remote counselling for young people throughout lock down. Contact us for further information.
CHILDLINE: 0800 1111
Childline is yours – a free, private and confidential service where you can talk about anything. Speak to a counsellor every day from 7.30am - 3:30am on weekdays and 9am - 3.30am on weekends.
Childline counsellors are all different ages and come from lots of different backgrounds. But what they all have in common is that they want to help young people.
- They will listen to you and are genuine, open and friendly.
- They know it takes courage to contact them, and they aren't easily shocked.
- They know about the problems young people can face.
- They will let you take your time and won't judge you or put you down.
NSPCC: 0800 136 663
We've launched a dedicated helpline for children and young people who have experienced abuse at school, and for worried adults and professionals that need support and guidance, including for non-recent abuse.
Recognising the signs that a child may be struggling with their mental health can be really hard. We've got advice to help you support children who may be experiencing depression, anxiety, suicidal feelings or self-harm.
Live Fear Free Helpline
Get in touch with Live Fear Free advisors free of charge by phone, online chat, text or email.
Live Fear Free can provide help and advice to:
- anyone experiencing domestic abuse
- anyone who knows someone who needs help. For example, a friend, family member or colleague
- practitioners seeking professional advice.
All conversations with Live Fear Free are confidential and are taken by staff that are highly experienced and fully trained.
Call: 0808 80 10 800
Available 24 hours a day 7 days a week. About the helpline
Text: 07860077333
Available 24 hours a day 7 days a week. About the text service
Email: info@livefearfreehelpline.wales
Available 24 hours a day 7 days a week. About the email service
Live chat service
Available 24 hours a day 7 days a week.
You must have pop-ups enabled in your browser to use this service.
Fearless.org
Fearless is the youth service of Crimestoppers and through its website, Fearless.org, it offers young people non-judgemental advice, so they can make informed decisions about reporting crime. The Fearless website uniquely allows young people to give information about crime 100% anonymously using a secure online form. The service also engages with and educates young people about the consequences of their choices around crime.
Download the letter from contact Kieron Porter, the Fearless Outreach Worker for Gwent or:
Call 07443 757328
Email: Kieron.Porter@Crimestoppers-uk.org
Twitter: @Fearless_Gwent
MENTAL HEALTH SUPPORT
Mentally Healthy Schools
Mentally Healthy Schools brings together quality-assured mental health resources, information & advice for schools and further education settings in Wales.
Click on any of the buttons below to move straight to a specific link or take your time and read all the options we have found for you.
Mood Journal
A mood journal lets you record how you’re feeling and why. You can just write about what’s happening. You can use the journal whenever you want to. If you keep using it, you’ll be able to see a graph of how you’re feeling. If you keep using it, you’ll be able to see a graph of how you’re feeling. There are lots of ways to use a journal to cope or feel better.
| Let your feelings out | Writing about how you’re feeling can be a great way to express yourself |
| Learn about what makes you feel down or upset. | Writing a little every day about what’s happened to make you upset can help you to spot patterns and understand your feelings |
| Remind you of things to be proud of | Try writing down one thing you’re glad about each day and record how you feel about it. Writing down when things go well as well, even really small things, can help to remind you of things to be proud of |
| Keep track of new things you try | Any time you try something new to cope or feel better, you can write down how you feel before and after to see whether it’s helped |
Boost your Mood...
Find new ways to feel better by trying something interesting or fun! Play a game to take your mind off difficult things and have some fun. Browse games below or select a type of game you'd like to play, e.g. Arcade, Puzzles and quizzes.
Wall of Expression!
Worried? Frustrated? Write on the wall and then watch your worries crumble away.
Childline 0800 1111
Childline is yours — a free, private and confidential service where you can talk about anything. Click on any of the buttons below for more information, help and advice from professional counsellors. They are all different ages and come from lots of different backgrounds. But what they all have in common is that they want to help young people. You!
CHILDLINE CONFIDENTIALITY PROMISE: Confidentiality means not telling anyone the things you’ve told us. It means you can trust that we’ll keep it private. Only sometimes, if we are really worried about your or someone else’s safety, will we need to tell someone.
NHS Healthier Together
Click on any of the links below for lots of information and many of your questions answered by NHS professionals.
Healthier Together - is an NHS (Aneurin Bevan University Health Board) website helping to Improve the physical and emotional health and wellbeing of our whole community. Suitable for pupils, parents and the whole family.
