Year 10 - Year 12

How to be Happy

– Thursday 28 May 2020

How to Fuel Positive Emotions

– Thursday 21 May 2020

Good Foods for Good Moods

– Thursday 26 March 2020

I’m sure we’ve all heard plenty on the importance of food on physical health: don’t eat too much deep-fried food, eat more vegetables and eat less high-fat food. But does the same food advice hold true for good mental health?

FoOd & mOoD

– Tuesday 24 March 2020

How did you feel and what did you eat yesterday? Have you ever thought that the food you eat may have impacts on your mood? One way to manage your mood is to develop a good eating habit. Please view this video clips to get some tips on managing your mood by food:

Fill your days with COLOURS

– Tuesday 17 March 2020

For further reading, please see below two links:

https://www.psychologytoday.com/hk/blog/people-places-and-things/201504/the-surprising-effect-color-your-mind-and-mood

https://www.psychologytoday.com/hk/blog/your-personal-renaissance/201810/surprising-research-the-color-blue

9 Brain Foods!

– Friday 13 March 2020

1. Blueberries

Studies show that blueberries boost “concentration and memory” for up to five hours because “the antioxidants in blueberries stimulate the flow of blood and oxygen to [your] brain – and keep the mind fresh”. Blueberries also contain a “cocktail of anti-oxidants including anthocyanins, proanthocyanidins, resveratrol and tannins”, and while I’m not going to even pretend I know what those are, they have been shown to boost focus, and even protect against cancer, heart disease, and dimensia.

2. Green tea

Green tea helps you focus for two reasons: one, it contains caffeine, and two, it contains l’theanine. There is no doubt that caffeine helps you focus and improves your alertness. Good. That’s covered. Well, what the hell is l’theanine? It’s an ingredient that’s been shown to “increase alpha-wave activity”, which increases tranquility and releases caffeine more slowly, instead of all at once, which can lead to you crashing. The two ingredients also combine to “produce a better ability to focus attention, with improvement of both speed and accuracy”. If you’re able to handle the caffeine content, introducing green tea into your diet is pretty much a no-brainer.

3. Avocados

According to WebMD, “every organ in the body depends on blood flow, especially the heart and brain”, and avocados “[enhance] blood flow, offering a simple, tasty way to fire up brain cells”. Avocados are also “loaded with fiber (11 to 17 grams per avocado), which helps keep hunger pangs at bay”.

4. Leafy green vegetables

Leafy green vegetables are full of antioxidants and carotenoids, which boost your brain power, and help protect your brain. (A good, general tip: the greener a leaf vegetable is, the better.) Leafy green vegetables are also full of B-vitamins, which are “proven to help your memory, focus, and overall brain health and power”. They also contain folic acid, which improves your mental clarity.

5. Fatty fish

Fatty/oily fish contains omega-3 fatty acids which “aid memory, mental performance and behavioral function”. People who are deficient in omega-3’s are more likely to have “poor memory, mood swings, depression and fatigue”. Fish has also been proven to improve your concentration and mood. The main sources of fatty fish are “salmon, trout, mackerel, herring, sardines, pilchards and kipper”.

6. Water

If you want to improve your focus, you need to drink enough water. Water “gives the brain the electrical energy for all brain functions, including thought and memory processes”, and it has been proven to help you “think faster, be more focused, and experience greater clarity and creativity”. Every single function of your body depends on water, so it is critically important that you get enough of it.

7. Dark chocolate

Dark chocolate (dark chocolate, not the sugary, milky kind) can help you focus for a number of reasons. First, it contains a small amount of caffeine, which has been proven to heighten mental alertness. Dark chocolate contains magnesium, which helps you de-stress, and it also stimulates the release of endorphins and serotonin, which make you feel good and heighten your mood. This doesn’t mean you should eat a huge brick of chocolate every day, like the delicious-looking one on the right, but it does mean that dark chocolate in smaller doses can significantly boost your focus.

8. Flax seeds

Like a few of the foods listed already, flax seeds are high in magnesium, B-vitamins, omega-3 fatty acids, and fiber, all of which aid with mental clarity, weight loss, and ultimately, focus. Flax is no doubt a super food. Just make sure you grind them after you buy them (so your body can digest them). Unlike the other items on this list, flax seeds can’t be eaten alone, but they’re great sprinkled on cereal, yogurt, oatmeal, salad, and more.

9. Nuts

Nuts are great for your body in the long-term. “Nuts and seeds are good sources of the antioxidant vitamin E, which is associated with less cognitive decline as you age”, and you just need an ounce of them a day to get this benefit. They’re also rich with essential oils and amino acids that aid your focus.

Caffeine Week - If I don't drink coffee, what should I drink?

– Friday 6 March 2020

What should you drink? Try water!

