Wellbeing & Culture

Thankfulness

I (Cheyenne) am originally from the US which makes me very aware that next week, Thursday Nov 24th is Thanksgiving. Last term we spent some time looking at gratitude and what it means, which was fantastic, but already I feel I could use another reminder of why being thankful is so important.

 For many of us, this is our busiest, craziest season of the year. As a community we are: 

• finishing up the academic year
• putting together plans for next year
• waiting for academic reports/ results
• getting ready for school to finish 
• getting ready for the Christmas/ Holiday season 
• going through each of our own family/ relationship stresses
• going through other kinds of stress (financial/ election/ professional) 
• etc. 

It is difficult to be thankful with all of this going on - not impossible, just difficult. The reality is the more we actively practise thankfulness despite the stress levels we are experiencing, the better our mental health will be, and the less stressed we will end up in the long term. 

This week I will put on record that I am thankful for my supportive and friendly colleges, for little treats in the day (getting to have some gelati at lunch for example) and for my supportive friends and family I get to see regularly. 

If you are interested in more of the science behind this have a look at the following articles: 

Article by Harvard Health Publishing 

Article by Mayo Clinic Health System 

Cyber Safety 

There are all kinds of cyber problems always popping up in the world we live in. I have recently come across more useful information from Susan McLean (a police officer and cyber safety expert). The link below is to some helpful and informative videos that dive into the reality of the cyber world and tips for keeping children and parents safe and well. 

Keeping Safe in Cyberspace video series: https://www.cybersafetysolutions.com.au/keeping-safe-in-cyberspace/

Cheyenne Mason – on behalf of the Wellbeing & Culture Team