Mentis Magazine - King's High School

MENTIS

by King’s High School for Girls

LEADING LADIES The mentality of Britain’s most powerful women

mindfulness A closer look at this growing trend

ROberto Di Matteo An interview on psychology in sports

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contents mind over matter ... 6 leading ladies ... 8 the social age ... 13 state of mind ... 16 mindfulness ... 18 psychology in sport Roberto Di Matteo ... 22 film review Inside Out ... 24 a note to say ... 28 poem ... 30 acknowledgements ... 31

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There is no greater force than the mind. It is the monopolising power that dictates the very world around us. Why we laugh, hate, hurt, love; it teaches us jealousy and spite, humility and justice. It has single-handedly launched man out of the bounds of our little blue home and split the very foundations with which it is made. It is responsible for greatness and misery in equal measureand yet we know so little. It would be impossible to testify to the magnitude of the mind in just one magazine- one novel, evenbut we hope to uncover the smallest light on just how and why we’re wired as we are. Indulge yourself as we lead you through the intricacies of the everyday idioms in your own head. A graceful reprise of the great minds before us and those yet to come.

Anna Smith 4

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mind over matter The Cambridge English Dictionary defines the term ‘Mind Over Matter’ as “the power of the mind to control and influence the body and the physical world generally.” Therefore, there is a certain measure of the concept Mind Over Matter, which induces mental illness, made by a combination of factors: heredity, biology, psychological trauma and environmental stressors.

There is a taboo around the label of mental illness: mental illnesses are unpredictable and dangerous, which defines all illnesses as the same. Therefore I think it is important to address it in today’s culture: such as theatre or literature, in order to show an understanding of the mentality behind the illness. Shakespeare has written and provided us with characters in varying states of insanity through his leading, tragic protagonists: Lear, Hamlet or Macbeth. Shouldn’t we utilise them as means of understanding the emotions and fragmentation of the mind seen in his plays? In King Lear’s case, the play follows his downward spiralling life after banishing his daughter over a misunderstanding relating to his materialistic mind-set. Due to his anger and dysfunctional family lifestyle, as he discovers his other daughters don’t

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love him and only wish to have is power, he spirals into a sense of depression, which develops into insanity. When seeing the latest interpretation of the play at the RSC, there was a prominent difference to the physicality of Lear from his larger than life persona at the beginning to his limping and sympathy-inducing stance by the end as he realises his mistakes.

According to The Shakespeare Blog, who have examined mental illness in his plays, theorised that John Hall, Shakespeare’s son-in-law, who was also a doctor had an influence on his explorations into mental illness. Hall’s Casebook delves into the plea of Macbeth to the doctor, “Canst thou not minister to a mind diseas’d?” Hall’s response: “Therein the patient must minister to himself.” Only the man, who endures the mental illness must resolve it, therefore presenting the theme of solitude throughout Shakespeare’s plays as the protagonists are isolated within their own mental battle, linking to their physical deterioration. These emotions reflect the sense of loneliness, which is known to be a consequence of some mental illnesses today.

We have been given perfect and relatable characters, by a playwright, who understands the human mind in more depth than his contemporaries.

Shouldn’t we use these examples as ways to prevent this isolation and solitude in any person today?

Therefore shouldn’t we be talking about these desperate characters?

Shouldn’t the plays that are able to be set in any time period and in any set in any situation, explore the mentality of the characters by setting the story in a hospital? By doing so preventing social taboos and encouraging there to be normality in the conversation based on mental illness.

Lizzie Huntzinger

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leading ladies 8

Margaret Thatcher, Britain’s first female prime minister, held office between 1979 and 1990; she is perhaps best remembered by her nickname ‘The Iron Lady’, earned for being a strong, indomitable leader with no time for weakness. She is also possibly one of the most hated Prime Ministers as well. This is due to several of her policies leading to mass unemployment in Britain, at one point reaching 18%.

negative opinions of this move. May, although she hasn’t faced strikes on a critical level, has faced serious political backlash towards her party in response to the former Prime Minister’s decision to hold a referendum; although not agreeing with the majority vote, May has followed democracy, showing her dedication to the people of Britain while attempting to reconcile a divided nation.

Theresa May, on the other hand, is Britain’s current Prime Minister – only being the second woman to hold one of the world’s most powerful positions.

She took on the role in summer 2016 when her colleague, David Cameron, resigned in response to the result of the Brexit referendum. One could argue that she took leadership in a heavily divided Britain, in a time of extreme uncertainty for Britain’s economy and future status as a nation.

