“movement is a medicine for creating change in a person’s physical, emotional and mental states”
— Carol Welch
With over seven years of experience as a school psychologist, most recently in a public middle school, I saw the growing impact social media was having on young people’s mental health. With platforms like Snapchat, Instagram and TikTok readily available at one's fingertips, kids are quick to compare themselves to others, feel pressure to keep up with the latest trends and simply feel left out of what they're seeing on the screen.
I have always personally gravitated towards exercise and physical activity as
a way to clear my mind. If I was feeling stressed about friendships or relationships I’d go shoot hoops in my driveway. Feeling down on myself?
I’d go for a walk, light jog or hop on a bike.
When the 2020 pandemic hit, I was working in a local middle school as the
school's psychologist. When the school re-opened for in-person learning,
students came back in cohorts so there were fewer students in the building
at a time. This allowed for lots of flexibility in my counseling sessions with students.
Instead of just sitting around the table in my office, we started to go for walks around the building or into the gym to play a game while we talked. This seemingly small shift was SO beneficial for students. They reported feeling more comfortable in our meetings and even looked forward to this part of
their day. There was no going back.
These days, it is more important than ever to educate young people on
how their minds and bodies work together - to equip them with the tools
to take care of themselves in times of self-doubt.
With over seven years of experience as a school psychologist, most recently in a public middle school, I saw the growing impact social media was having on young people’s mental health. With platforms like Snapchat, Instagram and TikTok readily available at one's fingertips, kids are quick to compare themselves to others, feel pressure to keep up with the latest trends and simply feel left out of what they're seeing on the screen.
I have always personally gravitated towards exercise and physical activity as a way to clear my mind. If I was feeling stressed about friendships or relationships I’d go shoot hoops in my driveway. Feeling down on myself? I’d go for a walk, light jog or hop on a bike.
When the 2020 pandemic hit, I was working in a local middle school as the school's psychologist. When the school re-opened for in-person learning, students came back in cohorts so there were fewer students in the building at a time. This allowed for lots of flexibility in my counseling sessions with students.
Instead of just sitting around the table in my office, we started to go for walks around the building or into the gym to play a game while we talked. This seemingly small shift was SO beneficial for students. They reported feeling more comfortable in our meetings and even looked forward to this part of their day. There was no going back.
These days, it is more important than ever to educate young people on how their minds and bodies work together - to equip them with the tools to take care of themselves in times of self-doubt.
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