February 1st 2025
Having settled into my second term at Moulsford, I am constantly reminded of how the pupils’ moods and emotions impact on every aspect of their education. Our Moulsford values help us guide our pupils and next week, to support Children’s Mental Health Week, we will be focusing on the value of kindness.
When we are kind to each other, it helps us to feel connected, which means we forge new friendships or deepen existing ones. Choosing to approach the day with a mindset of kindness and empathy is an incredibly powerful thing that can change lives and create a kinder world. Research has also shown that when we are kind, or when someone is kind to us or even if we just witness kindness, a hormone called dopamine is released in our brain which gives us a feeling of elevation and lifts our mood.
While we often focus on being kind to others, we sometimes forget to show that same kindness to ourselves. Being kind to ourselves not only means we have more enthusiasm to help others, but it has scientific benefits too. Practising self-kindness can slow down our heart rate, helping us to feel calmer and even supporting our immune system. Sometimes we are far more critical of ourselves than we would be of other people; please remember that mistakes are marvellous and help us to learn - no one is perfect!
So, here are some self-kindness tips to discuss with your children.
Get a good night’s sleep. When we have a good night’s sleep, our bodies can repair themselves and get us ready for the next day. It also makes us less irritable – we can be even kinder.
Move your body. When we exercise, it releases wonderful chemicals in our body that help us feel happier. So move your body in whatever way you can!
Do something you love. Make sure, at least once a day, you have some time set aside to do something you love. Whether that is reading, drawing, music or sports. It is important to help you feel happy and relaxed.
Ask for help. It can sometimes be difficult to ask for help, especially if it is something we feel we should be good at or be able to do alone. We all need support from time to time. It can help you feel better, and the other person will feel better knowing they have done something kind by helping you.
So my message this week is “kindness is the best thing you can be.”
Be kind to yourself, be kind to others and be kind to the planet.
