A Note From Your Counselors
We hope you all were able to enjoy the warm weather and sunshine that graced us with its presence over the last two weeks! With schools, gyms, movie theaters, and other public spaces closed but the weather warming up we wanted to remind you of the value and positive effects nature can have on our physical, mental, and emotional health.
If you missed it, you can find it here.
Go Outside: But Why?
We know you and your students have heard the advice “go outside, it’s good for you” over and over, especially now that it is one of the few activities we can truly do to get out of the house. But how exactly is it “good for us”? While it seems clear that being outside and walking is good for our physical bodies, how might our mental and emotional health be effected?
Starting in the 1980’s the Forest Agency of Japan began encouraging people to take walks in the woods for better health. The practice was called forest bathing, or shinrin-yoku, and it was believed to lower stress.
Since then scientific studies have been able to show that being in nature lowers blood pressure, promote cancer-fighting cells, help with depression and anxiety, and may even help with ADHD symptoms. (If you would like to read the complete article it can be found here: https://time.com/4405827/the-healing-power-of-nature/ )
Nature Soothes, Restores, & Create “Awe”
· Nature reduces anger, fear, stress, and increases pleasant feelings and can help us cope with pain or worry.
· Because we are genetically programmed to find trees, plants, water, and other nature elements fascinating, we are brought to the present moment, and can experience the joy and awe outside of ourselves.
· This awe can restore our overactive minds and allow us to better focus.
Moral of the studies: Get outside as a family and allow yourself and your children to become in AWE with what you find and feel!
Hands on Activities
If you would like educational lessons and hand on activities related to nature, farms, and gardening for all ages go check out Big Green: Home Grown . I highly suggest the Kitchen Scrap Garden activity. You and your students can re-grow fruits and veggies using scraps laying around the house! Find that specific lesson here.
Mindfulness Practice – Thirsty for Art
Keeping with the theme of Nature, here is a guided expressive art activity by Thirsty for Art, a YouTube Channel created by a trained Art Counselor.
You and your student can use pieces of nature laying around near your home, sticks, rocks, leaves, flowers, etc., to create a “special place” that represents a memory or an emotion. Then use reflective journal to describe what you created!
Mental Health Matters:
Now that the school closure has been extended through the end of the school year, this will be a time of prolonged adjustment as students and families transition to on-line learning. Transitions and change can be difficult for students, especially during such an unprecedented time in history. Our Swedish School Based Mental Health Counselor, Laura Greening, is available to support students through individual telehealth (online) counseling support. If you are interested in getting your student connected to services, please do not hesitate to reach out to our school based mental health counselor: laura.greening@swedish.org.
Free Virtual Counseling Sessions
About Us
Laura Meserole, 6th Grade Counselor
Jessica Morrison, 7th Grade Counselor
Miranda Williams, 8th Grade Counselor
Gurminder Randhawa, 8th Grade Counselor
Tiffany Stephens, Counseling Intern
Laura Greening, Swedish Mental Health Counselor
Amy Butson, PBSES Coach
Website: https://www.issaquah.wednet.edu/pacificcascadems
Location: Pacific Cascade Middle School, Southeast Issaquah-Fall City Road, Issaquah, WA, USA
Phone: 425-837-5900
