Well-being
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Healthy Habits for Happiness & Well-being
Healthy Habits for Happiness & Well-being
Being CARING begins with taking care of ourselves. When we look after our own happiness and well-being, we have more to offer others. To help you with self-care, we have compiled a few resources that can help you look after your body, mind, and spirit. These resources will support you as you strive to be BALANCED. You will see that being REFLECTIVE is an important part of well-being!
Remember: well-being is not a one off activity; it is a part of everything that we do. Being expressive, creative, writing, connecting with nature, eating healthy foods, doing good, and following our personal interests are all a part of personal well-being. Be sure to check in on the pages with resources for these areas too!
Take Care of Your Body:
Take Care of Your Body:
Exercising, eating right, and getting the right amount of sleep are all important parts of well-being. Your PE teachers have been giving you some wonderful resources, and you may want to revisit those over the break. Walking outdoors and being in nature is ideal; if that isn't possible, Yoga, walking, dancing, and short workout sessions are also great ways to get the movement that your body needs. Did you know that exercise releases happiness chemicals called endorphins in your body? It helps to relieve stress and makes it possible for your body to stay strong to fight off illness. Check out the Do Good page for ways to include movement and service, and the Junior Chef page for healthy food ideas.
Yoga en francais (9 ans-adulte))
Qigong for Beginners (Ages 9-Adult)
Yoga with Adrienne videos for all ages.
Tai-chi for beginners (Ages 7-Adult)
Practice Mindfulness
Practice Mindfulness
Tuning into your breath, being aware of your surroundings, and practicing strategies for awareness can help to keep you centered, calm, and happy. In the last 5-7 years, brain research has shown us the impact of breathing practices on our brain function and physical well-being. Just a few minutes a day of practicing awareness to the breath and bringing focus to your surroundings can make a big difference to how you feel. Being aware of what you bring into your mind, just as we pay attention to the food we bring into our bodies, can also impact our sense of well-being. The thoughts we choose matter, so choose the good ones!
Sleeping meditation for children (R3-Y2)
méditation en français (R3-Y4)
Mindful Walking (Y3-Adult)
Dans le cadre de notre série d'été sur France Inter, "Le Temps de méditer", voici la petite vidéo de résumé de l'émission qui sera diffusée demain, samedi 10 août 2019 : ce sera le septième épisode, et il sera consacré aux liens entre ÉMOTIONS ET MÉDITATION.
The Power of the Breath: (Y5 - Adults)
Matthieu Ricard, né en France en 1946 et fils du philosophe français Jean-François Revel et de l'artiste peintre Yahne Le Toumelin, est moine bouddhiste, auteur de livres, traducteur et photographe.
5 games to cultivate family harmony and happiness, and many more resources to support well-being in English and French.
Creating focused relaxation: transcription disponible en français (All ages)
Meditation for children from 4 to 12 years old. Extract from the book "Calme et attentif comme une grenouille" by Eline Snel (Les Arènes editions).
An app to support meditation in multiple languages, Petit BamBou has decided to leave the "Smile to anxiety" and "Discovery of mindfulness" programs with Christophe André in free access to the app. For children, youth programs are also open (here) .
Music, movement, Mindfulness and Imagination
Hundreds of short, accessible classes available as an app and on the Yo Re Mi Youtube channel (R3-Y5)
Fr-T2-T-1047-Mindful-Me-Breathing-and-Bubbles-Activity-French-English.pdfMindful Breathing with Bubbles: (English and français)
Finding strategies to tune into the breath can be very helpful. This strategies using the visual of bubbles to help center the breath. You could also add in the layer of blowing real bubbles together! (Y3-Y6)
Nourish Your Mind With Good News:
Just as your body is impacted by healthy food, your mind is nourished with healthy thoughts. As a family, tune into the Good News network and fill up on some of the good that is happening in the world. (Y3-Y13)
Insight Timer: Support for Meditation
This app's claim to fame is that they host the largest collection free library of guided meditations on Earth! This app is available in whatever language your device is set to. (All Ages)
Calm jar.pdfCalm Jar
Calm jars are a great way to focus your breathing, relax, and recenter. Make one for your home and create a special "chill out zone" where you can go when you need a break. ! (R3-Y3)
Create a Sensory Journal:
Sit for five minutes in any environment with your eyes closed. Use your senses to notice the world around you. What do you feel against your skin? What do you smell? What do you hear? At the end of the five minutes, write to describe what you experienced.
(R3-Y1) For younger children, begin with one sense at a time and ask them to share a few words to describe the experience. You can begin to ask them to draw as they become better with noticing.
(Y2-Y4)Begin to write about their experience with greater description, and include more than one sense at a time.
(Y5 and up) Begin to include greater detail including poetry, art, and music to describe the experiences.
Look for the Wow & Express Gratitude:
As you go about your day, look for the WOW moments- the moments that will make you look again, lean in, and take a deeper look at what is happening around you. WOW moments surround us all the time, rain or shine, gray skies or blue. We just have to tune in to notice. When you do take notice, be sure to express gratitude for what you have seen.
This is a practice that is good for all ages.
Reflect on Happy Memories and Express Gratitude:
Reflect on Happy Memories and Express Gratitude:
Laughter, smiles, being with the people we love, experiencing a joyful moment-- all of these things release wonderful chemicals called endorphins in our body and help our brains to be open, relaxed, and at peace. When you recall a happy memory, your body releases a dose of the same chemicals from when the moment originally happened. Give one of these strategies a try. Warning: you will probably smile and laugh while reflecting.
Use a journal to record happy memories and gratitude. Use colorful markers, pretty paper, a favorite notebook- anything to capture those memories. Added bonus: the act of handwriting helps to anchor things in our memory.
During a family meal, share a moment from your day. What was a highlight? For what are you grateful? Sharing meals is an extra way to build connections, and sharing your highlights will bolster everyone's mood.
Keep a family happy memories or gratitude jar to store your families highlights- just jot a reminder note down and throw it in the jar! At random times, pull a note and retell the story together. Everyone is sure to reconnect while walking down happy memory lane!
Before going to bed each evening, think about your peak moment- or best highlight- from the day. Let it wash over you let it send you off to sleep.
Want More? Check out these resources for happiness and well-being.
Want More? Check out these resources for happiness and well-being.
UC Berkeley's Greater Good Podcast and Website.
Action for Happiness from From University of Oxford
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