The Boarding Buzz

Wellness

Holidaze

“Woo hoo. We love the holidays. Bring it,” I hear you chortle and imagine your individual quirky, twirly happy dances and your grinning, tired faces. 

 

Whew. At last! No more leave requests, rosters, boarding chores, transport arrangements, holding it all together while screaming inside, prep, alarms, routines, day school, homesickness, nodding and smiling at so many adults …. Boarding is no doubt demanding and challenging – and you absolutely deserve a break to catch up with friends and family at home, to chill out, to commune and cavort with beloved pets, and to attend to any projects you’ve got on the go. Of course, many of you will have serious farm chores to attend to as you dip into the rhythms of life you’re so attuned to back home. 

 

Once you find that excitement starts to abate though, or that you become a little bored, or you feel isolated and maybe even lonely – it might be time to reach out to a friend or potential friend. Seriously – what an awesome challenge! Be curious, contact and connect with someone from school – day or boarding student – learn what they’re up to, share what you’re spending your time doing, be interested in each other’s pastimes, wellbeing, thoughts and ideas. You will be deepening your connection and your friendship will benefit. Make plans together for Term Two – share in an interest together and cultivate the garden of your relationship with curiosity, laughter, compassion and respect. Take the dare – reach out to a fellow student. 

 

As the holidays progress, maybe after the Easter weekend which for many families is a truly joyful and sacred time, no doubt your thoughts will go to Term Two. Perhaps you’ll feel a mixture of resignation, obligation and duty, but I know some of you will experience feelings of anticipatory joy and adventure. Whatever! Thoughts are thoughts, and feelings are feelings – behaviours can be intentional choices. This would be the time you decide to be as prepared as possible for Term Two – if you’ve ignored your studies and any unfinished assessments then it’s time to address them. Share with a parent or carer, actually recruit them in your efforts to be prepared for Term Two. Show them your diary, your assessment calendar for your subjects. Share your fears and fortunes. Also, you can do this very cool and self-validating activity – like random acts of kindness for yourself – which is loads of fun for all ages ... you’ll need to get your diary – go on – get it now – and then google websites of inspirational quotes, or incredibly hilarious cartoons (Gary Larson does it for me but I’m an old woman with a distinctly unconventional sense of humour), or beautiful scenes, or your favourite Childish Gambino clips – and yes, print out and stick into your diary at random points across the term. Also, you might find that giving yourself some regular prompts to take a brain break, to go for a walk, to do some star jumps, to ring a friend, to take five mindful minutes, to add a favourite song to your playlist … will provide some joy as the term rolls along. Your brain will love you for it – at times when you least expect it, you will have dopamine hits which enhance learning (tell parents this) and which improve your mood. You can use the links below as prompts – I especially recommend the ReachOut link which includes some fun initiatives that families can embark on. 

 

Boarders understand the notion of “balance”, of actually living in more than one family, of belonging to more than one community, of pivoting from role to role, house rules to house rules, depending on which “home” or town you find yourself. Indeed, it must be acknowledged some of you live in several worlds. This can become very enervating and confusing for some, and wildly fascinating and fulfilling for others. Lastly, we all know that our physical health is fundamentally important for our mental health – during the holidays please take care of your sleep, your relationship with food and your activity or lack thereof. Attention to your physical health will cradle your mental health as you negotiate the wintry demands of Semester Two. And don’t forget that friend, boarder or day student you’ve connected with. They will be waiting for your return with enthusiasm and maybe a little healthy awkwardness. Nothing ventured, nothing gained. 

 

Helpful Links:

Some examples:

  • “Adolescence is when girls experience social pressure to put aside their authentic selves and to display only a small portion of their gifts.” – Mary Pipher
  • “Be yourself. Everyone else is taken.” – Oscar Wilde
  •  “Twenty years from now you will be more disappointed by the things you didn’t do than by the ones you did. Catch the trade winds in your sails. Explore. Dream. Discover.” – Mark Twain
  • “When I was a boy of 14, my father was so ignorant I could hardly stand to have the old man around. But when I got to be 21, I was astonished at how much the old man had learned in seven years.” Mark Twain

Take care of yourselves.  (I'm looking forward to playing some old vinyl and cuddling my Labradorable twin boys.)

 

Ms Sheryl Moncur | School Counsellor