Wellness Wednesday

May 6, 2020

May is Mental Health Awareness Month. This is a national movement to fight stigma, provide support, and increase awareness of mental illness. The goal of this month is to remind everyone that you are not alone and to share "Tools 2 Thrive". There are resources, supports, and people to help you. Especially now when things are uncertain and we are unable to connect in person, please remember that your WHS administrators, counselors, and faculty are here for you. Below are some tools you can try at home.

Be well,

WHS Counselors

Stop, Breathe, and Think allows you to tell the app how you are feeling and will then recommend short meditations to help you navigate those feelings.

Calm lets you set a daily reminder to track your feelings and even lets you note things that may be making you feel a certain way.

UCLA Mindful App is full of free guided meditations, podcasts, and health resources.

As a reminder, the National Suicide Prevention Lifeline is staffed 24 hours a day, 7 days a week. You can call 1-800-273-TALK (8255) or chat online.

Journaling helps us figure out who we are, what we need, and what we want. It can help us make better decisions and focus on the very things that support us in taking compassionate care of ourselves and others. Here are some prompts, questions and ideas to explore in your journal to get to know yourself better.

1. My favorite way to spend the day is…
2. If I could talk to my younger self, the one thing I would say is…
3. Make a list of 30 things that make you smile.
4. Write about a moment experienced through your body. Making breakfast, going to a party, having a fight, an experience you’ve had or you imagine for your character. Leave out thought and emotion, and let all information be conveyed through the body and senses.
5. When I’m in pain — physical or emotional — the kindest thing I can do for myself is…
6. Make a list of the people in your life who genuinely support you, and who you can genuinely trust. (Then make time to hang out with them.)
7. I really wish others knew this about me…
8. Name a compassionate way you’ve supported a friend recently. Then write down how you can do the same for yourself.
9. Using 10 words, describe yourself.
10. I feel most energized when…

Guidance Counselors will continue hosting office hours weekly. You'll receive an email on Sunday night with the Zoom information. Remember, we'll use the Waiting Room feature, so you may need to wait a little bit before we are able to chat. If you want to schedule a longer meeting, just email us! Here are office hours for next week (week of May 4):

Dr. Baker: Tuesday, 1:00PM-2:00PM and Wednesday, 4:00PM-5:00PM

Ms. Eaton: Wednesday, 3:30PM-4:30PM and Thursday, 2:30PM-3:30PM (different this week)

Ms. Orpen: Monday, 2:00PM-3:00PM and Tuesday, 3:30PM-4:30PM

Ms. Leonard: Tuesday and Thursday, 11:30AM-12:30PM

Ms. Osborne: Monday and Tuesday, 3:00PM-4:00PM

If you want to look back at a previous newsletter, here are the links:

April 29, 2020

April 22, 2020

April 15, 2020

April 8, 2020

April 1, 2020