MAKING WELLBEING PRACTICAL

AN EFFECTIVE GUIDE TO HELPING SCHOOLS THRIVE

Luke McKenna

• Publisher: Unleashing Personal Potential
• Year: 2019
• ISBN:
  9780994386625
• Edition: 1
• Topic: Education
• Subtopic: Education General

Everything you ever wanted to know about wellbeing for your school and students- but didn’t know where to start…

Making Wellbeing Practical succinctly and effectively unpacks the research about wellbeing and the six elements of PERMAH in a way that resonates with educators. Furthermore, it provides an abundant toolkit of wellbeing practices and strategies to implement in your school or personal context. Making Wellbeing Practical combines the best research from the field of positive psychology with the experience of working with thousands of students and hundreds of schools. If you are wanting to make wellbeing practical in order to help your school or your students thrive, this book is for you.

Section 1 – An overview of wellbeing for schools

We all want to THRIVE! It’s my fundamental belief that we all want to lead happy, healthy, engaged, purposeful lives. I believe we want to be connected to other people, to learn and grow, to prosper and to do good in the world. And yet, most of us struggle with this quest at one time or other in our lives.

More than a decade ago, I became a teacher so that I could help young people live the best life they were capable of living. I wanted to help every student become their best. I wanted to help school communities make even more of a positive impact on the young people who walked through their gates each day. I wanted to help those young people to function at a higher level so that their lives would be improved – for their own benefit and for the people around them.

My goal was not to help people avoid suffering. Instead, I became a teacher to enhance THRIVING. Since beginning this journey, I have become increasingly aware of the varied needs of young people. Some are really struggling, while some are thriving. As a result, I have looked to the research from positive psychology to determine what is helpful for those who are already doing well, as well as what may be helpful to those who are struggling. At different times during their life, an individual could well fall into both of those categories (as well as somewhere in between).

This study of positive psychology is aligned with my vision for education and the potential of each individual to live their best life. (Note that the tendency for us to sometimes think of our best life in competition with others, is ironically, not what I mean by our best life. In contrast, our best life is a life lived for others, or at least with others).

Positive psychology brings the rigour of the field of traditional psychology; however, it has a different focus and asks different questions. I believe that positive psychology, when applied, has tools that may be helpful to all of us (wherever we fall along the wellbeing continuum).

There are a few key themes that run through this book:

•We need to do the work to reap the benefits
When it comes to wellbeing and positive psychology, learning about it is very different (and produces very different results) to actually doing it. We need to ‘take the medicine’ of positive psychology by actually doing the practices. The Geelong Grammar model for Positive Education outlines that we should live it, teach it and embed it. Note that after we have learned something, it is the ‘living it’ that comes first.

Just like a garden needs to be taken care of, we need to look after the soil, plant seeds, water the plants and tend to the weeds. In the same way, we need to look after our minds like a keen gardener.

None of the strategies shared in this book will work if we don’t actually do the work. There is no quick fix – it is about building positive habits that enhance our wellbeing.

•Prevention is better than cure
Improving protective factors helps strengthen wellbeing and reduce the likelihood of poor mental health occurring. Additionally, being aware of mental health and wellbeing issues in ourselves and others helps us to identify small issues and to get help for them before they become major issues.

•Mental health is a continuum
It’s not as easy as thinking whether our mental health is good or bad. No matter who we are, mental health and wellbeing can be improved. We can all benefit from the practices outlined in this book. I encourage you to be proactive and build up your skills and resources in this area, regardless of how you feel right now.

•We need a range of tools
Maslow once said, “If all you have is a hammer, everything looks like a nail.” Instead of young people only having one strategy when things are difficult, we would rather equip them with a range of tools that may be helpful. Then, they are better equipped for the ever changing landscape that lies ahead of them. This book is a toolkit that we can all draw on throughout our lives.

•It is far easier to pull someone down, than it is to push someone up
The law of gravity acts upon our bodies, and in a similar way, there are negative forces that can act on our wellbeing. It might be negative words, negative news, distraction, temptations and our fear of missing out (FOMO). This book aims to build human capacity in such a way that it will help people pull themselves (and others) up. We want people to flourish, and this is no easy task.

This book is countercultural:

I am fortunate to work on the proactive side of the education system. There does seem to be much toxicity in the world. There seems to be a need for this work in our workplaces, families, hospitals, nursing homes, building sites and corporate environments. However, like most educators, my passion lies in empowering school communities, educators and students. This book is countercultural because it seeks to build on the good things in people’s lives, and in school communities. To identify these good things and to magnify them.

This book is a work in progress:

The work of UPP is constantly evolving and improving, so this book could probably never be complete to the level that is required to do the messages justice. However, it seeks to help people, and it’s clear that there is a great need. It seeks to make the world a better place. This book and the work that we do at UPP are our contribution to changing the world for the better … fingers crossed!

Overview of wellbeing research

“Happy, calm students learn best.” – Daniel Goleman

“Mental health is a state of wellbeing in which the individual realises his or her own abilities, can cope with the normal stresses of life, can work productively, and is able to make a contribution to his or her community.” – World Health Organisation, 2004

“Health is a state of complete physical, mental and social wellbeing and not merely the absence of disease or infirmity.” – World Health Organisation, 1948

Mental health is a positive and productive state of mind that allows an individual to respond to the challenges of everyday life. When we have positive mental health, we are more likely to enjoy relationships, benefit from opportunities and contribute productively to society. However, mental health cannot be taken as a given.

