Well Being News
Newsletter Wellbeing Term 3
VCE and EXAMS
Are exams stressing out your teenager?
With the prospect of exams and assignments coming up, your child may be feeling the pressure of study and school more intensely. While it is normal for young people to feel stressed out from time to time, some teenagers can experience higher levels of stress than others. This can lead to feeling nervous, anxious or overwhelmed. If you’re worried that your child is under a lot of stress and it’s affecting their everyday life, find out about what you can do to help. Please contact your Year Level Coordinator or the Wellbeing team .
Stress and teenagers - ReachOut Parents
RELATIONSHIPS
Peer pressure and teenagers
It is normal and healthy for young people to focus more on their relationships with peers than with their family; and one of the concerns your teenager may have is how to fit in among their social circle. Peer groups play an important role in shaping young people’s lives and can often influence how an individual thinks and acts. For some teenagers, the thought of not fitting in can be overwhelming. You can help by encouraging your teenager to develop their own individuality and by teaching them to recognise the effects of peer pressure. Peer pressure and teenagers - ReachOut Parents
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R U OK? Day 2023 is Thursday 14 September and is our national day of action when we remind Australians that every day is the day to ask, 'Are you OK?' and start a meaningful conversation whenever they spot the signs that someone they care about might be struggling with life.
Ask R U OK https://vimeo.com/574882550
BODY IMAGE
Let's just put it out there right away: no one should be expected to look a certain way and there's no such thing as 'perfect' or 'normal'. What you see in magazines and on screen is usually the result of airbrushing and Photoshop, so it's different to what you might look like in real life. These influences on body image mean that as a young adult or teen, body image can be a particularly stressful area to navigate. The info here can help you understand your own body, and help you feel happy and healthy in your own skin.
Body image | ReachOut Australia
Body image explained - Butterfly Foundation
Butterfly foundation support line 1800 33 4673.
The Butterfly foundation is here for anyone in Australia concerned about eating disorders or body image issues, whether you need support for yourself or someone you care about. All counsellors are qualified mental health professionals with a background in psychology, social work or counselling. They also have specialist training in eating disorders and body image.
LGBTQIA + Wear It Purple Day
Friday 25th August 2023, MNSC staff and students celebrate ‘Wear It Purple Day’. By wearing purple, Australians demonstrate to rainbow young people that they are seen, supported and respected, acknowledging all have the right to be proud of who they are and who they are becoming.
Originally founded by students in response to global stories of teenagers taking their own lives due to bullying and harassment, Wear it Purple Day has become an international movement of celebration and support. This year’s theme, "Write Your Story", is created by Wear It Purple’s Youth Action Council (YAC) to give voice to growing rhetoric in the LGBTQIA+ youth community around the importance of personal expression and individuality.
ABORIGINAL AND TORRES STRAIT ISLANDER
Having a strong mind is about looking after our mental health and emotional wellbeing. There are things we can do to stay calm, feel connected and encourage positive thinking.
This website includes a short video about dealing with worries, stress and feeling alone. The animation tells a cultural story of the canoe of life and how there may be hard things along the way. It says that the person can grow stronger and learn to live with these hard things. There are also several wellbeing tips and fact sheets about a wide range of mental health and wellbeing issues.
Video https://youtu.be/fi1QFNkaQ8U
More information Wellmob - https://wellmob.org.au/
School Holiday Activities
Energy Drinks - Do you know what you're drinking?
Energy drinks are now aggressively marketed to young people to get an energy boost with the benefit of increased physical and mental performance. And sales are up. This increase in sales is causing concern from parents, teachers and health professionals who are seeing a rise in negative health effects and risky behaviours among children and young people who drink energy drinks.
Energy drinks are non-alcoholic beverages containing caffeine. Energy shots are a concentrated form of energy drink, which contain caffeine and other substances similar to energy drinks, but in small volumes (typically 50-60mls). The energy drink market has grown rapidly in the past 10 years. Energy drinks are increasing at double the rate of all carbonated drink sales and they now outstrip the annual sales of cola.
Energy drinks are primarily targeted at teenagers and young adults. Energy drinks typically contain high levels of caffeine along with a combination of other supposed energy-boosting ingredients like guarana, taurine and high amounts of sugar with various other amino acids thrown into the mix.
| A new energy drink called Prime is “the fastest growing sports drink in history" by two famous YouTube influencers, and investors, stars Paul Logan and KSI. The You Tube influencers are promoting their new caffeine-free drink which is now available in Australia at Coles and Woolworths – called Prime Hydration. But they are also promoting another product called Prime Energy. (watch this short video https://youtu.be/ufg10Cu_8dw ) |
The problem? Prime energy contains more than 200mg of caffeine per 355ml can - that’s equivalent to six cans of Coca-Cola, 2½ cans of Red Bull, or three shots of coffee which is considered unhealthy for anyone especially under 18. Prime has caused such a stir that it is now being banned in some schools, where kids are even selling the drinks to each other. Prime energy drink has more caffeine than beverages like Red Bull and has become a must-have beverage for preteens and teens.
The maximum legal caffeine serving for energy drinks and soft drinks of this size in Australia is 96mg, according to Food Standards Australia which permits 320mg per litre. Red Bull cans meet that legal limit to the milligram, for comparison.
Videos:
- Prime energy drinks (4 min)- https://youtu.be/ufg10Cu_8dw
- This Educational program is a 15-minute video( https://youtu.be/DFLsXEecJ-0) from the ABC's Catalyst program begins with a real-life story of a teenager's death after consuming pre-mixed alcohol and energy drinks. The video then investigates what is an energy drink, and what happens to people's bodies when they consume energy drinks. Medical experts are interviewed on the topic, as well as a representative from the Australian Beverages Council.
More information:
https://adf.org.au/insights/energy-drinks/
https://positivechoices.org.au/teachers/caffeine-factsheet
https://www.australianbeverages.org/energy-drinks-microsite/
Caffeine & Energy Drinks: Factsheet - Positive Choices
We encourage you to learn about energy drinks and the health impacts. We have provided you with some videos and fact sheets for more information. This is a great opportunity to talk to your young persona around the consumption of energy drinks. Please contact the wellbeing team if you would like any further information.
13YARN [Thirteen YARN] is the first national crisis support line for mob who are feeling overwhelmed or having difficulty coping. They offer a confidential one-on-one yarning opportunity with a Lifeline-trained Aboriginal & Torres Strait Islander Crisis Supporter who can provide crisis support 24 hours a day, 7 days a week. 13YARN empowers our community with the opportunity to yarn without judgement and provide a culturally safe space to speak about their needs, worries or concerns.
If you, or someone you know, are feeling worried or no good, we encourage you to connect with 13YARN on 13 92 76 (24 hours/7 days) and talk with an Aboriginal or Torres Strait Islander Crisis Supporter.
This is your story; your journey and we will take the time to listen. No shame, no judgement, safe place to yarn. We’re here for you.