Water is the best choice for you. Water helps you replenish fluids lost daily through your body’s normal physiological activities which include breathing, sweating, and defecating.

How much water do you need a day? Try drinking eight 8-ounce glasses of water daily or about 2 litres of water daily. That’s the standard advice you’ll hear.

However, if you exercise a lot or if you are feverish or vomiting then you’ll need more fluid intake. As we get closer to Summer and the weather gets hotter and more humid, you’ll also need to drink more water.

We are all different, some of us need more water, others need less. An easy way to tell if you are getting enough hydration is by checking your own urine. The darker the colour of your urine means it contains less water, which means you are dehydrated. Also, if you are not urinating much or the volume of your urine is small, you may also be dehydrated. Certain foods, medications, and vitamins can also change the colour of your urine. Trying eating beetroot or asparagus then check the colour of your urine! Don’t scream!

For more information check out the links below:

Harvard T.H. Chan School of Public Health “The Nutrition Source: Water”

https://www.hsph.harvard.edu/nutritionsource/water/

Mayo Clinic “Water: How much should you drink every day?”

https://www.mayoclinic.org/healthy-lifestyle/nutrition-and-healthy-eating/in-depth/water/art-20044256

Caffeine Week - Caffeine Danger

– Wednesday 4 March 2020

Do you have those caffeine addiction signs mentioned in the last post? If so, you need to pay more attention to this post.

Please keep tabs on your caffeine intake as too much caffeine in your system may harm you. According to The American Academy of Pediatrics, too much caffeine can cause many health problems including arrhythmia, hypertension, hyperactivity, anxiety, and elevated blood sugar levels (https://pediatrics.aappublications.org/content/133/3/386).

According to medical experts, teenagers should eat/drink no more than 100mg of caffeine a day. Taking caffeine in the afternoon and evening can also negatively affect your sleep. https://healthblog.uofmhealth.org/childrens-health/parents-perk-up-to-dangers-of-caffeine-for-teens

Do you know how much caffeine you are taking in each day? Coffee, tea, and cola are obvious caffeine sources, but energy drinks, chocolate, ice cream, and over-the-counter medicine can also include caffeine. Please see CSPI's caffeine chart for drinks and foods that contain caffeine https://cspinet.org/eating-healthy/ingredients-of-concern/caffeine-chart.

If your daily caffeine intake exceeds 100mg, consider cutting back. However, if you suddenly forego all your caffeine, you can develop negative side effects such as headaches, irritability, and fatigue. A better way to cut back on your caffeine is to take a gradual approach over several weeks. Try substituting one caffeine drink with a caffeine-free drink each day and then slowly replacing more and more caffeine food and drinks with caffeine-free alternatives. https://kidshealth.org/en/teens/caffeine.html?WT.ac=ctg#catnutrition

So what are you going to do to stay awake and alert to crank through all your schoolwork? Give these tried and tested strategies a try: (1) good nutrition, (2) exercise, and (3) adequate sleep!

Key takeaways:

(1) If you have to eat/drink caffeine, remember to keep your caffeine intake to less than 100mg per day.

(2) If are taking in too much caffeine each day, try cutting back gradually.

(3) Instead of caffeine try good nutrition, exercise, and adequate sleep to keep you on top of your game.

Assertive Language

–Wednesday 26 February 2020

We are all spending lots of time at home these days and spending lots of time with all sorts of family members. That means we may have disagreements and conflicts with our family members. Here is a simple strategy on minimising conflict: learn to use Assertive Language.

What is assertive language? It is expressing your feelings, needs, and thoughts clearly and directly. It is openly expressing your viewpoint so the listener does not feel accused or judged. It is expressing your perspective while respecting the listener, yes, that includes your parents and siblings! This also means you have to listen to the other person's response in an objective manner. This allows you to find a solution together.

Below are some helpful assertive language examples from @wholeheartedschoolcounseling:

Instead of using accusing language: I want you to stop making me feel so angry.

Use assertive language: I felt really upset and hurt when you...

Instead of using accusing language: I feel that you don't care about me.

Use assertive language: I feel lonely and disconnected from you when you...

Instead of using accusing language: I want you to not be so mean.

Use assertive language: I want to be treated with kindness.

Instead of using accusing language: I wish you wouldn't be so annoying and loud.

Use assertive language: I have a hard time focusing when there's loud noises.

Instead of using accusing language: I'd like for you to stop bossing me around.

Use assertive language: I'd prefer to make my own decision about this.

