From the Deputy Principal

Resilience

Some of you may have seen a story about a man by the name of Hugh van Cuylenburg on Australian Story recently. Hugh came to my attention years ago as he started The Resilience Project, on his mission to teach positive mental health strategies to help people become happier and more resilient. 

As the story reports, Hugh became a primary school teacher hoping to "help young people not have a mental illness", an aspiration that he admits "sounds ridiculous even as I say it now". He loved teaching, but after three years he went backpacking in India, and while there he had an epiphany that would shape his career and approach to life. He took a volunteer teaching job in a Buddhist community in the far north of the country and was astonished to find the community had no running water or electricity. He vividly recalls one of his students, a boy called Stanzin, point at the shoes on his feet and saying, 'How lucky am I?' (source ABC News) 

Hugh went on to try to discover the reason for the extraordinary resilience of the people with whom he lived and worked. He came up with three important protective factors for their health and wellbeing: gratitude, empathy and mindfulness. The good news is, we can practice these every day. The Resilience Project suggests we ask ourselves the following questions and undertake the following routines.  Perhaps this is something you could start today!

Gratitude

• What were three things that went well for you today?
• Who is someone you feel really grateful for today? Why?
• What is it about our home that makes it our home/special family place?
• What is something you are looking forward to tomorrow?

Empathy

• Who is someone you know who may be experiencing some difficulty currently? What could we do for them as a family?
• Remember someone who has done something kind for you recently. What did they do for you?
• Say something kind to someone in your home.
• Empathy is all about taking another person’s perspective.

Mindfulness

• How could you practice mindfulness today? These are things like meditation, puzzles, spot the difference, colouring.
• What is your favourite mindfulness activity?
• How do you feel after you do a mindfulness activity?

Mrs Emma Franklin | Deputy Principal