Thatcher and May have taken on a heavily male-dominated role, while their party continues to be male-dominated: neither have given in. They selected their cabinet and worked efficiently within a government where friendships with colleagues take a back seat: Cameron, on the other hand, selected his cabinet through friendships rather than objectively making decisions for the good of the country.

As the only two women to hold this office, undoubtedly May will face constant comparison with Thatcher.

Despite differences in political opinions, they share a similar mentality: resilience, determination and strength.

This is apparent in Thatcher’s response to the Miner’s Strike in 1984-85, despite being an unpopular move. It demonstrates a clear belief in standing up for her vision and a determination to lead the country regardless of

Although May has only held office since July 2016, it remains to be seen whether she can provide a stable and positive future for Britain as a nation outside of the European Union, or whether she will follow in the footsteps of Margaret Thatcher: making unpopular decisions that are still resented today regardless of the strength of her leadership.

Emily Boorman and Felicity Whelan

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“May and Thatcher share a similar mentality: resilience, determination and strength.�

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the social age The evolution of social media may have brought with it a myriad of social possibilities and opportunities to connect with new people, but has it been a catalyst for our happiness, or for our misery?

The birth of Instagram and Snapchat has been thrilling and terrifying all at the same time. Not only have we been able to delve into other people’s lives without their knowing, we have been subconsciously subscribed to a torrent of information that, at times, has made us question our self-worth and own contentment. The constant stream of images and updates about other people’s happiness and jealousy-inducing experiences, has actually had a detrimental effect on the way we, as individuals, view ourselves and our own lives. What we fail to remember whilst aimlessly scrolling through our newsfeed, is that the images we are seeing are simply a portrayal of a type of perfection that is contrived and unrealistic.

Seeing these images can easily distort our view of our own world and most certainly cause a sense of disappoint-

ment; the ‘flawlessness’ that is shown in these photos makes us doubt our own sense of self, and why our lives do not look like the photos we see on Instagram.

The principal of ‘likes’ can make us feel wonderful and accepted amongst the online society, and as scientific studies have showed, this is due to the brain’s ‘reward centre’ (the area of the brain that processes rewarding feelings), being stimulated when we receive positive feedback. This can then, obviously, cause us to become somewhat addicted to using social media, because we crave that delightful feeling of admiration that comes with ‘likes’ on our photos. We continue to seek social validation and approval from our friends. However, this source of satisfaction is a double-edged sword; if we do not obtain the desired number of ‘likes’ it can leave us feeling terribly insecure, as it makes us question the ‘perfection’ of our photos or even ourselves. This can even go so far as to make us feel as if we are competing for likes; subsequently this once harmless form of entertainment known as social media, has become purely a game,

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with no winners. Insecure users battle for social approval, whilst the publishers of so called ‘perfect’ images know that what they are broadcasting to the world is nothing more than a staged and unrealistic illusion, provoking misery.

It is about time that we realise the affect these sites are having on our self esteem and learn to control our usage of them, in order for us to break free from the spell of discontentment and jealousy that social media has put upon us. We need to take time to be grateful for the lives we live and the experiences we are fortunate enough to have. Social media is training us to compare our lives, instead of appreciating everything that we are. Don’t let social media control your self confidence or dictate your outlook on life.

Georgia Hill

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“has it been a catalyst for our happiness, or for our misery?�

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state of mind A common misconception surrounding “self-help” is that it’s reserved for people struggling with their mental health. It’s not – trust me. The definition of self help (which you can find for yourself with a quick search on Google) is “the use of one’s own efforts and resources to achieve things without relying on others”. It is also “designed to assist people in achieving things for themselves”. No mention of mental health whatsoever.

Self-help is an overlooked concept; people feel that if they are seeing a trained professional it becomes unnecessary: add-ons that people just don’t have time for.

Self-love, on the other hand, is indulgent and egotistical. It’s seen as having an extra slice of cake or taking far too many selfies on a Sunday morning when you should be working. Self-love is treating yourself too much.

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But to me, self-help and self-love are two concepts that I’ve reluctantly accepted into my life and have improved little things about my day.

To many people, self-help is about health. Self-help can be forcing yourself into the shower after a couple of days, and making an effort to eat something that day because you have to attempt to be healthy, or drinking a glass of water because if you don’t, you know you’ll be dehydrated. To lots of people self-help is naturally integrated as an everyday part of their lives, but to some, self-help is an uphill struggle.

Maybe you don’t find it difficult to remind yourself to brush your teeth and eat breakfast in the morning, but for so many people the little things in life are the things they struggle most with.

Self-love is often like Marmite: either totally neglected or overdone, to the point where it loses its positive effects.