Sleep Hygiene Test

– Friday 21 February 2020

“The more time you stay at home, the more time you stay in bed.” I believe that this statement is reflecting some of your current situation during the school suspension. It is possible that many of your sleeping pattern change during this period of time. Have you ever heard of sleep hygiene? It is a term used to describe good sleep habits. Maintaining a sleep hygiene is also important in our development of mental health. Here is a test that helps you to evaluate your level of sleep hygiene. There are two versions which include an abridged one and an extended one. The abridged version consists of a total of 10 questions which takes you approximately 5 minutes for completion. For the extended version, it consists of a total of 34 questions which takes you approximately 15 minutes for completion. Try it out and know more about your sleeping quality. You can share the results to your friends and family, and brainstorm some ideas to improve your sleep hygiene. Some tips to enhance sleep hygiene will also be introduced to you next week.

Abridged version:

https://www.queendom.com/tests/access_page/index.htm?idRegTest=727

Extended version:

https://www.queendom.com/tests/access_page/index.htm?idRegTest=728

Being with Greenery

– Wednesday 19 February 2020

Many of us have been spending much more time at home during these days. It may be a good idea to decorate our home with some green pot plants or spend some time looking at the indoor plants. Previous research showed that by simply spending some time looking at or being around greenery can improve our mental health.

What do trees, shrubs, grasses, green plants, parks, beaches, open fields, and flowering gardens have to do with your mental health? Just about everything, according to an extensive review of the scientific literature supporting the benefits of exposure to natural settings.

The review data, collected and analyzed by researchers Charles Hall and Melinda Knuth at Texas A&M University and published in the Journal of Environmental Horticulture, supports the notion that living in or near green spaces, and spending as much time as possible in both natural settings and cultivated gardens, can improve mood, reduce the negative effects of stress, encourage physical activity and other positive behaviors, improve cognition, reduce aggression, and enhance overall well-being in people of all ages under many different circumstances.

Specifically, the researchers found that people who surround themselves with plant life and other forms of natural beauty, indoors and out, experience emotional and mental health benefits that have a positive impact on their social, psychological, physical, cognitive, environmental, and spiritual well-being, These benefits include:

1. Stress reduction. Spending time in natural settings helps speed up recovery from mental fatigue, slow down heart rate, reduce high blood pressure, and lower anxiety.

2. Reduced symptoms of depression. Researchers repeatedly report increases in subjects' mood, fewer incidents of depressive symptoms, as well as increased memory span and decreased symptoms of anxiety after a walk in nature, as compared to a walk through an urban environment. One Korean study of patients diagnosed with moderate to severe depression compared the effects of cognitive-behavioral therapy (CBT) performed in a hospital to CBT performed in an arboretum with a forest-like setting. Symptoms of depression were most significantly reduced in the arboretum group, who also experienced 20% to 30% higher rates of complete remission when compared to a typically medicated group.

3. Stronger memory retention. Compared to those who walked through a well-trafficked urban area, participants in several studies who walked through a green space or a natural environment, such as an arboretum, were better able to focus and concentrate on a test of their working memory.

4. Fewer symptoms of post-traumatic stress. Studies of both veterans and victims of natural disasters who participated in horticultural therapies or nature-based rehabilitation programs found that both groups were better able to control symptoms of PTSD and developed more positive states of mind.

5. Improved symptoms of attention-deficient disorders (ADD/ADHD). In one study, school children diagnosed with ADHD were better able to concentrate after a walk in a park than their peers who went for a walk in a downtown neighborhood. Similar studies found that even short nature breaks are restorative and can improve attention span, working memory and cognitive functioning in children with ADD/ADHD.

6. Higher productivity and improved concentration in schools and workplaces. Students and employees with a view of nature, either indoors or right outside their windows, were not only found to be more productive but also more alert, more attentive, more relaxed, in better moods, and less irritated by physical symptoms of allergies and asthma than their counterparts who had no views of plant life or other natural settings.

7. Higher levels of creativity. Nature walks, and even short visits to parks and woodlands within urban areas, have been found to boost creativity, mood, and sense of vitality.

8. Fewer symptoms of dementia. When dementia patients in an adult day care facility became actively involved in gardening and landscaping activities, their cognitive abilities improved and there were fewer incidents of aggressive behavior.

9. Higher intellect. Other studies suggest that deep experiences that connect us to nature are due to the geometry and architecture of both natural environments and the environments we build to replicate nature that regularly enhance our quality of life. These not only have a healing effect, researchers say, but studies in animals have found that such complex environments also increase brain size and the ability to perform well on tests of intelligence; Dr. Nikos Salingaros of the University of Texas at San Antonio believes the same is true for growing human minds, which are best nourished by exposure to complexity and details.

10. Better self-esteem. The researchers found several studies indicating improvements in self-esteem and mood in both men and women after exercising in natural environments, and especially in the presence of a body of water.

