Mental Health Awareness Week
On the 24th of October, we invited Monnet International School Community to participate in the final of the Mental Health Awareness Week. This year, the overarching theme was “Self-regulation”, namely actions and habits that we can choose to engage in, in order to find emotional balance, vent negative thoughts, and find new sources of joy and satisfaction. All kinds of practices could serve the purpose of self-regulation, ranging from meditation and mindfulness, through artistic endeavors like drawing, pottery or playing in a band, to sports activities like Tai Chi or horse riding. Overall, these activities contribute to a balanced lifestyle, which in turn increases emotional resilience and lowers the risk of mental illness.
For the past couple of weeks, our students collaborated in groups to try out various activities, and to see whether these activities had any impact on their well-being. Some teams tried physical activities like long-distance walking, exercising in the gym, or stretching, others practiced meditation before sleep. Two groups decided to get serious about baking and cooking, and one evaluated the impact of listening to classical music.
We also had special guests: our one and only art teacher, Ms Marta Pokorska, and her two dogs, demonstrated how spending time with animals could also help us with self-regulation.
Earlier that week, students had a chance to participate in a number of self-reg workshops. Agnieszka Paczkowska and Krystyna Szrajber, as well as Paulina Gawrońska, showed us how drama can help us self-regulate emotions by integrating the mind and the body. Marta Pokorska led three art-therapy workshops, where students engaged creatively with shape and colour. Barbara Głąb introduced us to three major techniques of mindfulness. And sensei Andrzej Gosek made the case for martial arts being a powerful way to release some steam, but also find a way to regain self-control.
So, which activity is going to be your self-reg?
Gallery:
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