Back to Basics
Helping families to make small steps to lead happier and healthier lives
Back to Basics is an approach which empowers parents and carers to support their child’s emotional wellbeing. It is a simple way to help parents, carers and families to improve their health and wellbeing.
Being a parent or carer can be challenging and taking care of your own mental health is important. Practising self-care means you are better able to support your child – put on your own oxygen mask first.
If you are struggling, it’s ok to reach out for support from friends, families and organisations that are here to help. There is lots of advice and support on this website.
What is wellbeing?
Our wellbeing can be made up of different factors, such as how you feel physically, mentally, emotionally and socially.
Wellbeing is about being healthy and happy. It could be described as how you feel about yourself and your life.
Poor wellbeing
- Emotional outbursts
- Withdrawing from family, friends & education
- Disturbed sleep
- Lack of confidence
- Nausea or loss of appetite or eating poorly
- Struggling with daily routines
- Distracted, disinterested & easily bored
- Risk taking behaviours
- Struggles socialising
- Not looking after self
- Not enjoying things we used to
Good wellbeing
- Keeping active
- Talking about thoughts and feelings
- Motivation to try new things
- Spending time with friends and family
- Making time to look after yourself
- Able to manage emotions
- Feeling content
- Enjoying daily activities
- Eating and sleeping well
Five ways to wellbeing
Back to basics is based on the Five Ways to Wellbeing, which offer some simple steps which you can do every single day.
These are:
- Take notice – remind yourself to take notice of your thoughts and feelings, and whether or not they are difficult to manage
- Give – people who are kind, help others and give their time are more likely to rate themselves as happy
- Be active – many people find that physical activity helps them maintain positive mental health
- Keep learning – learning something new can help you feel happier and more focused
- Connect – talking to other people can have a positive impact on our wellbeing
Think of it as building the foundations of a house, making sure your family has all the basics in place such as healthy eating, sleep, exercise, good routines, looking after yourselves and your child’s wellbeing.
If foundations are not in place, there is a risk of cracks appearing.
The Five Ways to Wellbeing study was developed by the New Economics Foundation and is based in evidence and research.
What wellbeing looks like
Take notice
Taking notice of our thoughts, emotions, and surroundings is a great way to stay present and pay attention to our family’s needs.
- Take a moment to take notice of your environment and surroundings
- Be present by focusing on one thing at a time and reducing distractions for everyone
- Take notice of your daily activities such as getting ready for school and bedtimes – try to build a simple and consistent routine
- Be aware of what helps your child to feel calm before bed
- Focus on asking your child for what you do want to see, rather than what you don’t want to see
- Break down daily routines into simple, manageable steps using clear language.
Local ways to take notice
Action for Happiness is a movement for positive social change and promotion of wellbeing. They bring together people who want to play a part in creating a happier society for everyone.
Simple steps to take notice
Give
Doing good things and being kind increases our own happiness. Give time to friends, family members or the community. Most importantly, give yourself time to ensure these basics are in place.
- Be there for a loved one
- Show acts of kindness
- Donate unused books or toys to charities or children’s hospitals
- Reach out to people around you
- Help your local community, however big or small
- Offer to help someone you know
Local ways to give
Look for volunteering opportunities locally through HIVE Portsmouth, Restless or John Pounds Centre.
Simple steps to give
Be active
Many people find that physical activity helps them maintain positive mental health. Being active together as a family helps boost our mood, strengthen our bodies, and create fun, healthy habits for everyone
Here are a few ideas for how you can get active:
- Have fun outside, perhaps a walk or a bike ride
- Explore your local area for activities
- Get creative about activities you can do in the home
- Be mindful of everybody’s time on screens
Local ways to be active
Holiday Activities and Food (HAF) programme for primary and secondary school children who receive benefits-related free school meals.
Family friendly activities on Visit Portsmouth website.
Portsmouth Local Offer has information on activities for children and young people with SEND.
Simple steps to being active
Keep learning
Learning something new can help you feel happier and more focused. It can also raise confidence and help you connect with others. Sometimes, setting goals can help you to feel more productive and more in control of your life.
What can you learn today? Here are a few ideas:
- Embrace everyday learning opportunities such as making shopping lists together.
- Sign up for a class or hobby at your local library, leisure centre, school or college
- Try new things that challenge you
- Learn to cook something new from scratch and involve the family
- Watch shows and documentaries
Local ways to keep learning
City of Portsmouth College offer information courses for adults aged 19+.
Simple steps to keep learning
Connect
Connecting with others and building relationships can help us feel a sense of closeness and support
You might prefer being in quieter situations with one other person, or you might like being in big groups. You might like to connect with people online, via phone calls or by sending letters.
Here are some ways you could make a connection today:
- Find ways to remind others that you are thinking about them
- Spend time as a family doing activities you enjoy
- Switch off the TV, put down devices and play a game as a family
- Create a way of checking in with the whole family at the end of the day
- In bigger families, try to think about how you can have 1-1 time
- Consider the amount of contact or the type of interactions you have
Local ways to connect
Solihull parenting support is available for free at In Our Place. Use access code PARENTSUPPORT.
Portsmouth has five Family Hubs for any family to access. Home-Start Portsmouth have Family Hub Champions who are there to help. Join the Portsmouth Family Hubs group on Facebook.
Simple steps to connect
Good Mental Health Handbook
The Good Mental Health Handbook is a guide which describes the difficulties that young people might be experiencing and provides top tips to help you manage these difficulties together as a family.
Further support
If you need urgent support in a crisis:
- NHS – Where to get urgent help for mental health
- Contact Samaritans via website or call 116 123.
- NSPCC – NSPCC Helpline
- Childline
Other sources of support:
Get in touch
Our friendly team at the Portsmouth Mental Health Hub are here to help.
Get a call back
Enter your details and someone will call you back between 8am and 6pm, Monday to Friday.
If you or someone you know needs urgent mental health help, please call 111 – the NHS non-emergency number. It’s available 24 hours a day, 7 days a week and is free from any phone. They have specialist mental health nurses who can support adults and young people.
In a life-threatening emergency, always call 999.