Bullying
Being bullied? Feeling worried or unsafe? Whatever you're going through, Childline can support you.
Bullying can happen anywhere and be about anything. We've got advice about different types of bullying, and how you can get help and support.
How to Cope with Suicidal Feelings
*Trigger Warning*
Suicide can understandably be a difficult and sensitive topic for many people, therefore, we wanted to highlight that some information below and additional attachments some may find distressing;
Every year close to 800,000 people globally take their own life and there are many more people who attempt suicide. Every suicide is a tragedy that affects families, communities and has long-lasting effects on the people left behind. It's the leading cause of death among young people aged 20-34 years in the UK and is the second leading cause of death among 15-29 year-olds globally, and males are three times more likely to complete and attempt at suicide.
Papyrus
Hopeline UK 0800 068 41 41
Are you, or is a young person you know, not coping with life? For confidential suicide prevention advice contact HOPELINE UK. We are open 9am–12am (midnight) every day of the year.
PAPYRUS is the national charity dedicated to the prevention of young suicide.
Papyrus exist to reduce the number of young people who take their own lives by shattering the stigma around suicide and equipping young people and their communities with the skills to recognise and respond to suicidal behaviour.
Further help:
One of the main ways we can help reduce suicide within our community is by having more conversations and being open about suicide so that those who may be experiencing suicidal thoughts and feelings may feel able to open up with someone sooner. Below is a list of the resources and helplines that we would like to share with our families.
- If your friend is not ok – Headspace
- Hello Yellow lesson plan – Young Minds
- Info about suicide aimed a younger audience
- 24/7 Childline helpline – click this link or call for free on 0800 1111
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MEIC Helpline for young people of Wales
The Meic Helpline is free, confidential and bilingual and can be contacted by:
| Telephone 080 880 23456 | Text 84001 | Online Chat |
Children and young people can talk to one of our trained advisers about any question or issue they may have, big or small. Our advisers will then work with that child or young person to find the help that they need.
The Meic website is also full of useful articles which offer advice on a number of different subject. Visit the Articles section on the website to search through our previous articles, or use the magnifying glass on the top right-hand corner to search a specific keyword.
PHYSICAL HEALTH support
St Joes PE Twitter
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Follow our St Joes PE Twitter feed for tips on staying healthy during this period of distance learning or isolation. |
School Nurses and Looked After Children's Services
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School Nurses and Looked After Children's Services TELEPHONE: 07500 124208 |
FRANK: Honest Information About Drugs
FRANK helps you find out everything you might want to know about drugs (and some stuff you don't). Find out about the highs, the lows and everything in between. Read the facts around alcohol, including what’s legal, the effects and tips for cutting down. For friendly, confidential advice, Talk to FRANK
Links to help you stay physically healthy
Click on a link below to try a new workout, exercise or even start a new hobby...!
healthy relationships
Help if you need it...
Please see below some websites you can use for more information and assistance:
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HWB Keeping Safe Online Supports Children and Young People, Parents/Carers, Practioners' and Governors with online safety and cybersecurity. |
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MEIC |
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Live Fear Free Call 0808 80 10 800 |
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CHILDLINE |
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PARENT ZONE & FAMILY wellbeing SUPPORT
NHS Services For You and Your Family 2022
Advice to residents of the area when they need medical help but are unsure where to go:
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NHS Services Booklet ENGLISH |
NHS Services Booklet WELSH |
The booklet has also been printed in 10 most commonly used languages in Gwent: Bengali, Polish, Arabic, Urdu, Slovak, Romanian, Hungarian, Chinese- Mandarin, Turkish, Czech. Audio files in the 12 languages, Easy Read and sign language versions have also been produced. Click here for all these options.
Following the opening of The Grange University Hospital almost 18 months ago, the Health Board is keen to make sure local people understand what different services can offer them, depending on their needs. With Pharmacies and GP Surgeries able to offer an expanded range of services and treatments, getting expert care closer to home is now easier than ever, but it’s important for residents to understand these changes so that they can access the right service when they need it.
The booklet also offers advice on staying healthy by eating well, exercising and looking after mental well-being, in the hope that leading a healthier lifestyle will see fewer residents needing hospital services, and in turn, ease pressure on local NHS services.
Newport MIND
Newport MIND has put together this comprehensive list of information to help you through any questions you may have. Click below to download.
