Mental Health Exercise for Redhawks

Welcome to High School! While this is an exciting time with lots of new, exciting things to do and independence, it is also a time of learning and change! Whether a Freshman or Senior, you will find successes and challenges throughout your time. Both are part of the normal learning process.

As a teen, you face many choices in social groups, rigorous academics, athletic and artistic opportunities, and interest-driven activities. You are also developing wellness and time management habits to build relationships and skills for facing these challenges and success. At times, we may need to find more or different ways to manage this time or manage symptoms of stress. These skills are that require daily practice and integration into daily routines. I have called the mental health exercises because on this page you will find skills you can do daily to build your mental health endurance.

Are you where you are supposed to be, when you are supposed to be there?

Be on time
Know your schedule.
Be on time.
Be on time, no matter what! It is the most important habit to develop.

What brings you Joy?

Make a list of the things you love and include them in your daily plan

What is your favorite thing to do with your friends/family
What is your favorite thing to do at the end of the day when you've completed your responsibilities
What is your favorite thing to do outside?

Transcript of "Where joy hides and how to find it"TED Talk Subtitles and Transcript: Cherry blossoms and rainbows, bubbles and googly eyes: Why do some things seem to create such universal joy? In this captivating talk, Ingrid Fetell Lee reveals the surprisingly tangible roots of joy and shows how we all can find -- and create -- more of it in the world around us.

The S.T.O.P. Practice for Stress - MindfulA six-minute guided meditation from Elisha Goldstein for reducing reactivity so you can come down from a hectic day.

What do you Notice?

Often people can be uncomfortable with long periods of isolation. Use mediation to let go of the stress or anxiety:

STOP- Stop what you are doing and get a comfortable position
TAKE - Take a few deep Breaths, listening carefully as the breath comes in
Observe your body, tightness or tension, emotions, and thoughts.
Proceed- What is the most important thing to pay attention to right now?

What is motivating you today?

Children, Teenagers, mothers, fathers, grandparents, and presidents ask this question. It can change frequently depending on the setting or the task.

Extrinsic motivation: When someone strives towards a goal for an external demand, obligation, or reward. " My mom expects me to go to school."
Intrinsic motivation: This is when someone strives towards a goal for personal satisfaction or accomplishment. " I did this because I love to build things."

What does success means to you?

Success means different things to different people. Understanding what success means to you will help you to make decisions to lead to it. Decide was does success means to you, today? Short-term and Long term goals will change. We need to consider how they impact our view of success. Often we inherit our view of success from those around us, if we don't define it for ourselves we might find ourselves doing things we don't care about.

Take a moment and share a success story with a friend. Consider the last time you had academic success, social success, or personal success. What did it look like? Feel like? Was it the top of the mountain or the journey up that made you feel successful? Who was there to help or did you find it by yourself?

When was the last time you excerised?

There are a lot of opinions that increased physical activity can greatly improve psychological well-being in teens. Do you have exercise scheduled as part of your day? Be intentional and planful for these. Keep an exercise log, add it into your daily plan

Go outdoors
Take a walk/Run in the neighborhood or hike
Join a Running/Riding Challenge
Find a YOGA instruction on YouTube that fits your interest
Do a Plank Challenge
Join a Westwood Team!

Westwood Flock Mind Map.pdf

Who are your People?

Having a Support Crew is an essential skill in High School. Who do you ask for help? We all need more than one person!

Who gives you a ride when you need it?
Who inspires you?
Who is your study partner?
Who stands with you through good and bad?
Who helps you meet your goals and responsibility?

You are a Redhawk! You will always be a Redhawk and because of this, you are connected to a vast amount of teachers, helpers, leaders, coaches, friends, mentors, cheerleaders, and innovators. Make sure you identify your people! Tell them they are the ones.

Learn Something New Everyday

Be curious and Awe-seeking! Do you feel goosebumps yet? Ask questions and never stop asking questions. People who feel Awe increase our gratitude and positive emotions, make us more generous, gain perspective, and encourages our critical thinking. Our capacity for AWE helps to define the human experience.

If you are having difficulty finding these emotions seek out activities that will help you develop it.

Write a story about a time when you felt a sense of awe
Read a brief story that may inspire you
Noticing Nature: Be mindful of nature around you! Have you seen the Redhawk outside recently?
Take an Awe Walk. TURN off your phone, focus on your sense of wonder.