EMPOWERING STUDENT WELLNESS

RESPONSIBILITY 

By Matt Edwards (Secondary Chaplain)

“We cannot solve life’s problems except by solving them.”* Let me share from personal experience. The way to recover from sleep deprivation, is to sleep. If it were only that simple! Because our problems don’t go away unless they are dealt with, taking responsibility for them allows us to make decisions to free us from our attempts to escape them.

Do you know someone who has an excuse for everything? ‘Oh, it’s not my fault!’ Inevitably there is somebody else to blame, or the circumstances are not right, or the resources are unavailable, or it’s not yet the right time…

Just like accepting that life is difficult, when it comes to problems, taking responsibility for what are my problems is crucial. Imagine a tennis player that lets every ball go by, because it is not up to them to hit it. We might say it is pointless to play. The unwillingness to see that we have a choice when we face difficulties means that we can give away our freedom to make a difference in our own lives. But if the mindset is changed, then it makes sense to hit the ball.  Freedom is not just about doing what makes us feel good. It means putting in the effort to return the ball, with the hope of winning a point, and the game. Freedom then doesn’t then exist without pain, but it is the means to increase endurance and to make meaning out of our lives.

The flip side to this, is the person who stresses over other people’s problems. A school backpack is heavy enough when it carries its owners’ books. Putting other people’s books in there too would make it unfair, let alone unnecessary to say the least. Either way, owning the problems that are ours, means that we can act in our freedom to work through the pain and solve them.

For further information and for more articles of interest, please see the below:

https://bhcs.vic.schooltv.me/newsletter-resource/6944/67  12 Tips for Parenting Boys

https://bhcs.vic.schooltv.me/newsletter-resource/6768/62 - How to Raise Successful Kids without  Overparenting

https://bhcs.vic.schooltv.me/newsletter/positive-parenting