Mental Well-Being

MODULE Description

The aim of this module is to provide basic Mindfulness techniques for cultivating self-awareness and self-care of mind and body. Throughout this module you will learn to nurture a sense of balance, self-compassion, and positive relationships with self and others. You will also gain practical life skills to apply to ongoing difficulties of life, and for supporting your overall happiness and well-being in the long term.

Facilitator

Mr. Jeremy A. Enriquez

Mr. Enriquez is an experienced meditation practitioner and trainer. He was first introduced to Meditation in 1984 by a Jesuit priest, Fr. Tenant Wright, who had just returned from a visit to a Zen monastery in Japan. Back then Mr. Enriquez was a teacher at Claver College and TCC in Punta Gorda. His university degree in Psychology (1988) focused on Eastern Psychology, which includes Mindfulness as a method for achieving optimal functioning and psychological wellbeing. In 1989, he was the first Belizean to be a member of the U.S. based National Association of School Psychologists. He has engaged in hundreds of hours of personal practice of Insight Meditation through ten-day Vipassana (Insight) courses that he regularly attends at centers abroad. Over the past two years, Mr. Enriquez’s recruitment by the Minister of Education to facilitate the training of teachers has resulted in a rigorous 12-week Mindful Schools online training and certification of Belize’s first group of 25 Mindfulness Educators from schools all over Belize. Mr. Enriquez maintains an interest in promoting Mindfulness as a life skill for mental health and wellbeing in the workplace, schools, home and community. He offers Mindfulness workshops nationally and is committed to sharing this life changing practice with a wide range of participants.

Learning Outcomes and objectives

Demanding situations related to work-life balance, relationships, family, environment, finance, worries about the future, and constant pressure to multi-task, to be busy, perfect and productive often results in increasing stress, poor performance, exhaustion, burnout, misery and declining mental and physical health among teachers and other professionals.

Although not a panacea, Mindfulness is a scientifically tried and tested method for bringing awareness and change to a person’s relationship with unhelpful and harmful thoughts and emotions.


MODULE expectation

At least 3 hours of independent reading, including short video presentations on each topic covered.