PERSONAL WELLNESS

Personal Wellness Kit Creation

In times of uncertainty, maintaining personal wellness is a priority. Create your own personal wellness kit with reminders, pictures and mementos that help relieve stress in challenging times.

Learning Outcome: I can identify ways to maintain health in times of challenge and stress.

Overview of the Activity: Students will create a personal wellness kit that contains items to help them maintain health. What activities or thoughts help you feel your best through times of stress or challenge? Reflect on what makes you feel healthy (brain and body) in times of stress and challenge, and write these on a list. (Silent reflection/journaling/guided visualization/or pair share to generate the list). Choose 2-3 of the items on your list and find an item in your house or create something that represents it.

     Examples:

1. Visiting a special place – memento, photo, drawing, journal entry, color
2. Movement – a jump rope, “Do 15 jumping jacks” written on a piece of paper, an exercise routine written out, juggling balls, a list of songs that you can look up to dance to
3. Connection – a list of ways to connect or people to call, a list of people you feel grateful for, pen and paper to write a letter to someone you love, a stuffed animal, a reminder to play/care for your pet
4. Relaxation – a teabag, a piece of paper sprayed with a favorite perfume or essential oil, a stone or fidget toy, a sleep mask to nap, breathing exercise description
5. Healthy eating – pieces of paper with healthy eating reminders (eat a vegetable today, drink a glass of water, eat a fruit today), a cookbook to mark recipes you’d like to learn
6. Creativity – paper, pencil, pen, crayons, glue, journaling prompts, the lyrics to a song you like to sing
7. Color therapy – cut out/printed photos of flowers/colorful artwork/favorite colors, something sparkly
8. Spiritual – write/print out a favorite prayer, inspirational story, or meditation prompt
9. General – a list of attributes you love about yourself and your life, a gratitude list

• A few people can share to the group 1 item they have created/found for their kit – or the group can work in small groups as they create/find their items and share with each other.
• Choose a place to keep your kit – somewhere handy and accessible – in a box on a dresser or desk, in a bag hung in the closet, in a shoebox next to the bed. During times that you are anticipating higher levels of stress or challenge, take out your wellness kit and place it somewhere in view so you are more apt to utilize it. Make sure to keep the list you created with your kit as well.
• Over time look back in your personal wellness kit and see if you can add items or remove those that no longer serve you.