Wellness Center

Wellness Center

The countdown to first semester finals is on! These are sure to be highly stressful times for most students. In addition to the standard stressors such as jobs, extracurriculars and homework, changes in the weather, as well as the desire to perform well on finals, all have the potential to throw students for a loop. To help your student perform at their best, help them beat stress by utilizing “Four As”:

  • Avoid unnecessary stress- teach your students the importance of boundaries and prioritization. It is okay for them to say no to people and activities that might  add extra stress during finals preparation.
  • Alter the situation- encourage your students to talk about their stress instead of keeping it in. This is also a great opportunity to reinforce the value of self care activities that might help them decompress instead of overloading on academics.
  • Adapt to the stressor- take the time to help your students shift their behaviors toward things that will benefit them during this time. Scientists recognize that teens need 8 to 10 hours of sleep each night. Unfortunately, most teens sleep only 7 hours each night and during finals, they may be tempted to sleep even less. Sleeping, and even eating, regularly not only decreases stress but powers your students bodies to perform their best mentally.
  • Accept things you can’t change- finals aren’t going away. By accepting this reality, students have greater control over the things they can change in relation to finals. Study time, gratitude, personal time and self care are in your students’ control. Each of these things can work toward positively influencing their finals experience.

Finally, encourage your students to participate in the fun activities offered during the school day. There are a ton of school-wide activities taking place this week (Dec 11-15) that can help your student chill out and de-stress, including Winter Week dress up days, movie showings and hot cocoa for all. The Wellness Center is also bringing in therapy dogs on Dec 18 for de-stressing puppy hugs before finals officially start!
 
Happy All-idays to you and your loved ones from your Wellness Center team!
 
(Source: Keep Calm During finals by Lisa Brickert, MSW, LCSW

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Wellness Center

With finals right around the corner, it may be beneficial to discuss test anxiety with your AHS student. Test anxiety is actually a form of performance anxiety which affects 25-40% of students. While it’s perfectly normal for a student to feel nervous before a test, test anxiety can be overwhelming for students and disrupt their concentration and ability. Here are a few steps you can take to support your student in combating their test anxiety:

  • Positive Self Talk can go a long way in altering one’s perception of their ability. Encourage your student to talk to themselves the same way they would talk to a friend or loved one experiencing the same anxiety. We are often our own worst critic and in many instances, we talk to ourselves more negatively than we would ever talk to someone else.
  • Acceptance of mistakes can also shift your student’s mindset around their ability. First, remind your student that trying their best is realistically the most they can do. Even when trying our absolute best, people still make mistakes. Second, model this behavior for your students. Are you shaming your student when their best effort isn’t “good enough” or beating yourself up when you make a mistake? Offer grace in the face of mistakes. We’re all human after all.
  • Teach test taking basics to your student so they might feel more confident when the time comes to take a test. Believe it or not, study skills and test taking strategies are learned. Just because students have to take tests, doesn’t mean they are actually equipped to do so successfully. 
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Wellness Center

With finals right around the corner, it may be beneficial to discuss test anxiety with your AHS student. Test anxiety is actually a form of performance anxiety which affects 25-40% of students. While it’s perfectly normal for a student to feel nervous before a test, test anxiety can be overwhelming for students and disrupt their concentration and ability. Here are a few steps you can take to support your student in combating their test anxiety:

  • Positive Self Talk can go a long way in altering one’s perception of their ability. Encourage your student to talk to themselves the same way they would talk to a friend or loved one experiencing the same anxiety. We are often our own worst critic and in many instances, we talk to ourselves more negatively than we would ever talk to someone else.
  • Acceptance of mistakes can also shift your student’s mindset around their ability. First, remind your student that trying their best is realistically the most they can do. Even when trying our absolute best, people still make mistakes. Second, model this behavior for your students. Are you shaming your student when their best effort isn’t “good enough” or beating yourself up when you make a mistake? Offer grace in the face of mistakes. We’re all human after all.
  • Teach test taking basics to your student so they might feel more confident when the time comes to take a test. Believe it or not, study skills and test taking strategies are learned. Just because students have to take tests, doesn’t mean they are actually equipped to do so successfully. 
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Wellness Center

