HAMILTON-WENTWORTH CATHOLIC DISTRICT SCHOOL BOARD
SJB puts mental health first to cope with COVID-19 fatigue

Social Work and Chaplaincy teamed up at St. Jean de Brébeuf Catholic Secondary School to boost spirits by encouraging students and staff to look after their mental health during these difficult days.

Concerned by reports of diminished mental well-being due to pandemic-related restrictions, Social Worker Natasha Valconi and Chaplaincy Leader Sharon Boase teamed up to create a 20-minute presentation that they delivered to all classes over three weeks during Block 2, Semester 2.

As Catholic educators, our mission is to develop the whole child," said SJB Principal Paul DiIanni. "This includes the physical, spiritual, academic and social development of our students. During this most stressful time, I would like to thank the outstanding work of our school's Chaplain Ms. Sharon Boase and our school's Social Worker Ms. Natasha Valconi for providing our community with learning around mental-health strategies. I would also like to thank the countless staff members who welcomed this amazing team into their learning environments as they continuously work to support our students."

The presentations clarified that mental health is about much more than mental illness, included a straight-forward explanation of the factors that affect our mental well-being, and offered numerous strategies for self-care.

"There is no health without mental health," said Valconi. "Mental health is the foundation of our physical, social, and spiritual well-being. Just as physical fitness helps our bodies to stay strong, mental fitness helps us to achieve and sustain a state of good mental health."

"Self-care is so important," added Boase. "When we routinely make time to do the things that recharge our batteries, we are building resilience that helps us to bounce back from the things in life that don't go the way we want them to."

"Mental health is about feeling good mentally," added Valconi. "Even someone who has been diagnosed with a serious mental illness can feel good if they are looking after themselves."

Mental well-being is intimately connected with physical and spiritual well-being. Getting adequate sleep, eating right, exercising, drinking enough water, connecting with those we love, and spending time in prayer and reflection and belonging to a faith community all support our well-being.

Being aware of our emotions - including the difficult and powerful ones like anger or resentment - offers a window of opportunity to choose how we will express ourselves rather than be carried away by powerful emotions and doing or saying something we may regret later.