Headspace Visit

This week we were very fortunate to have Riki from Headspace present to our Year 6, Year 7 and Year 8 students. The session with Year 6 students focused on the common feelings associated with transitioning from primary schooling to secondary schooling. Although some of the anxiety around this transition is avoided at the College, due to our P – 12 structure and our graduated transition to high school, there are still a range of natural emotions that can impact our young students at this time. Speaking to some of the students following the session they reported that it was comforting to have a better understand of their emotions.

The session for Year 7 and Year 8 revolved around starting to have conversations about their mental health continuum. The insights offered in the session highlighted some easy ways for students to improve their wellbeing. The tips were as follows:

Get enough Sleep
Sleeping well is great for your brain and body. It helps you to feel energises, stay focused and to protect your mental health.

Eat Well
A healthy diet can improve your mood, energy levels and boost your wellbeing. By filling up on nutritious food and drinking plenty of water, your brain will have all the food it needs to tackle the day ahead.

Get into life
Keep doing the stuff you love to do. Have an outlet. It can help to keep the fun in your life, give you a sense of accomplishment and purpose, boost your confidence and help you to connect with others.

Stay active
Remaining active can help you to sleep better, manage stress and boost your mood. Make time to take a break from the serious parts of life and be active outside.

Connect
Spending time with family, friends, your pets or other people in your community can help to strengthen your mental health and wellbeing. Try to get involved in clubs, sports, volunteer work or start a new hobby.

Just like physical fitness, mental fitness takes regular effort. Taking some time to think about how you are handling the tough times in life is really important. If the problem feels like its too big to deal with by yourself, it is important to speak up and get support from friends, family and staff.

Craig Cullen

Assistant Principal Middle Years