TALKING ABOUT MENTAL HEALTH: This month we explore GRATITUDE
In October we introduced our school communities to the Umbrella Project which supports wellness in our students, staff and communities. As families/guardians you are a valuable member of that community. Even letting your child know that you are a part of this important work is powerful.
Gratitude is the quality of being thankful. It is an essential skill that helps us keep our focus on what we have, instead of what we do not have. This skill is especially important at a time when there are so many restrictions in place at school, home and in the community.
By helping ourselves and our children and youth bring their focus on gratitude, we can balance out some of the fear, anger and negativity we may be experiencing.
Some of the ways that you can support this month’s theme at home:
- Create a gratitude wall with things you are thankful for
- Write post cards/letters/or virtual letters of thanks to people
- Create a gratitude jar full of inspirational sayings
- Create a collage of things you are grateful for
- Share something that you are each grateful for at mealtime or bedtime
- Go for a walk and identify things in nature/outdoors you are grateful for
- Put a piece of paper on your fridge and have members of your household add ideas as they think of them throughout the week and then sit down each week and share them back to everyone
Let us know about the ways you are practising gratitude during the month of November by Twitter or other social media formats by using the hashtag #UGUmbrella.
Have a great(ful) month!
Jenny Marino
Mental Health and Addictions Lead, UGDSB
Categories: News