From the P&F Association

Counting your blessings this Easter

Term 1 2023 has come and gone in the blink of an eye. It seems that busy-ness is the new buzz word. But does being busy, and pushing through, support positive mental health and well-being. In short…No.

In a world where we are rushing through our days and weeks, our young people are also highly active. By rushing and pushing through, our young people are missing out on opportunities for:

  • quiet time
  • stillness
  • reflection

For our brains, this means we, and our young people, are always ‘on’. Being switched on can be a positive, we have the hormones adrenalin and cortisol running through our bodies so that we can be alert and act. Too much adrenalin and cortisol though can mean fatigue and burnout.

Setting our young people up for success in life, and therefore mitigating the risks of fatigue and burnout, means looking for opportunities for quiet time, stillness, reflection. Over the school holidays, use the time with your young person to create these opportunities. One means of doing this is to reflect and count our blessings. Not just in a moment before we sit down for our Easter feast, but as a practice over the school holidays. For our brain, counting our blessings can boost the levels of our feel-good hormones, serotonin and dopamine.” Dopamine is our brain’s pleasure chemical. The more we think positive, grateful thoughts, the healthier and happier we feel. Serotonin in the synthetic form is the basis for modern anti-depressant medication. Having dopamine and serotonin naturally released through our bodies can have a powerful and positive impact on our wellbeing.

How can we count our blessings with our young people over the holidays, thereby boosting the feel good hormones serotonin and dopamine? Stop, and count our blessings for the moments of stillness that we create. This could be done by with our young person by:

  • spending time in nature, camping or bushwalking
  • volunteering for a local community service
  • engaging in a hobby, craft, or activity
  • having a digital detox, take time away from devices and social media

With the success of counting our blessings and finding time to be still and reflect, maybe stretch the goal and extend these feel good practices in Term 2.

Happy Easter!

Parents and Friends’ Association