Grade 5-6

Hello grade 5's and 6's!! I miss you dearly! I will be posting topics weekly of how we can work together to keep our overall mental health and wellness balanced during this critical time.

June 21st is Indigenous Peoples Day!!!

What does it mean to be Indigenous for you? For myself, it means to be proud of who I am and where I come from. To be practice the teachings that have been passed down from my grandfathers and grandmothers. I am the person I am today because of my ancestors. They have showed me what it means to be strong, resilient and proud.

Always be proud of who you are and where you come from

Hygiene

As we get older, hygiene becomes even more important due to our bodies going through many changes. I will provide some resources as to why hygiene is important.

Hygiene is important because:

prevents viruses from spreading
keeps the body healthy and clean
prevents odors and acne
allows for good oral hygiene

How to practice good hygiene:

wash or shower every morning and night
brush teeth every morning and night
wear clean clothes every day
change bedding once a week
wash hands every time they become dirty or after using the washroom
wear deodorant
comb or brush hair

Here is a sheet as a reminder to practice good hygiene every day

Exercise..

Exercise can impact our overall mental health. When we exercise, our mental health has the following benefits;

release of endorphins (natural stress and pain reliever)
increase of self-esteem
stronger body and mind
improves sleep
able to concentrate and focus more

A rule of thumb is to have 60 minutes of physical activity a day. This can include a wide range of activities such as;

walking/hiking
swimming
riding a bike with friends
playing outdoor games with friends (tag & red rover)
scavenger hunts
sports
and the list goes on :-)

IMG_0472.mov

Hello!

This week I will be sharing information of how we can keep our bodies moving during this time. Physical health is just as important as our mental health. A rule of thumb I like to follow is, "healthy body, healthy mind!" If we are active, our bodies are releasing endorphins. Endorphins helps us to feel happy :-)

I have attached a video I made of how our own backyard can be our gym! We can keep our bodies active by making it fun and turning the backyard into a obstacle course.

Enjoy and stay active!!

Hello!

This week I will be sharing information of what anxiety is and how we can recognize the emotion and how to cope with it in a healthy way :-) During this time of COVID19, the feeling of becoming anxious is more present, from my perspective. Our "normal" and everyday routine was changed dramatically.

Below are some examples of what anxiety can look like:

upset stomach
not sleeping
hard time concentrating
not eating or overeating
becoming angry very easily
muscles becoming very tense
fidgeting more than usual
overthinking or having negative thoughts

Everyone experiences anxiety in different forms. What is important is to recognize that feeling and find a healthy coping strategy for our body to feel happy again :-)

How to track our anxiety

AnxietyTrackerSheet.docx

Here is a worksheet of how you can track your anxiety and what strategy you used to help bring yourself back to a calm space. When we are able to write down and visualize our emotions, we are better able to recognize the signs.

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Hello! This week is Mental Health Awareness Week!! I will be sharing some videos and some valuable information about mental health and how we can take care of our own mental health.

Some examples of taking care of our mental health are

drawing, coloring, smudging, physical activities (sports/exercise), listening to music or just having some quiet time to yourself.

Hello, we will be focusing on the following emotions and how to find healthy coping strategies

worried
anxious
stress
lonely

How do you feel??

Feeling anxious, stressed, worried or lonely can have similar symptoms. It is okay to feel these symptoms. But it is most important to find a healthy coping strategy to manage these emotions. Please watch the video for some more information :-)