MENTAL HEALTH & WELLBEING
WHAT IS MENTAL HEALTH AND WELLBEING?
HOW DO FAMILY ROUTINES HELP IMPROVE WELLBEING?
Mental Health and Wellbeing are common language or ‘buzz’ words in our current climate, especially after the Covid pandemic, but what do the words actually mean? Is mental health and wellbeing the same thing? If not, how do they differ?
The World Health Organisation uses these definitions:
- Mental health is a state of mental wellbeing that enables people to cope with the stresses of life, realise their abilities, learn well and work well, and contribute to their community.
- Wellbeing encompasses quality of life and the ability of people and societies to contribute to the world with a sense of meaning and purpose.
While the concept of 'wellbeing' is often referenced within schools, how wellbeing is defined in relation to children can lack clarity and consensus. It is usually understood as a multidimensional concept involving a student's emotional, mental, physical and social health, and includes how the student thinks and feels about themselves and their life generally.
Recent research collected the perspectives of over 600 primary and secondary school students across Australia to explore their understanding of 'wellbeing' and the most effective ways to support it (Powell et al., 2018). The students conceptualised wellbeing through three interconnected domains of 'being', 'having' and 'doing':
- 'Being'- Students identified wellbeing as a state of 'being' that existed when their needs were met and when they experienced a sense of satisfaction. For example, being happy, loved, cared for, connected, wanted, safe and healthy.
- 'Having'- Students conceptualised wellbeing in relation to 'having' support, rights and social justice. For example, having a voice, justice, fairness, help with schoolwork, good friendships, communication and respect.
- 'Doing'- Students also understood wellbeing in relation to their own actions. For example, looking after oneself, accepting yourself and others, making good decisions and performing acts of generosity and kindness.
There is something beautifully reassuring about these findings from children. It reinforces to us as parents, teachers, caregivers, coaches etc that we are in such privileged positions. Not everyone has the capacity to so drastically impact our children’s sense of self, but it forces us to ask ourselves, “What are we doing to foster the positive development and wellbeing of our children?”
We all know that having consistency and regular routines helps create safe, predictable and calm environments, which in turn, improves our wellbeing. At St Gabriel’s our staff have a strong understanding of the importance of developing and maintaining daily classroom routines and structures that help our students meet some of the needs in the ‘being’, ‘having’, and ‘doing’ domains listed above. Some of our routines range from coming together in class communities each morning to start the day with prayer and doing a quick wellbeing check in using our feelings chart. Both these activities allow students the chance for quiet reflection, to offer thanks, or ask in various ways for support or help. Our timetables are as predictable as they can be in the context of a busy school by allocating specialists classes on the same days each week. We have routines for transitioning between subjects during the day, and specific ways of preparing for the end of each school day that involve routines for packing up and organising things to prepare for the next day. We have routines around the way we manage behaviour and for celebrating student success, as well as routines around entering and exiting the playground at break times.
So, if you are reading this and wondering if you could implement some routines at home that might help improve the wellbeing of everyone in the family, the Emerging Minds website has some helpful tips and advice.
What can parents and carers do to establish family routines to improve wellbeing?
While it is ideal to have regular daily family routines, it is also important for young people to learn that routines can sometimes be flexible or change, so parents and carers should not feel guilty if the routines slide or must be modified from time to time.
Emerging Minds, suggest that introducing one or two routines at a time is an effective way to start implementing routines, and that they can be simple things focused on connecting or re -connecting with your children by:
-Giving them a hug when they wake up and perhaps saying something positive or complimentary to each other to start the day off well
- Sharing a snack and chat about your days after school or work, ensuring to keep it a space for listening first, then responding
- A cuddle on the couch when they get home from a friend’s house or sports practice.
- Reading together (can be children’s readers, news reports or articles on a topic both parties are interested in) before bedtime
- Doing a household chore together such as folding the washing, unstacking the dishwasher, and initiating positive conversations with starter such as “What was the best part of your day today?”
- Walking a lap of the block, around the nearby oval or track where you enjoy the scenery
Because routines can be fun, they can also be things like:
-Having a regular family movie night, taking it in turns to pick the appropriate film and the special food
- Going for ice-cream after dinner once a week/ fortnight/ month
-Having take out nights once a week/ fortnight/ month
- Playing a family board game/s or cards the first weekend of every month
Be as creative as you can and try to decide on the routines with your children, so they feel a sense of autonomy and choice in the activity. This should increase their willingness to participate in doing it and sticking to it regularly. Remember, they do not have to be expensive activities and it is fine to put some limitations on the sorts of routines children can choose from. The important thing to consider is how effectively this specific routine will contribute to your child feeling happy, connected, loved, cared for, safe and secure, healthy, supported and like they have a voice.
For more information on reflecting on current family routines, re-establishing routines and rules at home, effective routines for children with a disability, autism, or learning support needs, please visit this website.
If anyone has any family routines that you feel help improve the overall wellbeing of your children or any member of your family, I’d love to hear about them. Feel free to email me at lgreer@stgtraralgon.catholic.edu.au
Regards,
Leanne Greer
MHWL – St Gabriels, Traralgon