YESTERDAY marked World Mental Health day. My family and I spent the day doing what we normally do on a Sunday but I was conscious to take time to appreciate our resilience.

2021 has been just as challenging as 2020 but as a family we have worked hard to be there for each other through it all. And it was hard work. It takes effort to realise what works for you in building support and emotional resilience. At the NSPCC and particularly from contacts to our Childline service we know growing up isn't easy, especially after the past couple of years. No matter how strong and adaptable children are, stress can take a toll, so they shouldn't have to cope alone.

Right now many children are not coping. They're dealing with pressures no child should have, burdened with worries no child should have to carry. Before the pandemic we knew the levels of need and risk factors surrounding child abuse were rising. And the impact of Covid will exacerbate the situation. This generation of children is facing a unique, worrying set of challenges facing unfamiliar school environments, fractured relationships, increased family pressures, less access to support networks and a weakening of safeguarding measures. But it is important to remember the positives or strengths too; while the pandemic has been immensely challenging it's also helped us learn valuable lessons. Our services and practitioners quickly adapted so they could still be there for children, embracing technology and different ways of working.

Our Childline service listens to and supports children, and is a safe space to turn to. Whatever life throws at them, we're here to show children that they matter, that we understand, and they're not alone. In light of yesterday's World Mental Health Day, I felt this would be a good opportunity to highlight one of the more popular areas of the Childline website that's useful for anyone in need of guidance or a few tips. The Calm Zone offers activities, tools, games, videos and breathing exercises to help improve mental health. Our experts have a variety of techniques and tips for children and young people to see what works best for them. One tip is to write a note to themselves on a day they're feeling happy, and save it to look back at when they're feeling anxious, reminding them that they have better days, and how they can feel that way again. Other advice can be as simple as changing your surroundings; whether moving from one room to look out of the window in another, or going for a walk, just a few minutes in another space can be enough to improve mood.

If you're worried about a young person, the first step is asking if you can help. If they're happy to talk, that's great, but you can always explore the Childline website and Calm Zone with them. Whatever they're facing, Childline counsellors are here for children.