This Thursday November 16, you can join the Contra Costa County Office of Education and TUPE (Tobacco Use Prevention Education) at 6pm for Vaping & Teens 101: A Webinar for Parents & Other Caring Adults. This live, virtual presentation from adult and youth presenters will discuss how tobacco and cannabis impact young people, ways to provide support, and available resources. Following the presentation, there will be an optional Q&A session from 7-7:30pm. There is no cost to attend, although registration is required. More information on the session can be found via the registration link, but topics to be covered include: 

  • the latest tobacco products used by young people
  • the impact of vaping (tobacco & cannabis) on young people
  • ways that adults can support young people in their lives

We will also share information from our new resource: Substance Use, Mental Health & Teens: A Guide for Parents & Other Caring Adults.
 
Can’t make it to the live webinar? A recording will be accessible on demand at the CCCOE TUPE Website.

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Wellness Center

Cognitive distortions, also called “thinking traps”, are common ways in which we trick ourselves into believing negative thinking patterns. Anyone can experience these cognitive distortions, but, for some, these distortions can lead to anxiety and depression. Do you or your AHS student ever fall into these traps?

  • Black-and-white (or all-or-nothing) thinking: I never have anything interesting to say.
  • Jumping to conclusions (or mind-reading): The doctor is going to tell me I have cancer.
  • Personalization: Our team lost because of me.
  • Should-ing and must-ing (using language that is self-critical that puts a lot of pressure on you): I should be losing weight.
  • Mental filter (focusing on the negative, such as the one aspect of a health change which you didn’t do well): I am terrible at getting enough sleep.
  • Overgeneralization: I’ll never find a partner.
  • Magnification and minimization (magnifying the negative, minimizing the positive): It was just one healthy meal.
  • Fortune-telling: My cholesterol is going to be sky-high.
  • Comparison (comparing just one part of your performance or situation to another’s, which you don’t really know, so that it makes you appear in a negative light): All of my coworkers are happier than me.
  • Catastrophizing (combination of fortune-telling and all-or-nothing thinking; blowing things out of proportion): This spot on my skin is probably skin cancer; I’ll be dead soon.
  • Labeling: I’m just not a healthy person.
  • Disqualifying the positive: I answered that well, but it was a lucky guess.

One effective way to combat these cognitive distortions is by practicing mindfulness. Being present in the moment without judgment is one of mental health’s most powerful tools. If you can catch your thoughts when negative thinking patterns arise, try countering your thoughts with facts instead of emotional reasoning. Another idea for combating cognitive distortions is to talk to yourself like you would the 5-year-old version of yourself or a close friend.

(Source: health.harvard.edu)

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Wellness Center

Cognitive distortions, also called “thinking traps”, are common ways in which we trick ourselves into believing negative thinking patterns. Anyone can experience these cognitive distortions, but, for some, these distortions can lead to anxiety and depression. Do you or your AHS student ever fall into these traps?

  • Black-and-white (or all-or-nothing) thinking: I never have anything interesting to say.
  • Jumping to conclusions (or mind-reading): The doctor is going to tell me I have cancer.
  • Personalization: Our team lost because of me.
  • Should-ing and must-ing (using language that is self-critical that puts a lot of pressure on you): I should be losing weight.
  • Mental filter (focusing on the negative, such as the one aspect of a health change which you didn’t do well): I am terrible at getting enough sleep.
  • Overgeneralization: I’ll never find a partner.
  • Magnification and minimization (magnifying the negative, minimizing the positive): It was just one healthy meal.
  • Fortune-telling: My cholesterol is going to be sky-high.
  • Comparison (comparing just one part of your performance or situation to another’s, which you don’t really know, so that it makes you appear in a negative light): All of my coworkers are happier than me.
  • Catastrophizing (combination of fortune-telling and all-or-nothing thinking; blowing things out of proportion): This spot on my skin is probably skin cancer; I’ll be dead soon.
  • Labeling: I’m just not a healthy person.
  • Disqualifying the positive: I answered that well, but it was a lucky guess.

One effective way to combat these cognitive distortions is by practicing mindfulness. Being present in the moment without judgment is one of mental health’s most powerful tools. If you can catch your thoughts when negative thinking patterns arise, try countering your thoughts with facts instead of emotional reasoning. Another idea for combating cognitive distortions is to talk to yourself like you would the 5-year-old version of yourself or a close friend.

