The WCS Health and Wellness Team is a great resource for our students, families, faculty, and staff. The team recently shared these self-care tips with our community:
We all have mental health. It affects how we think, feel, and act every day. Mental health plays a big role in your overall well-being. When you’re mentally healthy, you can enjoy your life and the people in it, feel good about yourself, keep up good relationships, and manage stress. It’s normal for your mental health to shift over time.
Self-care is the practice of taking care of oneself. It takes purposeful effort, but it can help with maintaining or improving your daily mental well-being. It is important to note that self-care is not a selfish act and doesn’t have to be time consuming or expensive. It can be whatever you make it and is an intentional way to love yourself. There are many different forms of self-care, and it is important for you to find out what works best for you. Below are a few different forms of self-care, according to the Mental Health Coalition (2023):
- Physical: Addresses stress that lives in your body. It alleviates physical pain or tension that either causes or results from mental stress. This can include fitness, dance, aromatherapy, rest, pampering, spending time out in nature. Eating healthfully, staying hydrated and being on a good sleep schedule are part of caring for your physical health.
- Emotional: Involves tending to your own internal emotional world – especially your mood and feelings. This can include connecting with others, deep breathing, counseling, journaling or art. Practice ways to calm your mind and cope with difficult feelings.
- Cognitive: Engage in activities that are intellectually rewarding and/or stimulating. This can include reading, writing, listening to books or podcasts, learning a new skill, watching good films or therapy. Taking a social media or technology break will give your brain a rest, making room to tend to your emotional and other needs. A quiet brain works better!
- Spiritual: Focus on your faith and the presence of God in your life. Become more intentional about prayer, reading devotions and scripture, and connecting with your church community for fellowship. Take the opportunity to build your relationship with Christ. ‘Be still, and know that I am God’ Psalm 46:10
The WCS Health and Wellness Team provides a variety of services to our community:
- Short-term individual counseling
- Small group counseling
- Classroom and school-wide presentations
- Educational and informational seminars
- Crisis intervention
- Parent consultations
- Social/Emotional curriculum grades K-7
- Referrals to outside community resources