Principal 

Last week’s assembly was one of our periodic Wellbeing assemblies. At it, students shared the work of the SRC and congratulated new members of both the SRC and the library committee, reflected on the recent Sri Lanka program, and enjoyed a fun performance from the Dinner Dance band. In my address I spoke about my belief that the best wellbeing measures are proactive; the things that we can all do to positively reinforce wellbeing. I introduced the six ideas below. I choose these as they consistently appear in wellbeing and happiness literature – from Aristotle to happiness researchers like Arthur C. Brooks and Laurie Santos. 

1. Prioritise physical fitness​ – eat well, sleep enough, and exercise. We all know how much better we feel when we get this right, and how sluggish when we get it wrong.

    

2. Be part of something bigger​ – consciously identify the larger social groups and efforts you are part of. For students, they are automatically part of the collective project of school, but many feel belonging through sporting clubs or cultural groups. 

    

3. Be altruistic​ – the theme of this year’s International Women’s Day last Sunday was ‘Give to Gain’. This reinforces the idea that we benefit when we help others or give of ourselves or our resources in service.

    

4. Work on your relationships​ – we are social beings and need our relationships to be strong and healthy to feel good. It is interesting that when we make up for a mistake, we are said to ‘atone’ for it. This comes from the two words ‘at one’ and means to be in harmony or accordance with others. 

    

5. Find your thing​ – when Michael Carr-Gregg visited the College last year he spoke about the importance of young people finding their ‘thing’, something they enjoy and are serviceably good at. This creates a sense of self-worth that is crucial for wellbeing. 

    

6. Work towards Aristotle's 'golden mean'​ – Aristotle argued that the best approach is one of moderation. Not a popular argument in the modern world perhaps, but one he illustrated through the example of courage. Too much courage is foolhardy, too little is cowardly; true courage is the moderated amount in the middle, what he called the Golden Mean. The same can be applied to wellbeing. Too much or too little exercise, or study, or socialising, or work are all problematic. We should aim for a golden mean for each. 

College Captain Lily Giles closed the assembly with this short prayer, which we gave as a reminder about the importance of wellbeing, but also of how much our own wellbeing is tied to how we treat others. 

Thank you for the opportunity that we have to support one another, and to strengthen our community through our contributions. Help us to remember that our community is as strong as the care we show for one another, and that our responsibility is more to others than it is to ourselves.