St. Thomas Aquinas Mental Wellness

Feeling burnt out? Need to recharge?

Videos are below! (Click the little black arrow to unhide the video player)

Breathing - Day 1

Purposeful and mindful breathing can lessen anxiety, improve feelings of depression, help us to remain calm, improve our sleep, lower blood pressure, and support weight loss and food/addiction craving.
Adding a minimum of 1 minute of purposeful breathing can significantly alter mood.
Focus on breathing in through your nose for a count of 4 and breathing out through your mouth for a count of 4.
Using rectangular breathing (following the shape of a rectangle) can guide breathing.
Practicing mindful breathing will prepare students for when they need to use breathing as a strategy to calm down.

Sleep - Day 2

Sleep is essential. It is important for teenagers to get 8-10 hours of sleep each night.
Quality sleep improves feelings of anxiety and depression.
Quality sleep increases our productivity, concentration, performance, and immune system.
Tips to improve your sleep include: consistent times, being active, exposure to sunlight, meditation, developing a bedtime routine, and avoiding long naps.
The greatest way for a teenager to improve their sleep is to unplug – stop using a phone or device at least 30 minutes before bed and keep the devices outside of the bedroom.

Reducing Anxiety - Day 3

Anxiety is normal and it can be helpful.
Anxiety can help us stay safe, so it is important to practice and prepare for anxious moments.
When anxiety is overwhelming, use strategies to calm the brain and body
Tense and Relax is a wellness strategy that involves creating muscle tension in different parts of the body, and then enjoying the relaxation of the tension as it is let go.
Just Notice is a wellness strategy that grounds people in reality. It is effective when someone gets caught up in their anxious thoughts.

Exercise & Movement - Day 4

Exercise is good for your health as it stimulates the production of endorphins (the body’s natural mood booster).
Exercise will make you feel less stressed and anxious.
Each day try to incorporate light to vigorous exercise, while limiting sedentary behaviour.
Follow the Sweat, Step, Sit approach to movement.
Do activities you like: walk, run, stretch, weights, yoga, sports, dance, etc.

Reducing Stress - Day 5

Anxiety and stress are normal and can be a good thing.
Stress is external pressure from expectations around us.
Anxiety is internal worry or fear.
When stress and anxiety become overwhelming, use strategies to calm yourself.
Let It Go is a gentle massage strategy to relieve physical stress in the head and face.
Four Finger Affirmation is a strategy that reinforces positive messages.

Nutrition - Day 6

Proper nutrition is important for brain health and mental health.
Canada’s Food Guide recommends fruits, vegetables, whole grains, and protein.
Drink plenty of water throughout the day.
Try the following strategies to improve your nutrition: eat mindfully, plan your meals, try new foods, be aware of food marketing, and eat meals with your family.

Gratitude Journaling - Day 7

Gratitude Journaling makes you happy and can build resiliency.
Gratitude Journaling is easy to do – use some paper, a journal, or the notes section on your phone.
Start by listing 3 things you’re thankful for. Consider adding a happy memory or an inspirational quote or person.
Reread your journal when you feel overwhelmed or anxious.

Prayer & Meditation - Day 8

Prayer is a conversation with God. Use traditional prayers to help with that conversation.
Meditation can be a form of prayer – we sit still and quietly open ourselves to listen.
Anyone can meditate. All you need is a little time.
Body scan meditation is good for reducing stress and negative feelings.
Notice how you feel after you practice meditation.
Sometimes the best something to do is nothing.

Reaching out for Help - Day 9

It’s okay to ask for help.
Everyone needs help at some point.
Remember help is always available either through informal supports (friends/family) or formal supports (doctor/psychologist/social worker).
Take time to identify your support network so you know who you can go to for help.
If you are concerned about your own safety, or the safety of a friend, always reach out to a trusted adult.
Useful Links:

Reducing Test & Assignment Anxiety - Day 10

Anxiety can help us do our best on tests and assignments, so it is important to make it manageable.
Unhealthy anxiety can be harmful to our mental health and our academic performance.
It is important to question your anxious thoughts and reframe them into healthy, more manageable thoughts. THINK - Is it True, Helpful, Inspiring, Necessary, and Kind?
If your thoughts are healthy and you are still anxious, practice mindfulness and remember that the anxiety will pass in time.
Do your best and remember that you are so much more than just your grades.

Kindness - Day 11

Kindness is good for the heart, improves your mood, and slows ageing.
Kindness makes us happier and more satisfied with life.
Acts of kindness produce endorphins, the brain’s natural pain killer.
Being kind can improve your self-image by re-enforcing that kindness is part of who you are.
Being kind is easy to do and the smallest act of kindness can make someone’s day – smile, buy a coffee, send a card, do a chore, give some flowers, leave a positive review, or compliment someone.

Time Management & Chunking Strategies - Day 12

Time management is a skill that needs to be developed and practiced.
Time management can reduce stress and anxious feelings.
Chunking your study time helps keep you focused to complete your work. Try working for 30 minutes and then taking a 15 minute break. Set alarms!
Healthy breaks are necessary - short walk, snack, glass of water, dance party, chore, etc.
Consistency, self-care, and work habits will help you with your time management.

