As we approach March Break, it is important for adults and students to think about how we take care of ourselves – how we can de-stress by incorporating strategies into our lifestyle to avoid burnout and stress induced illness.
Maria Baratta, Ph.D., L.C.S.W., Clinician in New York speaks about Self Care 101. Here are the 10 strategies that she speaks about:
Self care means knowing who you are and your limits.
Self care means getting the sleep you need and knowing how to rest Self care means making sure that you're well fed.
Self care means finding a way to decompress throughout your day, not just when you leave work or school.
Self care means giving some thought to change a difficult work situation.
Self care means taking time to get to know you better.
Self care means identifying what you enjoy doing and what's fun for you and make a serious effort to integrate it into your day or, at the very least, your week
Self care means knowing how to debrief from a day's work or day of school.
Self care means feeding your spiritual self.
Self care means taking time to love yourself and appreciating that there's only one you and you're the expert on that.
Check out some more tips from School Mental Health Ontario on building personal resiliency.
Let’s encourage our students to take March Break to practice some (or all) of these suggestions for self-care!!!
Release of the YRDSB Student Suicide Intervention Protocol
York Region District School Board is committed to student well-being and mental health. YRDSB has developed a Student Suicide Intervention Protocol to help keep students safe in the event of suicidal thoughts or actions. The Student Suicide Intervention Protocol will be implemented starting Fall 2019. Youth suicide is a complex, emotionally-charged and sadly a real problem in Canada. It is the second leading cause of death amongst young people. It’s important to recognize that those who struggle with mental health have personal strength and resilience and the potential to overcome difficulties to ultimately thrive.
The YRDSB Student Suicide Intervention Protocol is designed to address the six steps involved when responding to current and present thoughts of suicide, as well as actions related to suicide. In addition, the Protocol is governed by a set of guiding principles which are underpinned by a culturally responsive and reflective practice.
Suicide is not culturally neutral. Our cultural and ethnic backgrounds will inform how each of us understands suicide. To see all the guiding principles, refer to the print version of the protocol on the on the board website YRDSB-Student Suicide Intervention Protocol. If you have any questions about the Student Suicide Intervention Protocol, please contact your school principal.