News
SOUL Care
Learning to prioritize health & wellness
The Canadian Mental Health Association’s annual Mental Health Week is this week, May 4-10, 2020. This year’s theme is “social connection,” with the CMHA stressing the importance of truthfully sharing our feelings with others. In these unprecedented and challenging times, mental health is more important than ever, which made maintaining and strengthening the well-being of our community a top priority for the School while developing SOUL.
“I think it is really important to recognize we are all experiencing this type of world crisis for the first time,” says Erica Plater, School Counsellor. “No one really fully understands what is going on or how to deal with it. Our brains are in crisis response mode and many of us are feeling anxious and experiencing ‘allostatic load’ or 'brain fog.'”
As we grapple with a sharply changed world, an added layer is the reality that we have had to adjust nearly everything in our day-day-day lives, including moving learning online with our SOUL program.
This Wednesday, the School community took a “Flying SOUL-o” day – time away from our regular schedules for catch-up, decompression and regeneration. “We have been delivering and participating in SOUL for six weeks now, and in the surveys done with parents, teachers and students, an overwhelming number of responses have highlighted that so much time online is beginning to take its toll,” explains Wendy Milne, Assistant Head – Academics. “This week's ‘Flying SOUL-o’ day is perfectly situated in Mental Health Week. It is in recognition that we could all use a day away from Zoom classes. We hope everyone can create their own adventure and be re-invigorated for the work that lies ahead of us in the weeks to come.”
Outside of these new “Flying SOUL-o” days, of which we will see a few more in May and June, the School has regular mental health support systems in place for students – particularly through our School counsellors, who continue to work with students needing emotional support online or by phone.
“It is really important to practise self-care, acknowledge what we are grateful for and focus on what we have control over,” says Mrs. Plater. “Staying active, getting outside and connecting with friends and family when possible (while following social distancing) will help with staying healthy as well.The most important thing is to reach out if you need help or if you know someone who needs help. Connect with a counsellor or someone you can trust. Please do not suffer in silence.”
The health and wellness branch of our SOUL program, aptly called “Body and SOUL,” provides many programs that are catered to the well-being of our community. Students, parents and staff are all invited to participate in these activities, which include livestreamed dance lessons, stretching sessions, and meditation, as well as links to mobility exercises, fitness sessions, and external resources.
As Headmaster Lamont’s most recent “Awake my SOUL” video highlighted, Shawnigan staff have been creative in their attempts to stay active and fit even while regular programming is halted and facilities are closed.
Staff have had a reinvigorated focus on physical, mental, and emotional well-being this school year, thanks to a newly formed Health and Wellness Committee. Eleven representatives from our operations, administrative and educational teams came together to form the committee in the fall, and they have worked hard all year to meet the needs of their colleagues by responding to staff input. Now operating online through SOUL, the Health and Wellness Committee offers access to programs such as art classes, wellness workouts, social distancing hikes, yoga, and more.
“I have learned that making time for one’s health and wellness is not a priority for people, especially for staff working in loco parentis in a boarding school,” shares Kathini Cameron, member of the committee. “We need to revisit the practice of balance in our lives again and again.”
Ms Cameron is no stranger to balance, either metaphorical or physical. Before the shift to online learning, she led regular staff yoga sessions, and continues to do so now. “I always feel stress-free after some yoga,” she shares. “Any time we take for own health and wellness is a blessing, in this time and any future time.”
“I think it is really important to recognize we are all experiencing this type of world crisis for the first time,” says Erica Plater, School Counsellor. “No one really fully understands what is going on or how to deal with it. Our brains are in crisis response mode and many of us are feeling anxious and experiencing ‘allostatic load’ or 'brain fog.'”
As we grapple with a sharply changed world, an added layer is the reality that we have had to adjust nearly everything in our day-day-day lives, including moving learning online with our SOUL program.
This Wednesday, the School community took a “Flying SOUL-o” day – time away from our regular schedules for catch-up, decompression and regeneration. “We have been delivering and participating in SOUL for six weeks now, and in the surveys done with parents, teachers and students, an overwhelming number of responses have highlighted that so much time online is beginning to take its toll,” explains Wendy Milne, Assistant Head – Academics. “This week's ‘Flying SOUL-o’ day is perfectly situated in Mental Health Week. It is in recognition that we could all use a day away from Zoom classes. We hope everyone can create their own adventure and be re-invigorated for the work that lies ahead of us in the weeks to come.”
Outside of these new “Flying SOUL-o” days, of which we will see a few more in May and June, the School has regular mental health support systems in place for students – particularly through our School counsellors, who continue to work with students needing emotional support online or by phone.
“It is really important to practise self-care, acknowledge what we are grateful for and focus on what we have control over,” says Mrs. Plater. “Staying active, getting outside and connecting with friends and family when possible (while following social distancing) will help with staying healthy as well.The most important thing is to reach out if you need help or if you know someone who needs help. Connect with a counsellor or someone you can trust. Please do not suffer in silence.”
The health and wellness branch of our SOUL program, aptly called “Body and SOUL,” provides many programs that are catered to the well-being of our community. Students, parents and staff are all invited to participate in these activities, which include livestreamed dance lessons, stretching sessions, and meditation, as well as links to mobility exercises, fitness sessions, and external resources.
As Headmaster Lamont’s most recent “Awake my SOUL” video highlighted, Shawnigan staff have been creative in their attempts to stay active and fit even while regular programming is halted and facilities are closed.
Staff have had a reinvigorated focus on physical, mental, and emotional well-being this school year, thanks to a newly formed Health and Wellness Committee. Eleven representatives from our operations, administrative and educational teams came together to form the committee in the fall, and they have worked hard all year to meet the needs of their colleagues by responding to staff input. Now operating online through SOUL, the Health and Wellness Committee offers access to programs such as art classes, wellness workouts, social distancing hikes, yoga, and more.
“I have learned that making time for one’s health and wellness is not a priority for people, especially for staff working in loco parentis in a boarding school,” shares Kathini Cameron, member of the committee. “We need to revisit the practice of balance in our lives again and again.”
Ms Cameron is no stranger to balance, either metaphorical or physical. Before the shift to online learning, she led regular staff yoga sessions, and continues to do so now. “I always feel stress-free after some yoga,” she shares. “Any time we take for own health and wellness is a blessing, in this time and any future time.”
We acknowledge with respect the Coast Salish Peoples on whose traditional lands and waterways we live, learn and play. We are grateful for the opportunity to share in this beautiful region, and we aspire to healthy and respectful relationships with those who have lived on and cared for these lands for millennia.
Shawnigan Lake School is an independent co-educational boarding school for ages 13 –18 on Canada’s beautiful West Coast. Our diverse, interdisciplinary and innovative programming helps shape the next generation of global leaders.