We are all vulnerable to changes in mental health, whether relatively minor and temporary, or more significant in duration and impact (Mind matters n.d.). We are encouraged to take action in order to restore, preserve and enhance our wellbeing. Much like we water the garden and pull out the weeds, we can also actively take care of our personal wellbeing.

Positive mental health and wellbeing are important for young people’s ability to enjoy life, cope with the challenges they face, learn, engage with peers and adults and be well prepared for the future. Mentally healthy students tend to arrive at school ready to engage in learning and school activities and are more likely to achieve success (Mind matters n.d.).

The current state of play

Recent and emerging research indicates that our wellbeing is an area of need. This need seems to transcend culture, race, socio-economic status and religion.

Below is a glance at a few of the indicators:

•Depression rates today are nearly ten times higher than they were 50 years ago.

•The mean onset age of depression has sunk from 29.5 years to 14.5 years during this period (Seligman 2002).

•A 2004 study of Harvard students found that four out of five suffered from depression at one stage in the academic year, while nearly half of them were so depressed that it impacted their normal functioning (Kaplan 2004).

•It is predicted that by 2030, depression will be a leading cause of death, globally (Mathers & Loncar 2006).

•One in five Australians experience a mental health condition in any given year and almost one in two will experience a mental health condition at some point in their lifetime (ABS 2008).

•Nearly three million Australians live with depression and/or anxiety, which affect their wellbeing, personal relationships, career and productivity (ABS 2008).

•Only 35% of Australians with anxiety and depression access treatment (ABS 2008).

•Men are less likely to seek help than women, with only one in four men who experience anxiety or depression accessing treatment (ABS 2008).

Whether we like it or not, wellbeing is somewhat countercultural. Schools and workplaces are not typically overflowing with people who are thriving in terms of their wellbeing – and this has a cost on academic achievement in education and worker productivity in the corporate world. But all of that is really a conversation about disease, not wellbeing. So let’s start the conversation about wellbeing with a focus on schools.

Why focus on schools?

If you wanted to improve the mental health of a nation, then a great place to begin is in schools. Almost everyone goes to school and in many communities schools are a central social hub. The impact of positive mental health action in school can extend well beyond the students’ school life (Mind matters n.d.).

Adolescence (10–19 years) is a unique and formative time. Whilst most adolescents have good mental health, multiple physical, emotional and social changes, including exposure to poverty, abuse or violence, can make adolescents vulnerable to mental health problems. Promoting psychological wellbeing and protecting adolescents from adverse experiences and risk factors which may impact their potential to thrive are not only critical for their wellbeing during adolescence, but also for their physical and mental health in adulthood (WHO 2018b).

In particular, for adolescents:

•Suicide is the leading cause of death in Australia for 15-34-year-olds (ABS 2013).

•Long-standing research suggests one in five adolescents experience depression by the time they reach 18 years of age (AIHW 2011).

•Over 75% of mental health problems occur before the age of 25 (Kessler et al 2005).

•Focus on younger people is important, as research suggests that 50% of mental health conditions emerge by age 14, so it’s vital to intervene as early as possible (Kessler et al 2005).

•Half of all mental health conditions in adulthood begin before the age of 14 (Lawrence et al 2015).

•Young people are less likely than any other age group to seek professional help (Slade et al 2009).

•Research shows that four out of five Australian teenagers think people their age may not seek support for depression or anxiety because they’re afraid of what others will think of them (MediaCom Melbourne 2015).

Benefits of wellbeing practices in schools

Positive mental health strategies can help all staff, parents and students develop a greater sense of connection and belonging, as well as an increased sense of control, confidence and self-efficacy. Also, by promoting positive mental health and taking action when small issues appear we can help prevent the development of more serious mental health issues (Mind matters n.d.). Indeed, prevention is better than a cure.

While some educators believe that a focus on wellbeing takes time and resources away from academic pursuits, schools are increasingly becoming aware of the evidence that “students who thrive and flourish demonstrate stronger academic performance” (Norrish,

Robinson & Williams 2013). Students with high wellbeing gain higher grades and lower rates of absence (Suldo, Thalji & Ferron 2011), as well as higher self-control and lower procrastination (Howell 2009) and more creative, open-minded thinking (Fredrickson & Branigan 2005). Furthermore, positive mental health has been linked to increased enrolment, better retention of student...

Table of contents

• Cover
• Praise For Making Wellbeing Practical
• Title
• Copyright
• Table of Contents
• ABOUT UNLEASHING PERSONAL POTENTIAL (UPP)
• ABOUT THE AUTHOR
• INTRODUCTION
• Section 1 – An overview of wellbeing for schools
• Section 2 – Positive Emotions
• Section 3 – Engagement
• Section 4 – Relationships
• Section 5 – Meaning
• Section 6 – Accomplishment
• Section 7 – Health
• Section 8 – Healthy Habits
• 2.1 PERSONAL WELLBEING PRACTICES
• 2.2 PRIMARY SCHOOLS PERSONAL WELLBEING PRACTICES
• 2.3 WHOLE SCHOOL WELLBEING EVENTS AND IDEAS
• 2.4 STAFF PERSONAL WELLBEING PRACTICES
• 2.5 WELLBEING EDUCATION – THE SCHOOL JOURNEY
• 2.6 THE PERSONAL JOURNEY – WHERE DO I BEGIN?
• SUPPORT AND RESOURCES
• REFERENCES
• PRAISE FOR UNLEASHING PERSONAL POTENTIAL