Your diet isn’t only what you eat. It is what you watch, what you listen to, what you read, the people you hang around. Be mindful of the things you put into your body emotionally, spiritually, and physically.

Here are some tips to keeping all aspects of your well-being in check:

Taha tinana (physical)

→ To keep your physical well-being in check, make an effort to do 20 minutes of exercise every day. If you don't know where to start, try the bodyweight workout in the link below and adjust it to suit you!

https://hail.to/app/hghs/article/view/ax9oWd7 

→ Although physical activity is beneficial, do remember to rest and fuel your body correctly (see the suggested meal proportion in the diagram below.)

→ Research shows that teenagers should get between 8-10 hours of sleep every 24 hours. 

Taha whānau (family & social)

→ Ensure you surround yourself with people who bring out the best in you and who you enjoy being around.

→ Also, remember to stay in touch with your family and friends through this disrupted time and keep up the chats. This way you stay connected to those you love.

Taha wairua (spiritual)

→ Not only does your spiritual well-being relate to religion and culture, but it can also coincide with your goals and aspirations. Whether these are personal or academic, it is important to set goals for yourself in order to hold yourself accountable and strive to achieve higher.

→ An easy way to set goals is to use the SMART goal structure to ensure a goal is SPECIFIC, MEASURABLE, ACHIEVABLE, REALISTIC, and can be TIMED.

Taha hinengaro (emotional)

→ Feel yourself getting stressed? Whether it’s an overload of school work, cramming for exams, or simply being overwhelmed with everything going on in your busy life, find some time to practise some mindfulness techniques such as meditation and breathing exercises. These can really help reduce stress, anxiety, and depression among other benefits.

Check out these links for more…

• 4-7-8 breathing exercise (what it is and the benefits)
• Video - Meditation in Public Schools
• What is Mindfulness
• What is Meditation

Written by Claire Morris, and Ruby Scott.