Counsellor Connections - April Blog
I hope everyone had a fantastic Spring Break! I know I sure had fun getting outside and enjoying the sun and beautiful weather. In March, our wellness focus was on living a healthy lifestyle. We spent time learning healthy eating, sleeping, and exercise habits that we can implement to help improve our overall health.
As we move into April, the Northern Lights Public School Division’s Wellness Theme is Self-Awareness. Verywellmind.com defines Self Awareness as “your ability to perceive and understand the things that make you who you are as an individual, including your personality, actions, values, beliefs, emotions, and thoughts.” There are so many positive outcomes to being more self-aware, including a positive mindset, improved self-confidence, and enhanced optimism. At LTA our K-6 students will be learning about self-reflection and how the practice of self-reflection can lead to improved self-awareness. Please continue reading for more self-awareness resources and activities you can try at home!
Self-reflection is defined by Kidskonnect.com as understanding who you are and what you feel. It means getting to know your values, strengths, weaknesses, and why you think and act in certain ways. Self-reflection is an important part of self-awareness, as the more time we can spend trying to understand our thoughts and feelings the better we will understand who we are. Check out the following self-reflection article to get you started on your self-awareness journey
https://kidskonnect.com/articles/9-games-to-help-your-child-develop-and-improve-self-reflection/
Self Awareness starts with people being able to identify how they’re feeling. Emotion check-ins help us to identify the feeling, but also the intensity of that feeling. We cannot manage a feeling if we cannot recognize it. If you want to change how you feel later, you need to start with how you're feeling now because if you don’t know how you’re feeling you can’t do anything about it.
Many schools in the Division will be completing a “DNA” reflection worksheet with their staff and students. It enables individuals to recognize their Dreams, Needs, and Abilities, which in turn increases self-awareness and supports personal growth. Here is an attached template, feel free to complete this activity at home with your families.
Journaling is a fantastic way for anyone to stop and take a few minutes to reflect on their day, their behaviors, and their actions. Doing so leads to increased self-awareness, and doing this activity at night will likely help with sleep. Here are some journaling prompts to help you start this process.
For more resources, check out the Self-Awareness page of the NLPS website.
If you would like me to connect with your child or your family, you can contact me at the school at (825) 723-0208 or by email at stephanie.rychlo@nlsd.ab.ca