"To be totally healthy in body, mind, and feelings."
Expanded Definition
Wellness is a holistic concept that encompasses an individual's physical, mental, emotional, and social health. It involves making conscious choices and engaging in practices that promote a healthy lifestyle, personal growth, and a sense of satisfaction in life.
Etymology
The word "wellness" is a combination of the adjective "well," meaning "in a good state of health" and the nominative suffix "-ness," which expresses a state or condition. The term "well" has its roots in Old English wel, which means "in a satisfactory manner" or "to a great extent." The concept of wellness has evolved over time to encompass not just physical health but also mental, emotional, and social well-being, reflecting a holistic approach to maintaining overall health.
Classroom Strategies
To help your students understand wellness using the Positive Action educational philosophy, emphasize the importance of engaging in positive behaviors and making conscious choices that promote overall well-being. Here are some strategies to help students grasp and apply the concept of wellness in their daily engagements:
Teach the components of wellness: Explain the various dimensions of wellness, including physical, mental, emotional, and social well-being. Discuss how they interconnect to create a holistic sense of health.
Promote positive actions: Encourage students to engage in positive actions that contribute to their overall wellness. Teach them to practice regular exercise, maintaining a balanced diet, getting enough sleep, practicing stress reduction techniques, and building healthy relationships.
Encourage self-reflection: Provide opportunities for students to reflect on their current wellness practices and identify areas for improvement. This can be done through goal-setting activities, writing exercises, or group discussions.
Set achievable goals: Help students set realistic, attainable goals related to wellness and guide them in developing action plans to achieve these goals.
Encourage self-care: Teach students the importance of self-care and its role in maintaining wellness. Provide examples of self-care activities and encourage them to develop personalized self-care routines.
Foster a nurturing environment: Create a classroom culture that values and supports wellness, promoting open discussions about well-being and offering resources to help students improve their wellness practices.
Model positive actions: Motivate students to take positive steps for their overall health. Demonstrate the power of positive actions and their impact on wellness through your own behavior and interactions with students.
Integrate wellness activities: Incorporate wellness-focused activities into the curriculum, such as mindfulness exercises, physical activity breaks, or lessons on healthy eating habits.
Facilitate collaboration: Provide opportunities for students to work together on wellness-related projects or activities. Foster a sense of community and shared responsibility for well-being.
Ensure consistency: Reinforce these strategies regularly. Healthy habits require time to develop into a lifestyle, so consistency is key to achieving wellness.
By incorporating these strategies into your lesson planning, you can help students better understand the concept of wellness and empower them to achieve it using the Positive Action philosophy. This approach will encourage students to make conscious choices that promote their overall well-being and personal growth.
Resources
Pasela is a digital product presented by Positive Action.
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