Wellness Apps - Day 13

Mental wellness apps have many benefits and can be a great resource if you struggle to access other options for mental health care.
Consider using mental health apps because they are:

Accessible
Anonymous
Convenient
Engaging
Focused and Free

3 apps to consider trying are: Virtual Hope Box (iPhone / Android) and Moodfit (iPhone / Android).
Calm and Headspace are also excellent apps, but most of their content comes with a paid subscription.

Reading - Day 14

Reading can help focus your energy and improve concentration.
Reading fosters empathy and can make you a kinder person.
Reading can improve your literacy skills by increasing your vocabulary and making you a better writer. It inspires critical thinking skills.
Reading significantly reduces your stress. In fact, it’s more beneficial at stress reduction than playing video games, walking, listening to music, or drinking a cup of tea.
Reading relaxes your muscles and sparks creativity.
Read through our school library online collection @ https://soraapp.com/library/ldcsbca

Social Media Break - Day 15

Social media can be an important tool for keeping you in touch with friends, loved ones, and the wider world. But if spending time on social media increases your stress, anxiety, and uncertainty, take steps to limit the time you spend using it or try choosing to visit more positive sites or following positive influences.
Spending too much time on social media can actually make you feel lonelier and more isolated. It can worsen mental health problems such as depression. It can make you feel insecure, lower self-esteem, or trigger anxiety.
Do you have a fear of missing out? You won't miss anything if you take a few hours away from social media. The pics and posts will be there when you get back to it. Enjoy some screen free time!
Disable social media notifications, track your app usage, and don’t take your phone/tablet to bed.

Laughter - Day 16

Laughter can relieve stress. Make someone else laugh and laugh with them. Laughing relaxes your face muscles and is good exercise.
Laughter stops distressing emotions. You can’t feel anxious, angry, or sad when you’re laughing.
Laughter helps you relax and recharge. It reduces stress and increases energy, enabling you to stay focused and accomplish more.
Laughter shifts perspective, allowing you to see situations in a more realistic, less threatening light.
Laughter really is contagious because brains are wired with something called mirror neurons. Mirror neurons are activated when we observe others engaging in a similar behavior. Just hearing laughter primes your brain and readies you to smile and join in the fun.

Creativity - Day 17

Creativity supports our wellbeing by relaxing us, making us less critical, and making us more courageous.
Being creative changes how our brains function when we enter a state of flow.
There are many different ways to be creative beyond traditional art.
Use your cellphone to create art and reframe your environments.

Self-Care - Day 18

Practicing self-care can help alleviate psychological distress and anxiety and has lasting positive outcomes on physical and mental health.
There are many different ways you can practice self-care: doing anything that is good for all areas of your health and wellness, relaxation, socialization, caring for your physical health, focusing on your interests, pursuing your goals, and personal or prayerful reflection.
We might find ourselves feeling too busy for self-care, but if we neglect our needs, we can quickly become burnt out. This can lead to poor sleep, headaches, stomach aches, and other physical concerns.
Try some of the following self-care options: get yourself flowers, take a bath, journal, do your nails/hair/make-up, tidy up, make a healthy meal, exercise, use an oil diffuser or candle, dance to some good tunes, or read.

Inspiration - Day 19

Inspirational quotes and people can make you feel motivated and energized.
Inspirational quotes and people are easy to search for in your library, on your computer and phone.
Inspirational people may be celebrities, but they also may be closer such as a family member, a friend, a coach, a teacher, etc.
Find an inspirational quote and use it to inspire you.
Find an inspirational person in your life and thank them.

Social Connections - Day 20

We need social connections to be healthy, and loneliness is a feeling that tells us our social needs are not being met.
Make sure loneliness doesn’t negatively impact your self-esteem or distort your view of others.
Make an effort to create and accept social invitations, even if it might feel uncomfortable at first.
Take time to appreciate the important relationships you already have in your life.
If you feel unable to work through feelings of loneliness by yourself, reach out to a caring trusted adult (like your parents, guidance counsellor, school social worker, chaplain, etc).

Music - Day 21

Music is everywhere. Pay attention to it.
Music acts as a medium for processing emotions, trauma, and grief. Music can also be utilized as a regulating or calming agent for anxiety or for dysregulation.
Song lyrics can help us understand ourselves better.
Try writing songs. Even if they are terrible and no one ever hears them, they can help you organize your thoughts and express your feelings.
Dancing without music looks really silly. Try it.

Mindfulness - Day 22

Mindfulness is a powerful way to handle stress, and live life more fully.
Mindfulness is all about living fully in the present moment, without judgment, and with an attitude of kindness and curiosity.
Mindfulness is about breathing, noticing what’s happening right here and now, sending a gentle smile to whatever you’re experiencing in this moment (whether it’s easy or difficult), and then letting it go.
You can be mindful anytime, anywhere, no matter what you’re doing.
Try being mindful in the following activities: smiling, walking, eating, listening, or stretching.