Education & Mental Health Week – A Summary (May 8th, 2020)

Posted May 8, 2020

This week, we looked more closely at the Four M’s created by Doctor Sue Varma, as a way to boost our mental health. The ideas below are a recap of the key points that were shared this week on your child’s Google Classroom:

  • Movement involves getting our bodies moving or participating in exercise; both of these strategies help to reduce anxiety and stress
  • Meaningful Connections and social interactions allow us to develop relationships with others; even in social distancing we can still connect with others (i.e., video chat, phone calls, emails, letters, etc.)
  • Mastery encourages us to  learn a new hobby or skill; and the good news is you don’t have to be perfect, you just have to be willing to try
  • Mindfulness is anything that helps you to feel calm, happy, or peaceful; it allows us to focus on what our bodies truly need at that moment in time

Now that we have taken a closer look at the 4 Ms, our next step is to reflect on what we’ve learned to develop a plan for how to better use one or more of the Ms in our daily lives. Perhaps you really enjoyed Movement, and are now going to incorporate physical activity as part of your daily routine. Or maybe you found a new skill or hobby as part of Mastery that you are going to continue to explore. We hope that these tools will be ones that you continue to utilize as a way to improve or boost your mental health.

The MPS Staff chose to share the quotes on the fence this week as a way to remind our school community that although there are times when things get difficult, we have people in our lives who are there to support us and to help us get through these tough moments.:

  • Monday – “We rise by lifting others;” We are all in this world together, and we can make the conscious choice to treat others with respect and kindness. It comes down to building others up instead of knocking them down; and stepping in to help others when help is needed.
  • Tuesday – “Tough times don’t last, tough people do;” It is hard right now to socially distance ourselves from those we care about, but it means we are working together to keep everyone safe. Tough times help us develop skills that we can continue to use in different areas of our lives.
  • Wednesday – “It always seems impossible until it’s done;” People tend to be the hardest on themselves, and it’s perfectly okay to make mistakes. In fact, mistakes are an important part of the learning process, because we learn from them. With time, things do get easier!
  • Thursday – “This is just a chapter not our whole story;” In life, you are going to face a variety of different situations, and it’s okay to feel all types of emotions. We need to remember to add strategies to our toolkit that help us get ‘back to the green zone’ during times when we might struggle.
  • Friday – “Together we can weather anything;” Together, we can weather the not so good moments! Together, we can support one another to make our world a better place. Together, we can use kindness and respect to build others up when they are struggling. We are all in this together, and together we can do anything!

 

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