Student Wellbeing

Social Media Use-Support for parents

Struggling to navigate your child's social media habits? Look no further! 

ReachOut provides invaluable resources and tips to help you effectively manage your child's online presence, ensuring a safe and balanced digital experience for the whole family. Stay informed and empowered as you guide your child through the dynamic world of social media.

Social media and teenagers - ReachOut Parents 

Introducing Toolbox Clinic

Staying Healthy and Looking After Yourself Over The Term Break - The Holiday Hormone Hack

Some simple activities like exercising, cooking, and listening to music can help boost the production of your feel-good hormones. Hormones are chemicals produced by different glands across your body. They travel through the bloodstream, acting as messengers and playing a part in many bodily processes. One of these important functions? Helping regulate your mood.

Certain hormones help promote positive feelings, including happiness and pleasure. These “happy hormones” include:

• Dopamine: known as the “feel-good” hormone, is an important part of your brain’s reward system. It’s associated with pleasurable sensations, learning, memory, and more.
• Serotonin: helps regulate your mood as well as your sleep, appetite, digestion, learning ability, and memory.
• Oxytocin: often called the “love hormone” oxytocin helps promote trust, empathy, and bonding in relationships. Levels generally increase with physical affection.
• Endorphins: are your body’s natural pain reliever, which your body produces in response to stress or discomfort. Levels may also increase when you engage in reward-producing activities such as eating or working out/ exercising.

Here is an overview of what you can do to help produce more of these natural mood boosters.

Get outside.

Boost your serotonin level - by spending time outdoors, in sunlight.

According to research exposure to ultraviolet (UV) radiation from the sun can increase the production of serotonin.

You can try spending about 15 minutes outside a few times a week. Try exploring a new neighbourhood or park if you’re tired of the same old sights. Just don’t forget sunscreen and a hat!

Make time for exercise.

Exercise has multiple physical health benefits. It can also have a positive impact on emotional well-being.

Exercise doesn’t just work on endorphins. Regular physical activity can also increase your dopamine and serotonin levels, making it a great option to boost your happy hormones.

Laugh with a friend.

“Laughter is the best medicine?”  Laughter can help relieve feelings of anxiety or stress and improve a low mood by boosting dopamine and endorphin levels.

Sharing that funny video, dust off your joke book, or watch a comedy special with a friend.

Cook (and enjoy) a favourite meal with a loved one.

The enjoyment you get from eating something delicious can trigger the release of dopamine and endorphins.

Certain foods can also have an impact on hormone levels.  Note the following when meal planning for a happy hormone boost:

• spicy foods may trigger endorphin release.
• yogurt, beans, eggs, meats with low-fat content, and almonds are just a few foods linked to dopamine release.
• foods high in tryptophan have been linked to increased serotonin levels.
• foods containing probiotics, such as yogurt, kimchi, and sauerkraut, can influence the release of hormones.

Listen to music (or make some)

Listening to instrumental music, can increase dopamine production in your brain.

But if you enjoy music, simply listening to any music you enjoy may help put you in a good mood. This positive change in your mood can increase serotonin production.

You may also experience an endorphin release while performing music, especially in a large group.

Meditate

Meditation has many wellness benefits — from improving sleep to reducing stress.

Pat your dog/ cat

If you have a dog/ cat, giving your furry friend some affection is a great way to boost oxytocin levels for you and your dog /cat.

Even if you don’t own a dog/ cat, you might also experience an oxytocin boost when you see a dog/ cat you know and like.

Get a good night’s sleep.

Not getting enough quality sleep can affect your health in multiple ways.

It can contribute to an imbalance of hormones, particularly dopamine, in your body. This can have a negative impact on your mood as well as your physical health.

Setting aside 7 to 9 hours each night for sleep can help restore the balance of hormones in your body, which will likely help you feel better.

If you find it difficult to get a good night’s sleep, try:

• going to bed and getting up around the same time every day
• creating a quiet, restful sleeping environment (try reducing light, noise, and screens)
• decreasing caffeine intake, especially in the afternoon and evening

Manage stress.

It’s normal to experience some stress from time to time. Living with regular stress or dealing with highly stressful life events can negatively affect your health and mood, making it harder to deal with stress.

If you’re under a lot of stress, try:

• taking a brief break from the source of stress
• laughter
• taking 20 minutes for a walk, run, bike ride, or other physical activity.
• meditation
• social interaction

Any of these approaches may help relieve your stress while also boosting your levels of serotonin, dopamine, and even endorphins.

Wishing everyone a safe and relaxing break.

 GYM CLUB - Expression of Interest