Mental Health

Matters!
NOVEMBER 2-4
MENTAL HEALTH DAYS

PREPARED FOR THE

HIGH SCHOOL
STUDENTS AND PARENTS
OF ST. MARY'S SCHOOL
"If y ou t a k e c a r e o f
r m in d , yo u t ak e
you
care of th e w o r ld ."
r ia nn a H u ff in g t o n
-A
 Schedule of
Activities

Monday, November 2:
All Soul's Day (Spend this day
with your family and loved ones.)

Tuesday, November 3
(9 am-10 am): Mental Health
Awareness Activity c/ o Class
Advisers

Wednesday, November 4
(9 am): Recorded module on
spiritual care, c/o Ms Madonna
Palmes
 What is Mental
Health?
Mental Health is about our feelings, our thinking, our emotions, our words.

Just because we can't see our mental health, doesn't mean we don't need to talk about it. In fact,
mental health is just as important as our physical health.

When we are mentally healthy, we are able to express and manage our feelings--how we feel
inside. We can have many different feelings: sometimes we feel happy or sad, or excited or tired, for
example.

Think about it:

How do YOU express your feelings?
How do your feelings make your body feel?
Does your face show how you feel inside? Does being sad make you feel tired, or does excitement
give you butterflies in their tummy?
What emotion do you feel when you can’t stop smiling about something?

Being a teenager is difficult no matter what, and the coronavirus disease (COVID-19) is making it
even harder. With school closures and cancelled events, many teens like you are missing out on
some of the biggest moments of their young lives — as well as everyday moments like chatting with
friends and participating in class. For teenagers facing life changes due to the outbreak who are
feeling anxious, isolated and disappointed, know this: you are not alone.

Sometimes our feelings can get too powerful. According to New York based adolescent
psychologist Dr. Lisa Damour, when it comes to having a painful feeling, the only way out is
through. Go ahead and be sad, and if you can let yourself be sad, you’ll start to feel better faster. As
she says, ”Processing your feelings looks different for everyone. “Some kids are going
to make art, or some kids are going to want to talk to their friends and use their
shared sadness as a way to feel connected in a time when they can’t be
together in person, says Dr. Damour. What’s important is that you do what feels
right to you.When this happens, it is always good to take a step back, and pause.
Breathe.

Our minds and bodies are connected. It is exciting to investigate how they influence each other!
One good way of managing our emotions is to be mindful.

I
In this packet, you will learn about the
different kinds of self-care. What is it?

Self care can be many different things.

How do YOU take care

of yourself?
How do YOU take care
of yourself?
 One good way to practice
self-care is to be MINDFUL.
 Why do we
need to be mindfu
l?

Mindfulness means paying full attention to something.

It means slowing down to really notice what you're doing. Being mindful is the opposite
of rushing or multitasking. When you're mindful, you're taking your time. You're focusing in
a relaxed, easy way.

Mindfulness happens naturally sometimes.

Let's say you're getting ready to take a foul shot in basketball. You carefully position your
feet at the line. You look up at the hoop and feel the ball in your hands. Taking your time,
you bounce the ball a couple of times. You tune out all the other sounds and take your shot.
Swoosh — yes! Nicely done.That calm focus, that way of paying attention to what you're
doing, taking your time, taking it easy — that's you, being mindful! And being mindful just
helped you take your best shot.

Being mindful is a strategy we can all use when we feel sad, mad, or overwhelmed. When
feelings get too overwhelming, let's try our best to practice mindfulness.

WHY DO PEOPLE NEED MINDFULNESS?

Being mindful helps you:

pay attention better

be less distractible
learn more Source:
stay calm under stress https://kidshealth.org/
avoid getting too upset about things
slow down instead of rush
en/kids/mindfulness
listen better to others
be more patient
get along better
feel happier and enjoy things more
If this sounds like a superpower, it is!
Being mindful helps people in just about every part of life.