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Family Wellbeing
Understanding Wellbeing: Mental wellbeing describes your mental state – how you are feeling and how well you can cope with day-to-day life. Our mental wellbeing is dynamic. It can change from moment to moment, day to day, month to month or year to year. The leaflet below will give you some ideas around how to support wellbeing in your family in five easy steps, making it fun for everyone involved.
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Bereavement Support
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Please click on the document below to read helpful information for families and how to help grieving children. |
Please contact the school if you need any help, but if this is not possible, please use the links below to help until you can.
| RD4U | Part of Cruse Bereavement Care. If you are a young person you can send a private message to one of their trained volunteers at info@rd4u.org.uk who will reply to you by email. If you want to talk to someone directly, you can call their FREE phone helpline on 0808 808 1677. |
| Winstons Wish | The leading childhood bereavement charity and the largest provider of services to bereaved families in the UK. They have specialist expertise in supporting children bereaved by suicide and they also have a site for young people. |
| Grief Encounter | Provider of support services for bereaved children and their families throughout the UK in order to help children find ways out of the abyss of grief. Their site has sections for children and young adults. |
| Samaritans | If you are under 18, you can still talk confidentially to the Samaritans. They won’t tell you what to do, they will listen and try to understand what you’re going through. Their number is 116 123 (UK) or look at their site for other ways to contact them. |
| Childline | Childline is a private and confidential service for children and young people up to the age of nineteen. You can contact a Childline counsellor about anything – no problem is too big or too small. Call them free on 0800 1111, have a 1-2-1 chat online or send an email. |
| If U Care Share | If U Care Share Foundation is a charity promoting emotional well being in young people and supporting families affected by suicide. |
| Child Bereavement UK | Supports families and educates professionals when a child dies or is dying or when a child is facing bereavement. Young people can contact them confidentially by phone on 0800 02 888 40 or email them. |
| Papyrus | The national UK charity dedicated to the prevention of young suicide. They have a confidential helpline (0800 068 41 41) or you can email them (pat@papyrus-uk.org) or text them 07786 209697. |
| CALM | The Campaign Against Living Miserably exists to prevent male suicide in the UK. They use young men’s peers, their voices and interests to reach them and their materials and communications are created by young men. You can call or text their helpline – see their site for details depending on your location. |
| Cruse Bereavement Care | Provide support for adults and children after the death of someone close. They also operate a helpline. |
| Penhaligon's Friends | A Cornish charity supporting bereaved children, young people, parents and carers throughout the county. We offer children and young people the chance to meet others and share their experiences, as well as practical resources for children and parents. |
TALKINGZONE: Confidential Parent Consultations
Due to the Coronavirus pandemic, TalkingZone has expanded its service to include Parental Consultations, and telephone or video counselling for parents.
The purpose of this service is to support parents in supporting the emotional wellbeing of their children during this time. You will speak to a School Based Counsellor who will be able to guide you in supporting the emotional wellbeing of your child.
STAFF WELLBEING
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Follow our SJHSwellbeing twitter feed for links and information to help keep for mind and body healthy during the lockdown. |
Staff Wellbeing: The 6 ways of coping
An ongoing series aimed at school staff on the key ways of coping. Developed by Newport MIND, these videos intend to give staff a space to reflect on their own wellbeing and to help them build up their own self-help skills.
Each of the six videos are only 5 minutes or less and all focus on a different key way of coping, with practical examples of coping techniques that can be used both in and outside of school. Click below for the first 2 of these videos. Newport MIND will be adding a new video to this playlist each week.
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Staff Wellbeing: Self Care |
Staff Wellbeing: Grounding |
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Self Care
Strategies with you to help you to manage your own wellbeing. It’s up to you to decide what helps. If it works, keep doing it. If it doesn’t, stop and try something else.
