What’s your wellbeing strategy?
Share
Focusing on our wellbeing plays an important part in our lives, and as educators we have long been aware of the importance of wellbeing for students. However, in our fast-paced world, it can be a challenge to prioritise and maintain wellbeing practices.
The Student Wellbeing Hub describes wellbeing as a “combination of a person’s emotional, mental and social health and it also reflects how they feel about themselves and their life in general. Wellbeing is linked to improved academic achievement, enhanced mental health and responsible life choices”.
Wellbeing practices can be connected to a person’s cultural background or identity. Having an understanding of your identity is also connected to a sense of increased wellbeing.
Below are two videos outlining different wellbeing practices.
Sometimes we don’t know what we can do to maintain our wellbeing. Sharing different examples of wellbeing practices can be a good way to give inspiration, and strike up great conversations.
After sharing these examples with your students, start a conversation about each others’ wellbeing practices.
Additional Resources
Student Activities
- Our FREE online learning module for secondary-aged students, Defining Identities, encourages students to think about their cultural identity.
- The Student Wellbeing Hub, funded by the Australian Department of Education, houses numerous teaching & learning resources, along with professional learning webinars, and a school wellbeing check survey.
- The Blackdog Institute’s HeadStrong program is a FREE resource for high schools, linked to the Year 9-10 HPE curriculum, to develop students’ mental health literacy. The Institute also has a free online learning program for 13-16 year olds, Bite Back, designed to improve wellbeing and resilience.
- Non-profit organisation Mind Blank provide prevention and early intervention mental health training in schools. They deliver student programs using storytelling on topics such as self-talk, coping with stress and change and resilience using. Their website also has online learning modules.
Professional Learning
- Beyond Blue’s Be You site has a wellbeing toolkit for educators, including wellbeing plan templates and ideas, as well as links to other wellbeing tools. They also have a toolkit for students.
- THIS WAY UP is a non-profit provider of FREE evidence-based, internet-delivered Cognitive Behavioural Therapy (iCBT) programs. It includes tips and strategies, coping guides and tools, assessment quizzes, and online learning modules for stress and anxiety amongst other mental health topics.
- Helping students to explore their own identity and resilience can be a way to support their wellbeing. See our FREE online learning module for educators, Exploring Identity & Resilience.
- Take a look at this teaching blog post about teacher self-care for some ideas for your own self-care as an educator
Further Exploration
- ReachOut Australia has many resources for schools, but also dedicated pages for parents & carers, and for young people.
- Headspace also offer online and in-person workshops for students, educators and families, as well as fact sheet resources on mental health topics.
- Apps such as Calm and Smiling Mind can also offer personalised wellbeing practices including reminders to stop and take the time for yourself.
About the Author
Andrea (she/her) is a former secondary business education teacher. She was born on Darumbal country in Rockhampton and now lives and works on the land of the Yuggera, Turrbal and Ugarapul peoples in Ipswich, Queensland.
Copyright
Metadata © Together for Humanity (except where otherwise indicated). Digital content © Together for Humanity (except where otherwise indicated). Video © Together for Humanity (except where otherwise indicated). All images copyright their respective owners. Text © Together for Humanity is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 4.0 International License (CC BY-SA 4.0).
Copyright
Metadata © Together for Humanity (except where otherwise indicated). Digital content © Together for Humanity (except where otherwise indicated). Video © Together for Humanity (except where otherwise indicated). All images copyright their respective owners. Text © Together for Humanity is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 4.0 International License (CC BY-SA 4.0).
- Stage: All
- Curriculum: HPE
- Topics: Wellbeing