I
 HOMEROOM ACTIVITY:
FOCUS ON THE PRESENT!
 We can be mindful of our feelings.

How do YOU feel today? What are your

feelings trying to tell you?
Sometimes, your feelings may get overwhelming.
Here are some strategies that can help:
Breathing is SO important. Here are some breathing
exercises you can use:
Source: www.mindfulmazing.com
When we feel overwhelmed, it's also good to SHAKE IT
OFF and get some exercise! Try this activity:
 It also helps to reflect and write down our feelings, focusing on the positive
aspects of our life to help remain calm.
If you have a journal, you can respond to these prompts to help you focus on
the positive.
 Par ent's
section
Please let your parents or
guardians read this section.
 How can we suppo
rt
our children if the
y
are stressed?

Childhood isn't all fun and games. Even young children can feel
worried and stressed.Stress can come from outside, such as family,
friends, and school. It can also come from children themselves. Just like
adults, children may expect too much of themselves and then feel
stressed when they feel that they have failed.How can you help your
child with stress?Adults can help children and teens with stress in many
ways.
Three important things you can do are to:

Try to reduce the amount of stress in your lives.

Help them build positive coping skills.
Teach them to let stress out.

Reduce the amount of stress in your lives

Acknowledge your child's feelings. When children seem sad or scared,

for example, tell them you notice they are sad or scared. If appropriate,
reassure them that you can understand why they would feel sad or
scared.
Develop trust, and let your child know that mistakes are learning
experiences.
Be supportive, and listen to your child's concerns. Allow your child to try
to solve his or her own problems, if appropriate. But offer to help and be
available to your child when he or she needs you.
Show love, warmth, and care. Hug your child often.
Have clear expectations without being too strict. Let your child know
that cooperation is more important than competition.
Don't over-schedule your child with too many activities.
Be aware of what your child wants (not just what you want).

Build positive coping skills

It is important to help children learn positive coping skills. These skills
are often carried into adult life.
Provide a good example. Keep calm, and express your anger in
appropriate ways. Think through plans to reduce stress, and share
them with your family.

Teach them about consequences. Children need to learn about the

consequences—good and bad—of their actions. For example, if they
do all of their chores on time, they will get their allowance. If they break
another child's toy, they must find a way to replace it.

Encourage rational thinking. Help your children understand what is

fantasy and what is reality. For example, help them see that their
behavior did not cause a divorce, or that they are not failures because
they were not picked first for something.

Provide them with some control. Allow your children to make choices
within your family framework. For example, allow them to arrange their
rooms, choose family activities, and help make family decisions.

Encourage them to eat healthy foods, and emphasize the importance

of a healthy lifestyle.
Get the stress out

Finding ways to get stress out of their systems will help children feel
better. The best ways to relieve stress are different for each person. Try
some of these ideas to see which ones work for your child:

Exercise. Regular exercise is one of the best ways to manage stress.

For children, this means activities like walking, bike-riding, outdoor
play, and individual and group sports.

Write or draw. Older children often find it helpful to write about the
things that are bothering them. Younger children may be helped by
drawing about those things.

Let feelings out. Invite your child to talk, laugh, cry, and express anger
when he or she needs to.

Do something fun. A hobby can help your child relax. Volunteer work
or work that helps others can be a great stress reliever for older
children.

Learn ways to relax. This can include breathing exercises, muscle

relaxation exercises, massage, aromatherapy, meditating, praying,
yoga, or relaxing exercises like tai chi and qi gong.

Laugh. Laughter really can be the best medicine. You can be a good
role model in this area by looking for the humor in life. Your child can
learn this valuable skill by watching you.

Source: https://www.mottchildren.org/health-library/aba5971?
fbclid=IwAR2jsh6KPovglqMBOTfDcLMK_WKcXhU1VoAzU4K_1MoUbpeClpeUNZMSxl8
It is crucial to spend quality time with your children, particularly when they
are constantly online and faced with the challenges of distance learning.

Are you up to the 14 Day Family Bonding Challlenge?