Cultivating Wellness

Set your clocks back and enjoy that extra hour of sleep.

While schools focus on the how-to of academics, this monthly newsletter aims to emphasize support, encouragement, and connection to optimal mental health and wellness. The goal is to share tips and strategies that are simple enough to incorporate into an already full plate. At the very least, this newsletter is a regular reminder that we are in this together. We are all human and are all desperate for small successes and even more in need of a worthwhile connection.

The Importance of Routine for Kids

The Importance of Routines and Schedules

7 Healthy Habits for a successful school year

• National Alliance on Mental Illness-Genesee County Chapter
• Michigan Department of Health and Human Services
• The State of Michigan has created a Stay Well program that encourages individuals to Be Kind to Your Mind, providing access to support groups, help lines, webinars, behavioral health guides, and video resources. This Mindfulness and Stress Resilience Guide is one tool provided. Check the link to learn more.
• Michigan 211 helps to connect individuals to a variety of services, including mental health providers.
  

It's that time of year when we begin to prepare for winter and the Holidays. For some, that means stretching an already tight budget. Below are a few local resources:

For help with the upcoming holidays, contact:

https://www.flintandgenesee.org/holiday-resource-guide,

Old Newsboys of Flint. https://onbflint.org (applications available 10/31 - 12/16/22)

Toys for Tots: https://www.toysfortots.org (applications available 10/01 - 12/16/22)

For help with bill payment, food, and/or shelter, contact:

Salvation Army, https://centralusa.salvationarmy.org/genesee

Autumn in Michigan is a special and often exhilarating time of year. The long warm sunny days of summer have given way to crisp fall mornings, changing leaves, and early sunsets. The quiet that comes with autumn is the perfect time for introspection and reflection.

The end of the first marking period is the perfect time for parents and their children to take stock of academic and personal accomplishments. Take a few minutes to reflect on what’s working and celebrate that. Then take a few minutes and make note of what could be working better or needs a little tweaking. For example, do your mornings seem rushed or chaotic? Is it a struggle to get everyone ready and out the door on time? Perhaps a few adjustments in your nighttime routine could help.

Try the teamwork approach. Get the kids in the kitchen with you to plan and pack lunches for the next day, and pre-prep any parts of breakfast (bowls and cereal boxes out, etc...). Maybe you could spend some time together choosing and laying out outfits for the next day. Perhaps using a checklist of things to review each night might be helpful.

Homework

Permission slips

Money and fund­-raising orders

Backpack by the door

Coat or Jacket by the door

Shoes and or Boots by the door

Etc.

Introspection and reflection are as important for you personally as they are for your children and students. Just as you work to foster growth in them, you need to be mindful of your wellbeing. As adults, it’s very easy to forget or “put off” our own self-care routines. This practice not only does us harm, but also gets in the way of putting forth our best effort for others. Remember the old airline pre-flight directive to "place the oxygen mask over your own mouth and nose before assisting others.” This applies here on land as well. According to Health and Behavioral Science (hbr.org) we can’t share with others a resource that we lack ourselves. Below are 5 simple tips for fall self-care from Mind Fuel Daily. (https://www.mindfueldaily.com/).

1. Get a good planner: Do yourself a favor and set yourself up for success by incorporating a solid planning system. This doesn’t need to be expensive or complicated. The simpler it is, the more likely you are to use and adhere to it.

2. Develop a morning routine. Be sure to include self-care in that routine. You do you better than anyone else. If you’re a morning person your routine may be more elaborate, such as a morning run or other exercise, journaling, etc. If mornings aren’t your jam, choose a few self-care activities that are simpler and take less time, such as meditating, stretching, or listening to a podcast while you get ready for your day. Practicing a consistent morning routine (even if you only have 10 minutes!) will set a positive tone for your day.

3. Try meditation: During these 10 minutes, find a position that is comfortable for you. Sit in a chair, on the couch, the floor, or lie down if you prefer. If you have no idea where to start, consider using a meditation app. Free apps such as Insight Timer Meditation are a simple and effective way to incorporate self-care, and you can do it practically anywhere.

4. Spend time each day doing something that you want to do: It’s easy to get caught up in the “should” and “have-to” this time of year. Obligations and expectations mean that we’re often frazzled and overextended. It’s easy to let our own interests fly by the wayside. Ask yourself this question. “What are some activities that I thoroughly enjoy and WANT to do?” Catching up with a friend, watching a favorite show, reading, gardening, baking, painting, or taking an exercise class. What activities can you REALISTICALLY squeeze into your days? Start by giving yourself 10 minutes if you have to. Then gradually build to 30 minutes, each day, that you set aside to care for yourself. Brainstorm things of interest to you. Mix it up. But figure out ways you can realistically (Here’s where that planner comes in.) incorporate your favorite activities into your busy days.

5. Keep your phone out of reach at night. If you’re anything like me, it is such a struggle to stay away from screens at night! Why is this so hard? Catching up on social media, checking “just one more” email, or texting a friend back are all actions that start out harmlessly enough but often result in HOURS of wasted time. Ten minutes easily turns into an hour. Instead of reading an actual book or getting to sleep at a decent hour, we stay up way too late staring at our screens. If you use your phone as an alarm, consider putting your phone on the other side of your bedroom. Put it where there’s no way for you to reach it unless you get OUT of bed to turn it off. Put it there BEFORE you get into bed and LEAVE it there, so you aren’t tempted to look at it before you fall asleep. While it might be tough at first, it really will enhance your sleep, so do your best to keep your phone out of reach at night.

Supporting the whole child starts with supporting all the adults involved in the educational process. From direct providers, such as teachers and paraprofessionals, to those indirectly involved with student success (business, transportation, operations, human resources, etc.), a need for optimal self-care is shared to bring our best self to work each day.

The GISD has taken steps to develop a customizable wellness toolkit available to staff throughout Genesee County schools, programs, and GISD departments. This toolkit has been created to help administrators and managers implement and create sustainable staff wellness initiatives. While resources are often spread thin and opportunities for added programs may be far and few between, one key for programs and departments is to start where they are and commit to intentional moves toward creating and sustaining a culture of wellness.

The Cultivating Staff Wellness (CSW) Toolkit is based on SAMHSA’s Eight Dimensions of Wellness: emotional, physical, spiritual, environmental, occupational, financial, intellectual, and social. Complete the Cultivating Staff Wellness Registration Form so that your school, program, or department can access the CSW Toolkit.

Our team is committed to promoting wellness in schools as well as in our communities through support of students, staff, and parents. We strive to highlight what's working in wellness, bring you relevant and helpful information for wellness, and to provide connections to community resources that may assist with wellness.

To learn more about health and wellness for teachers, students, and families, check out our page on the GISD website.