Caledonia High School issued the following announcement on Nov 17.
Someone wise once said, "Feelings are not facts." What they mean is that feelings and moods are transient. They come and go. Sometimes negative ones hang around longer than we want them to and positive ones do not last long enough. All-in-all I assure you that no matter the emotion/mood/feeling it does not last forever (it might feel like that but the truth is that it will not).
When you find yourself having a strong feeling, reflection can help you to pay attention to what it might be telling you. As psychologist Susan David from Harvard University explains, emotions can give you tremendous data. However, she adds, emotions are data, not directions. For example, the feeling of loneliness may tell you that you need more connection with people—but there are lots of ways to seek out social connection, some healthy and some destructive.
Here are some questions that can help you to self-reflect:
. How am I feeling right now about this? Why?
. What do I know?
. What do I need to know?
. Who can help?
. What do I want the outcome of the situation to be?
When you reflect, you can evaluate your reactions and take small, deliberate steps to move in the right direction. For example, you might ask yourself: If I want to take better care of my physical wellness, what’s one step I can take, right now? If I am overwhelmed by demands, what small changes can I make to prioritize my time? If I am in conflict with a friend, what might help open up lines of communication?
There’s no magic formula. You all will have moments of success and moments that we feel like failures. That’s why taking time to reflect, recalibrate, and respond is critical to developing practical wisdom.
We have also included a link to a list of upcoming opportunities to take care of your mental health. From free classes to virtual and in-person groups, there are many ways to take action this fall: https://www.calschools.org/.../mental-health/resources/
Original source can be found here.
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