August is National Wellness Month, emphasizing self-care, stress management and healthy routines. This is a great reminder for students, staff and families to create healthy habits, especially during the school year when schedules are often busy and there are several competing priorities.
Creating healthy habits includes:
- Mental Health and Wellness – According to neuroscience research, supporting mental health and wellness, fostering a growth mindset, embracing intellectual risk-taking, and cultivating skills such as resiliency, adaptability and optimism can significantly optimize learning at the highest levels, enabling students to achieve their academic and personal goals. Visit our Mental Health and Wellness webpage for more information about IUSD resources and supports.
- Social Wellness – Forming and maintaining connections to family, friends and community is critical for social and emotional wellness. While technology can help us easily engage with people, there is no replacement for real human contact, which provides important mental health benefits and prevents isolation. Research shows that living in isolation is as bad for your health as smoking or high blood pressure. For ways to connect with others and help form new bonds, visit our Social Wellness Month article.
- Exercise – Stay active! Physical activity can improve your overall health and well-being. Research shows that exercise improves mental health and wellness and can help decrease stress.
- Sleep – Establish a sleep routine, which includes going to bed, getting up at the same time each day and getting at least 7-9 hours of sleep each night.
- Nutrition – Eat regular meals that include healthy foods and drink plenty of water. Visit The Academy of Nutrition and Dietetics’s Eat Right website for more information, resources and healthy eating tips for children, teens and adults.
- Time Management – With the start of school, schedules can quickly become overwhelming. Use an hourly calendar to map out your child’s daily activities. This will help you both visualize how time is spent on school, homework, family time, activities and sleep. By doing this together, you can develop strategies for a more balanced schedule.
Research has shown that self-care helps manage stress and physical health and can promote happiness. Making a small change can have a positive impact and set you up for a good start to the school year.
For more information and resources, visit iusd.org/MentalHealth.
Please note: These tips should not be used as a substitute for medical advice or treatment from your doctor or mental health professionals.