HELPLINES AND USEFUL LINKS
For pupils |
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| Childline |
Comforts, advises and protects children 24 hours a day and offers free confidential counselling. Phone 0800 1111 (24 hours) and chat 1-2-1 with a counsellor online. |
| Newport MIND | Based locally, Newport MIND provide advice and support to empower anyone experiencing a mental health problem. No one should have to face a mental health problem alone. |
| Samaritans |
24 hour confidential listening and support for anyone who needs it. (Adults included.) |
| YoungMinds Crisis Messenger |
Provides free, 24/7 crisis support across the UK if you are experiencing a mental health crisis. |
| MEIC | Information, advice and advocacy helpline for children and young people |
| EikOnline | Providing a safe and secure space for teenagers to relate to their peers, get their voices heard by discussing issues that matter to them. Or connect using Instagram or Facebook. |
For parents, carers and families |
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| Newport MIND | Based locally, Newport MIND provide advice and support to empower anyone experiencing a mental health problem. No one should have to face a mental health problem alone. |
| Parentzone | A hub of advice for families from Parent Zone’s experts |
| Healthier Together | An NHS (Aneurin Bevan University Health Board) website helping to Improve the physical and emotional health and wellbeing of our whole community. |
For teachers and support staff |
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| Meic | The website also has a specific section for professionals full of resources designed to teach others about Meic. There are links to school resources and lessons on the Hwb platform, a list of some of our videos (more can be found on our YouTube channel), and links to download our flyers, posters and branding. You are welcome to print these yourselves, and use our logos to link to the Meic helpline from your school websites if you so wish. Meic has lots of resources included on the Hwb platform, and a number of links to Meic have been included in their recent Young Person's Mental Health Toolkit. |
great apps and things
Try some of these apps to keep your wellbeing in shape - these are all available free on the App Store.
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Audible Audiobooks |
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Be Mindful |
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Changing Health |
Change 4 Life |
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Couch to 5K |
Feeling Good |
iPrescribe Exercise |
Headspace |
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iPrevail |
The Pzizz App |
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Student Health |
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Smart Recipies |
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PODCASTS
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The Mid Point with Gabby LoganGabby Logan is middle-aged and unashamed. But what does it mean to be at the halfway stage of your life? Here, Gabby talks candidly to well-known faces about their own midlife challenges and expectations, drawing on the advice of experts from sleep gurus, nutritionists, and doctors specialising on hormone treatment. |
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The Naked ProfessorsLife coach and writer Ben Bidwell brings you open, relatable conversations about mental health, mindset and personal growth. The Naked Professors represent the new breed of masculinity by stripping things back to have deep vulnerable discussions about what's most important in life and how we actually feel. |
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Alastair HumphreysAs well as expeditions such as cycling round the world, walking across India and rowing the Atlantic, Alastair was named as a National Geographic Adventurer of the Year for his pioneering work on the concept of micro adventures, trying to encourage people to get outside, get out of their comfort zone, go somewhere they’ve never been. |
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How To Fail With Elizabeth DayToday's episode is an important one. Jim Down is an ICU doctor on the frontline of the Covid crisis. He is a consultant in critical care and anaesthesia at University College London Hospital, running the intensive care unit at one of London’s busiest hospitals, where life and death decisions are an everyday occurrence. |
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Food For ThoughtFood For Thought is brought to you by Rhiannon Lambert, the UK's leading Nutritionist, founder of private Harley Street clinic Rhitrition and bestselling author of Re-Nourish - A Simple Way to Eat Well. |
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Always Another Adventure | Great adventures sharedVideos and podcasts about great adventures |
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Not Another Nutrition Podcast - Martin MacDonaldWisdom Snowflakes, Cancel Culture and The Fickleness of Social Media. |
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From Paper to PodiumIn this bi-weekly podcast, Charlie Webster and James Morton chat to world-renowned athletes and respected experts in performance and nutrition to bring you the insights that make your favourite sports men and women, faster, stronger and fitter. |
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The High Performance Half HourWelcome to The High Performance Half Hour. In my weekly show I'm going to interview a number of high performing individuals from the world of sport, business, entertainment and coaching to find out what makes them tick and uncover some of their habits and behaviours that allow them to stand out from the crowd and achieve success in their chosen profession. |
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Happy Place Podcast - News - Fearne CottonFearne's HAPPY PLACE podcast, now in its ninth series with over 40 million downloads, builds on the success of the top 10 bestseller HAPPY where Fearne draws on her own experiences and shares advice from experts on how to work through feeling blue to finding joy. |
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Changeability Podcast: Manage Your Mind - Change Your LifeWant to change or improve your life or business, but know how hard it can be? The Award Winning Changeability Podcast, Best Self-Help Podcast (UK Podcasters Awards 2015) can help. |
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Further FasterThis episode is about fear, or, rather, overcoming fear. Fear of failure, fear of the unknown, or simply, oh-my-god-what’s-that-coming-out-of-the-dark-right-at-me type of fear. How do you mitigate fear? How do you overcome fear? How do you harness fear? |