11. Greater quality of life overall. The improved psychological well-being of those who interact with nature has been shown in numerous studies to result in greater feelings of positivity and hopefulness, comfort and relaxation and general overall happiness and satisfaction with life.

Cope with Coronavirus Anxiety

– Monday 17 February 2020

Dr. Ali Mattu, a clinical psychologist, is an experienced professional who treated a lot of anxiety related to public health scare, for example, Ebola and Swine Flu. He observed a similar pattern is happening in the world regarding the Coronavirus. In the video, he is showing us how to stop worrying about our health and stay healthy at the same time. I hope these useful tips offered by Dr. Ali Mattu can help you to get through the hard time. Please refer to the video in the following link: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3yQj-Mscn7k

Remember, the counselling team at VSA is always here to support you, especially for your psychological health. Please feel free to reach us at counselling@vsa.edu.hk or visit our website at https://sites.google.com/vsa.edu.hk/student-sup/home.

HAPPY VALENTINE’S DAY! - On this special day, let’s temporarily put anything related to CoV-19 aside.

- Friday 14 February 2020

What comes to your mind when you think of Valentine’s Day? If you suffer from anxiety and worry, then there is a good chance that you are concerned about being disappointed or about disappointing someone. If you do not have a romantic partner, then your anxiety might be focusing your worry on never having a partner or never finding a great love. If you are depressed, then you might be experiencing more cynical thoughts about the commercialization of the holiday, the futility of romantic relationships or your own unworthiness for a fulfilling romance.

You do have a choice, however, to do things that overcome the unhelpful ideas generated by your anxiety or depression. You can do things today that help to build joy, love and worthiness that make Valentine’s Day what it was meant to be, a holiday that celebrates love. Here are some hot tips that will help you redeem this day.

If you are in a romantic relationship

Set helpful expectations. You need to accept that both you and your partner are flawed human beings who cannot possibly create a perfect day of celebration just because it is Valentine’s Day. A myth of two people who perfectly understand each other without having to be told what to do and who perfectly support one another at all times without generating conflict is unattainable. When you accidentally believe in a false ideal and compare yourself to this false ideal then your relationship will always come up as a failure. Instead, think of creating a time to be yourselves with each other, your way. Talk to each other about what you think would feel special.

If you are single

Do something that expresses love and appreciation for yourself. You know about Friendsgiving, the dinner you hold after Thanksgiving with your close friends. Why not do the same for Valentine’s Day? Set up a meal with a close friend, or a video conference dine and chat? Do something indulgent and that shows the love that you wish to receive from others. Mentally healthy people do not wait for others to give them compassion, gratitude or pleasant experiences. They realize that they can do this for themselves.

If you feel lonely or unloved

Take the time to write down a list of the people who have loved you in your life and have shown you care and compassion. Focus upon your gratitude for their influence on your life. This could be a past teacher, coach, tutor, aunt, grandparent, therapist or friend. This will remind you that you are indeed connected to the human community.

If you are having conflict with your romantic partner

Write a letter of gratitude to them. This will help you refocus upon what brought you together in the first place. Couples with successful relationships focus upon the good things in each other and they tell their partners about these things.

If you are alone

Write yourself a letter of gratitude about your ability to persevere, to give to others, to be a good friend or a good worker. Give yourself the words of affirmation that you need to hear. If you are brave enough, call a friend and ask them to tell you what they like and admire about you. Dare to listen to their words and write them down so you can savour them.

In addition to the aforementioned tips which are suggested by Dr. Cassiday who is the Clinical Director of The Anxiety Treatment Centre, remember that you have learned a simple meditation on Wednesday? Let’s practice it with yourself or your partner during this Valentine’s Day!

A gentle reminder on this very special day:

Protect your physical health from catching the coronavirus.

Protect your mental health from having a mental illness.

Protect your beloved partner and yourself from being a father/mother! :)

Reference: https://adaa.org/learn-from-us/from-the-experts/blog-posts/consumer/valentines-day-day-love-or-day-longing

A 5-Minute Meditation

– Wednesday 12 February 2020

We all are recently experiencing something very new in Hong Kong. By fighting against the coronavirus, you may face many new challenges. For example, constantly checking the mask supply (I believe that some of you have become a mask expert already!) and other daily commodities, and adapting e-leaning as your everyday learning mode. By simply facing these new challenges, it is normal for us to experience a sense of fear, panic or anxiety. Previous research suggested that meditation is beneficial to our psychological well-being by ameliorating some negative emotions, such as anxiety, depression, and stress (Schreiner and Malcolm, 2008). Some more benefits of meditation are showed in the poster.

A very brief mediation exercise is introduced to you, please refer to the following link: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=inpok4MKVLM

It is simple and easy to learn. Just feel free to do it whenever you feel stress or panic during this difficult time.