Talking About Mental Health: November 2019
Throughout the school year, UGDSB Mental Health and Addiction Lead Jenny Marino shares tips and resources for improving our mental health and well-being. Additional mental health resources for students and parents/guardians can be found on the board website.
Nature and Mental Health
Fall is here and so is that pre-winter chill. Getting outside makes such a difference to how we all are doing inside. Spending time in nature improves our mental health and well-being. Being outdoors is a simple way to add some much needed down time from screens. Adding some time in nature also allows for some much deserved peace and quiet in our busy lives. One study showed that even five minutes in nature improves our mood. Five minutes! We all can take five minutes (or more if have it) to go outside and enjoy nature.
If you want your family:
- To be less stressed
- To be happier
- To be more resilient
- To feel better about themselves
- To have increased attention
- To have a better ability to learn
Then GO OUTSIDE! Take your kids outside! Enjoy and be part of nature.
Try this:
- Go for a walk
- Head for the woods – make a scavenger hunt
- Go bird-watching – make it a game to find the names of all birds you see
- Go on a bug hunt
- Watch the clouds float by
- Make a game of identifying all the sounds you hear outside
If you are not sure where to go, check out the links below for lots of great parks in our area.
- http://guelph.ca/living/recreation/parks/
- http://www.wellington.ca/en/discover/trailsandforests.asp?hdnContent=
- https://www.grandriver.ca/en/grand-river-parks.aspx
- http://headwaters.ca/experience/parks-conservation-areas/
- https://www.uoguelph.ca/arboretum/
Jenny Marino, Mental Health and Addictions Lead for the Upper Grand District School Board
Follow Jenny on Instagram #upper_grand_mental_health