Note: Students in Grades 6-8, please skip this page and continue on the page that follows.

Cultivating Self- Awareness

Self-awareness is a way of assessing ourselves, like taking a survey and asking “me” questions. It means giving some thought to whether we are thinking and feeling and acting as we “should” or following our own standards and values. Self-awareness also means discovering our values. We should become aware of how we feel, why we feel that way and the things that help us feel better. Building this connection with yourself can help build confidence.
How do we cultivate or build self-awareness?

Create Time and Space

Connect with yourself daily.
Disconnect from digital or virtual distractions for a few hours.
Give yourself some alone (me) time.

Mindfulness

Mindfulness is the ability to be fully present, aware of where we are and what we’re doing, and not overwhelmed by what’s going on around us.
Practice this while eating or walking. Don’t think about anything else, except the experience of what you are doing.
Virtual Wellness Room

Journaling

Process your thoughts through journaling. It can be hard to identify how we feel, putting it into writing helps us reflect on it in a different way.
Practice gratitude: Many studies have shown that people who practice gratefulness are less stressed. Gratefulness can be practiced by writing a letter to someone we are thankful for, taking a picture of something we enjoy or keeping a gratitude journal. In the gratitude journal you can write 3 things that you're grateful for everyday, like a friend, family member or your favorite snack.

Talk to others and practice listening

Talking to others can be helpful in reducing stress. This can be a close friend or a trusted adult.
While it is so important to connect with yourself, getting the perspective or feedback of others can be helpful too. As you speak to them, listen to anything they may say to you. People may have a new way of approaching a problem.

Video (4 Minutes and 48 Seconds)

Strategies for relieving stress

Getting to know yourself is important. There are other ways for coping with stress in a positive way.

Get organized and solve the little problems. Take action to solve problems that crop up. For example, if you're stressed out over homework, make a list of everything and start with the smaller tasks or the most important tasks. This will help you get through your list. Each time you check an item off of your list, you will feel better.
Laugh. Nothing squashes a bad mood quite like a good laugh. Laughing produces a general sense of well-being and can diffuse the anger and depression you were once feeling. When stressed, call your funniest friend, or search a funny animal video on youtube.
Listen to Music. Music can help you to relieve stress and either calm yourself down or stimulate your mind. It all depends on the songs you choose. It is a convenient way to reduce stress. You can even write your own music!

Talk about it. Talking about stressful situations with a trusted adult can help learn about new ways of thinking about a problem and they may help find solutions.
Go outside. Spending time in nature is an effective way to relieve stress and improve overall well-being. Take a walk outside or visit a park.

Get motivated!

If you’re not already involved in your community, it is a great way to help reduce stress. By being actively involved in something positive can actually help you reduce stress. It also gives you the chance to bring all of your experiences, to help better the community you call home. You can do this virtually or when possible, in person. A great place to start is by visiting volunteermatch.org. They have opportunities listed by age group and by organization or need.

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Taking Care of our Physical Self

Our mental and physical health are both important in taking care of our overall well-being. We learned about ways to help your mental and emotional health. Last but never least, let’s talk about ways to take care of our physical health (our bodies), especially during times where there is so much uncertainty around us.

Sleep. For high school-aged persons, it is recommended to get at least 8-10 hours of sleep a night. Sleep is an important way for us to “reset” our mind.

Be physically active. Engaging in physical activity is good for our health and also helps us relieve stress. It is recommended that we are active at least 1 hour everyday, to stay healthy.

Eat healthy. How we eat affects our mood and the way that we feel. Eating healthy gives us the chance to feel our best. Junk food makes us feel sluggish and tired. Eating healthy also keeps our immune system ready for action!

PAUSE to Process:

Which of these strategies are new to you? Which one would you like to try?

Stress Management: (7 Minutes and 15 Seconds)

Let’s practice mindfulness!!

UCLA- Meditation for Dealing with Difficulties (7 min)

GRIT X - Customize your Mindfulness Practice (website)
gritx.org/breathing

Up Next: Wrap-Up for Stress and Health for Students in Grades 6-12