Tips for wellness from our Mental Health In Schools Team
“Enjoy the little things, for one day you may look back and realize they were the big things.” – Robert Brault
Appreciation
Appreciation is a feeling of thankfulness or an act of recognising something that is important or meaningful to you.
We can appreciate or recognise another person through complementing them and sharing what you like about them. We can say ‘thank you’ to others when someone is helpful or supportive. This has benefits for both our mental health and for the people around us. We can also appreciate ourselves – you are important and unique! Remember to celebrate when you achieve big and small things and stop to appreciate what you have done.
Learning to appreciate others and ourselves can improve our self-esteem, improve our mood and improve our relationships with others.
Our tips for appreciation:
- Create a “be proud” board at home or at school where you post your drawings or good deeds.
- Start a gratitude journal – write or draw things that make you feel proud or happy every day.
- Give a compliment – think about a person who is important to you and tell them 3 things that you like about them. You could write a letter or a small note to let them know how much you appreciate them. Use these sentence starters to help you:
- I like how you…
- You are…
- Thank you for…
- You make me happy when you…
- Say ‘thank you’ – remember to thank other people throughout the day, to show them you appreciate what they do for you. If you have a friend who speaks another language, you could learn to say ‘thank you’ in the language that they speak. You could also learn to say ‘thank you’ in Makaton (sign language) too! Have a look at the video to help you!
- Self-appreciation – think of something small that you have achieved this week. Pause and take a minute to appreciate what you have done. Which of your positive qualities did you use? Kindness, thoughtfulness, curiosity, creativity?
Please contact [email protected] for information and advice about mental health and well-being for your child and your family.