My favourite examples of self-love are face masks (fifteen minutes of goopy slime sitting on your face really relaxes a girl) and nail painting. Neither have massive health benefits, but both go a long way in creating a positive, proactive attitude to keeping yourself happy, rather than healthy.

Creating a balance between self-love and self-help can be incredibly difficult: choosing whether to indulge in your tastiest comfort food or forcing yourself to skip the chips and gravy for a healthier option can be a struggle.

Which should you prioritise?

If you’re someone that finds self-help easy, that you don’t even have to think about it, then I have your answer: prioritise self-love. If you can unconsciously care for yourself physically, taking care of yourself mentally and emotionally is next on your To-Do List. Bear in mind that self-love isn’t taking a spa trip for

a weekend: completing caring tasks on your own, for yourself, is also likely to provide a sense of self-satisfaction and achievement as well as providing the positive benefits of the act itself.

If, like me, you have to choose to take care of yourself, prioritising self-help can feel like so much effort. Although there are clear benefits to your physical self, you may feel tired and dragged down by the things you have to do, rather than doing things for yourself that you want to do. Try to tailor your routine to your personal needs.

For example, even if you find selfhelp hard, try to complete at least one tiny act of self-love each day. That sounds like effort –and it can be if you become too ambitious. Always push yourself to care for yourself more, but my tiny act of self-love each day is just making myself a cup of tea when I want to treat myself.

Anonymous

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mindfulness and your brain Breathe in through your mouth and out through your nose. Notice your chest expanding as you inhale and then your body softening as you exhale. Feel the weight of your body as it pushes against your chair and feel the sensation of your feet gently resting on the floor.

What you have just experienced is the newest trend in relaxation that has gained a strong following from A-list celebrities such as Hugh Jackman to the US Marine corps…mindfulness.

Mindfulness is the new craze that everyone seems to be infatuated with, but what exactly is it? It is all about focussing on the present, gently bringing your ever wandering thoughts; about what Netflix show you need to start watching or what you will be having for lunch, back to the here and now.

This art has gained an unparalleled growth on a global scale, with experts claiming it has multiple benefits for the brain; as it can improve your grey matter, decreases the ‘me’ centre and improve your overall psychological well-being.

Mindfulness helps prevent the aging of our brain. Normally as we age

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our grey matter (a type of tissue in our brain and spinal cord) decreases but studies have shown older meditators compared to non-meditators had more grey matter. This is extremely beneficial as grey matter in our brain helps with processing information and problem solving. A study published in Nature shows that those with a higher IQ will have greater grey matter, so perhaps mindfulness is the perfect revision tool we have all been missing!

Have you ever found yourself daydreaming; roaming aimlessly from one random, insignificant thought to another completely random and unrelated thought, well you would have a ‘monkey mind’ or Default Mode Network (DMN). ‘Monkey mind’ is often thought to make people less happy as they live their life worrying about a series of never-ending what-ifs. But don’t worry I am happy to tell you there is a way to combat this. You guessed it!

Mindfulness. Mindfulness helps decrease the activity of our DMN and helps us to live our life in the present, even when our minds start to wonder the new connections in our brain that are formed during meditation, help us to refocus on the present.

Another power of mindfulness is that it helps with stress management. No matter how hard we try and evade it, the stress of daily life always manages to catch up to us. Whether it be from writing 3 essays that are due in tomorrow, realising GCSE’s are not a choice and that you actually have to do them or not having enough money to buy a bacon butty on Friday, there always seems to be something stressful lurking around the corner. But if you take just 30 minutes each day to practise mindfulness you will gradually begin to feel more zen and less stress. MRI scans show that there is a decrease in the grey-matter density of the amygdala. The amygdala is the control centre

for our body’s flight or fight and will initiate our reaction to stress. So by taking some time each day to be mindful you will start to experience that you become more able to cope with stressful situations and high-pressured tasks.

As our lives become more entwined, entangled and ensnared in daily pressures it becomes more important than ever to take some time for yourself and for your mind. Mindfulness is the way to do this. By taking 10 minutes each day you will become more organised, more zen and better at living your life in the present. So take some time out for yourself and for your mind because you deserve it.

Saffron Rai

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“Great minds discuss ideas; Average minds discuss events; Small minds discuss people.�

Eleanor Roosevelt

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Roberto Di Matteo psychology in sport

Roberto Di Matteo is a former professional footballer who played in the Italian national team and for world renowned clubs, including Chelsea and Lazio, and has since managed multiple teams, such as Chelsea and Aston Villa. He has since retired from playing professionally after injury, but continues to be very involved, and successful, in the sporting community.

