Your Mental Health Matters

Saying goodbye to our summer and returning to school can be challenging. Adjusting to a new school year can take time as students, families, and educators prepare to embrace the joys, excitement, anxiety, and stress it can bring.

As we embrace our fall season, let us review a few mental health reminders for a successful school year.

Families play a significant role in preparing students for a successful year. Creating a safe space where we normalize students expressing their feelings is instrumental in helping students have a successful school year.

Educators play an essential role as well. Finding creative ways to incorporate mental health education into the curriculum allows the students to gain a sense of understanding and even empathy, which could assist with reducing the stigma around mental health.

Lastly, students need to talk about their feelings because feelings matter. Whether we like or don't like to experience an emotion, good mental health includes coping with a range of feelings. Acknowledge their experience and reassure students that these feelings are a natural part of the change. Feelings and thoughts are always temporary; like our seasons, they will change. Please visit the links below for additional reminders for a successful school year.

https://www.samhsa.gov/blog/back-to-school-and-mental-health-supporting-children

https://www.hcbh.org/blog/posts/2023/august/back-to-school-mental-health-tips/