(Source: health.harvard.edu)

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Wellness Center

In recent years you may have noticed a boom in the usage of the term “self-care.” It may seem as if this term is a new and trendy buzzword, but the benefits of self-care are endless when it comes to overcoming the challenges of everyday life. Self-care is an umbrella term for anything that an individual does to maintain their physical, emotional and spiritual health. It seems like a no brainer. It seems that taking care of yourself is pretty rudimentary and self-explanatory. Unfortunately, taking care of ourselves is extremely difficult when considering some of the challenges that we face on a day-to-day basis. Some barriers to self-care may include the mindlessness of daily routines in which we are driven by autopilot, yielding to others needs before our own, or even avoiding specific tasks that lead to the rationalization of why you just don’t have the time.
 
This week, I challenge you to consider the benefit of self-care not only for your personal wellbeing but for the wellbeing of your loved ones; specifically, your AHS student. Many of us have heard the phrase, “You can’t pour from an empty cup.” If your physical, emotional and spiritual health are depleted, are you really showing up for your loved ones to the best of your ability? In addition to replenishing our cups, prioritizing self-care models effective health and wellness behaviors to your student. If your students can see that you are making it a point to take care of yourself, they are more likely to follow suit. Talk to your student about the importance of self-care and what that looks like for either of you. So, start that mindfulness practice, dance around the house to your favorite music, find what feels nourishing to your soul!
 
Kiara Thomas- Wellness Intake Specialist

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Wellness Center

In recent years you may have noticed a boom in the usage of the term “self-care.” It may seem as if this term is a new and trendy buzzword, but the benefits of self-care are endless when it comes to overcoming the challenges of everyday life. Self-care is an umbrella term for anything that an individual does to maintain their physical, emotional and spiritual health. It seems like a no brainer. It seems that taking care of yourself is pretty rudimentary and self-explanatory. Unfortunately, taking care of ourselves is extremely difficult when considering some of the challenges that we face on a day-to-day basis. Some barriers to self-care may include the mindlessness of daily routines in which we are driven by autopilot, yielding to others needs before our own, or even avoiding specific tasks that lead to the rationalization of why you just don’t have the time.
 
This week, I challenge you to consider the benefit of self-care not only for your personal wellbeing but for the wellbeing of your loved ones; specifically, your AHS student. Many of us have heard the phrase, “You can’t pour from an empty cup.” If your physical, emotional and spiritual health are depleted, are you really showing up for your loved ones to the best of your ability? In addition to replenishing our cups, prioritizing self-care models effective health and wellness behaviors to your student. If your students can see that you are making it a point to take care of yourself, they are more likely to follow suit. Talk to your student about the importance of self-care and what that looks like for either of you. So, start that mindfulness practice, dance around the house to your favorite music, find what feels nourishing to your soul!
 
Kiara Thomas- Wellness Intake Specialist

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Wellness Center

Contra Costa County Office of Education (CCCOE) has developed a new online guide titled, “Substance Use, Mental Health, & Teens: A Guide for Parents & Other Caring Adults,” which focuses on information and resources to protect and care for teens facing substance use and mental health crises. Created by the agency’s Tobacco Use Prevention Education (TUPE) program, in collaboration with community partners, the resource was inspired by CCCOE Education Champion April Rovero, Founder/Director of National Coalition Against Prescription Drug Abuse (NCAPDA). The guide is intended to equip adults with the knowledge and resources they need to support young people in their lives to make pro-health decisions.

The Parent Guide is available to view and download in English and Spanish: www.cocoschools.org/ParentGuideSUMH

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Wellness Center

Contra Costa County Office of Education (CCCOE) has developed a new online guide titled, “Substance Use, Mental Health, & Teens: A Guide for Parents & Other Caring Adults,” which focuses on information and resources to protect and care for teens facing substance use and mental health crises. Created by the agency’s Tobacco Use Prevention Education (TUPE) program, in collaboration with community partners, the resource was inspired by CCCOE Education Champion April Rovero, Founder/Director of National Coalition Against Prescription Drug Abuse (NCAPDA). The guide is intended to equip adults with the knowledge and resources they need to support young people in their lives to make pro-health decisions.

The Parent Guide is available to view and download in English and Spanish: www.cocoschools.org/ParentGuideSUMH

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