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Have you had any personal experiences where you have had to adopt a different mindset in order to improve your performance?

Yes. Every challenge you face brings different emotions and motivations. Sometimes you must find the motivation within yourself rather than from outside factors.

Is there a particular team talk or ritual you undertake to guarantee players have the correct mindset and arousal levels before major events?

There isn’t a set team talk or ritual that I use because every game brings different challenges. Depending of the mental state of the team I will choose my words carefully. When you play a big game, you have to rather calm your players down than motivate them, as they will be highly motivated for such an important event.

Do you think that mental health issues, such as depression, are triggered by losses and injuries in professional sport?

I don’t think that losses in professional sport will be a trigger for depression but prolonged and potentially career ending injuries combined with uncertainty about the future of the career as a professional athlete can certainly trigger depression.

Do you think that mental health is a taboo subject within elite sports because there is a possibility that their career is at risk?

I believe that we live in an era where athletes are more comfortable seeking advice and help to deal with mental issues. It is a subject that has been recognised and accepted within the sporting world. Athletes have a wide range of organisations to help them resolve mental issues in confidential surroundings.

Do you find that people have a greater ambition to win depending on their upbringing? Do you see a difference in people’s attitude to training and matches?

Personally, I believe that you find people that come from a socially and economically poor background to have a greater drive and ambition to succeed in life. In terms of people’s attitude to training and matches, it depends very much on the individual person and not the nationality or level of education.

How does criticism, especially from the media, affect yourself and the team when results aren’t going to plan and how do you deal with this?

The media can have a big impact within the working environment of a team. Personally, I have learnt to deal with criticism over the years. I always believe that you can utilize the criticism against the team to motivate them.

Interviewed by Alyssa Mildenstein, Emily Ingall-Tombs, Ruth Kupshik and Emilia Di Matteo 23

Inside Out film review

Inside Out focuses on the life of a young girl, Riley, whose life gets upturned when her family moves from the Midwest where she has lived her whole life, to San Francisco. Riley’s actions are dictated by the emotions – joy, sadness, fear, anger and disgust – that live in the ‘headquarters’ in her mind. However, the emotions start to disagree on how to deal with this big change, causing chaos to ensue in the headquarters as Riley and her emotions struggle to adapt to their new lives.

At first glance, Inside Out comes off as a children’s movie, but the cartoon has so much more to offer than that.

The film itself is rare it its ability to appeal both to children and adults alike; with a valuable study of the human nature if you look closely. Whilst children would enjoy the colourful images and fascinating plotline, Inside Out offers a much deeper meaning as it delves into the inner workings of our mind. Where other Pixar movies have examined themes such as children’s dreams in previous films like Monsters Inc., Inside out introduces a creative new take on how the mind works.

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What makes the film so powerful is its accurate representation of clinical, cognitive and developmental psychology; with one of the key concepts explored being how memory shapes our character. Inside Out uses ‘islands’ within our minds to represent important aspects of every person’s characters and each island is defined by a pivotal memory, emphasizing that our experiences in life are vital to our personalities. Our attention is also drawn to how we change as our older memories begin to fade; in the film, as Riley’s childhood memories begin to fade, her character begins to adjust accordingly as she transitions into life as a teenager, growing and adapting to her new life – once more symbolizing that our character is shaped by the memories we hold dear.

“The film perfectly illustrates how our personality grows and changes as we grow up.”

“Pixar has created a film that helps children understand their minds in a simple way that addresses important themes in the development into adolescence: that although childhood

“Such a clever, creative and original way to look at life.”

memories may fade, this allows children to grow mentally.”

“I enjoyed the deeper messages within the film that helps it to appeal to a large audience, allowing it to incite different reactions amongst groups of people.”

“The film’s interesting yet creative take on our mind effectively represents just how important our emotions and memories are to our everyday lives.”

“With the aid of the characters which symbolize emotions, we are shown the simplicity of being able to alter our feelings of memories.”

“Inside Out showed in a very simplistic manner that ever memory means something special to the individual, and that we are as much shaped by our negative experiences as we are by our positives ones.”

Lucca Hunt

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“there is no such thing as bad music�

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There is no such thing as bad music.

You might change the station when you come across death metal or can’t stand EDM, but as a human, there is no music you are physically incapable of enjoying. So why do we have such acquired taste? Well firstly, the very general music taste you have will stem from your cultural upbringing. If, like me, you had a westernised childhood, the likelihood is that your definition of tolerable music is based around complementary harmony- and what I mean by that is anything that is not ‘clashing’, or dissonant. This is because it’s what we’re raised on, the music we’re surrounded with in every facet of life is based on this principle. However, as I said, it does not mean you can’t enjoy clashing chords. A study by Brandeis University showed that, to an Amazonian Tribe disconnected from western music, clashing chords and complementary harmonies were as enjoyable as each other.

So aside from our very basic cultural taste, as a contempory western con-

glomerate, we have veered our overall taste towards ‘pop’ or popular music. Despite the musical trends we go through on a roughly decadal basis, there has been a vein in the charts of up-beat rhythm and harmony by some peppy 20-something in lycra for a very long time. Again... why? This is also fairly easy to see. As I said above, the music you like is a reflection of what you’re brought up with. If you think back to the first music you heard, nursery rhymes and jingles, they’re founded on strong rhythms, repetitive chorus and basic, looped chords.

These qualities are transferable to the typical pop music. Obviously, the lyrical content, themes, and layering is a lot more nuanced, but the basis is the same, which is why it is enjoyable en mass. It is relatable, it is what we know as music as a cultural group, so even if you are a punk worshiper or house addict, you will probably have the newest catchy chart topper in your head now and again, and on some level, enjoy it.

Of course, kids growing up in the 60’s, for example, weren’t brought up with

a note to say...

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their own personal brand of hippie nursery rhymes, but cultural climate often dictates popular music trends, transcending the classic pop genre.

On a personal level, why we like very specific music genres is less understood. It is generally accepted that it has something to do with memory. It’s possible that if you had a good experience somewhere as a kid and faintly in the background there was rap playing, you genuinely may grow up to love rap. Magnified, this is like if you and your friends/ your partner have ‘that one song’ you take ownership of, because it reminds you of a great night.

Alternatively there may be a song that will always make you cry because you relate to it on an emotional level. It is the same principle with your general music taste, only subliminally, and with more tenuous links, to the point where a lyric will remind you of a positive influence and you end up liking a whole genre in the style of that one song, because somewhere in your head you’ve made a link between that sound

and good times. It’s also arguable that the people you are surrounded by will influence your music taste. If your friends like a certain genre you may too, however, it’ s more accepted that this is a product of you sharing similar experiences and beliefs that lead to you having similar music tastes, as it relates to your lifestyle. In the same way when we tell someone they have a great music taste, it really means they have a similar music taste to you.

Either way, listening to music you like releases dopamine, the same feeling you experience when you take drugs or fall in love. So whatever music you like, indulge in it, because it literally gives your brain a dose of happy.

Anna Smith

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my mind In the dusty corners of my mind, Look around and see if you can find.

Half formed thoughts, discarded dreams, Drifting gently with word like streams.

Flowing, falling letters fill the space, Clouds swirling, floating with much grace.

Raising questions, sinking worries, Answers forming, whirling in flurries .

Fears cascade down as waterfalls, Joy clouds spinning like balls.

But worries cast a dark shadow inside, In small crevices, my doubts confide.

A dark foreboding storm starts its descent, A crack of dawn, heaven sent.

Extinguishing the pain and gloom, My mind returns to a comfortable room.

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Gigi Thomas

acknowledgements This magazine was the product of a lot of people’s hard work and we would like to take this opportunity to thank them.

Our team, led by Alyssa Mildenstein and Elys Healy, consists of three groups: publishing, editing and design.

Publishing: Penny Islef, Lucca Hunt, Eloise Bell, Lexi Solt, Lily Jones, Emilia Di Matteo Editing: Anna Smith, Georgia Hill, Felicity Whelan, Connie Powell, Emily IngallTombs Design: Katie Davies, Maya Lawton-Smith, Izzy Johnson, Amber Hourigan The publishing team have worked tirelessly, and given up much of their time in order to make this magazine as good as it could be. The design team couldn’t have done a better job at taking original photos and collecting and commissioning artwork. Our editing team did an incredible job at finding writers and produced some inspiring pieces themselves as well.

We would also like to thank our external writers, Emily Boorman, Lizzie Huntzinger, Saffron Rai and our poet Gigi Thomas. Artists for original artwork were produced by Izzy Baker and Priya Kundi. A big thank you to Roberto Di Matteo for allowing us to interview him and sharing an insight into the sporting mind.

Lastly we would like to thank Dr S. Burley and Miss E. Carney for facilitating the production of this magazine. Without their help it couldn’t have been achieved.

All the profits for this magazine will be donated to Coventry and Warwickshire Mind, a local charity in Warwickshire where young people struggling with mental health problems are offered help and support through access to information, a listening ear, and more specialist support from healthcare professionals.

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