Mental Health Mondays 2023
Mental Health Monday #5 - Additional Resources
Dear Arcadia Unified Students, Staff, Parents/Guardians,
We hope this email finds you and your family doing well after the long weekend. This is our final installment of Mental Health Monday (on a Tuesday in observance of Memorial Day yesterday) for Mental Health Awareness Month.
For Mental Health Monday #5, we want to share a few more items with you that aim to connect you and your families with powerful local resources, further reduce stress, and assist in improving your overall wellness and health.
Additional Mental Health and Wellness Resources:
- Los Angeles County Department of Mental Health, which has a plethora of resources, including wellness events in our area.
-Los Angeles County Office of Education, which provides important information to connect you with local mental health services, including help hotlines.
-AUSD Mental Health Mondays 2023 Webpage, which has all of our communications and resources from this past month put in one easy-to-access location for your convenience.
Thank you so much for taking the time to read our Mental Health Monday messages. Please know we are here for you. Arcadia Unified has a remarkable team of caring counselors, psychologists, teachers, and administrators who are here to support you in any way possible. We hope you have found these resources over the past month helpful and that they propel you into a wonderful summer ahead. Please be sure to like and follow our Facebook, Instagram, and Youtube channel for additional AUSD resources and news.
In Wellness,
Arcadia Unified School District
Mental Health Monday #4 - Mental Health Screening Tool/Tests
Dear Arcadia Unified Students, Staff, Parents/Guardians,
As we continue to focus on Mental Health for Mental Health Awareness Month, we want to provide another valuable resource. A couple of weeks ago, we talked about recognizing the signs and symptoms of mental illness.
This week we are sharing mental health tests that you can take online at no cost to help determine if you or your child might be experiencing symptoms of a mental health condition. The available tests through Mental Health America include the following:
-Depression Test
-ADHD Test
-Parent’s Test: Your Child’s Mental Health
-Eating Disorder Test
-Anxiety Test, and several others
After your mental health test, you will see information, resources, and tools to help you understand and improve your mental health.
Please note: Online screening tools are meant to be a quick snapshot of your mental health. If your results indicate you may be experiencing symptoms of a mental illness, consider sharing your results with a mental health professional or someone who can help you find resources for support. A mental health provider (such as a doctor or a therapist) can give you a full assessment and talk to you about options for how to feel better.
This website is an informational resource. If you need immediate help, you can reach the Suicide & Crisis Lifeline by calling or texting 988 or using the chat box at 988lifeline.org/chat. You can also text “MHA” to 741-741 to reach the Crisis Text Line. Warmlines are an excellent place for non-crisis support.
As a reminder, Arcadia Unified students now have access to free virtual mental health services through our partnership with Hazel Health. Hazel Health is a program that provides students with mental health support from a licensed therapist at school or at home and at no cost to our families. To ensure a smooth process for accessing these services for your student, please complete this form Google Form. You can also learn more about this partnership and how to sign up for services here.
Be sure to visit our Mental Health Webpage for more resources and lots of stress-reducing and wellness strategies.
In Wellness,
Arcadia Unified School District
Mental Health Monday #3 - Deep Breathing
Dear Arcadia Unified Students, Staff, Parents/Guardians,
We are excited to bring you the third installment of our Mental Health Monday series as we continue to share resources and information to help prioritize and place a focus on how crucial mental health and wellness are to our overall wellbeing. Today we will discuss one simple yet very effective technique called “deep breathing” that can help us manage stress, reduce anxiety, and elevate our mood.
Before we talk about how to effectively practice deep breathing, we will first explain just a few of the numerous benefits it offers.
- Reduces stress and anxiety: Deep breathing can help lower your heart rate and blood pressure, which then reduces stress and anxiety levels.
- Increases focus and concentration: Deep breathing can help to clear your mind and increase focus and concentration, making it easier to stay focused on tasks.
- Boosts mood: Deep breathing can help to release endorphins, which are feel-good hormones that can improve your mood and reduce feelings of depression.
- Improves physical health: Deep breathing can also have physical health benefits, such as improving lung function and reducing symptoms of asthma.
Box breathing, sometimes called “square breathing,” is a form of deep breathing and is a technique that can be practiced anywhere at any time. Whether you're in class, preparing for a meeting, playing or watching a basketball game, or on the school bus, review the steps below and see how simple deep breathing can be!
How to do box/square breathing:
- Be in a relaxed position. Having your feet on the floor or ground is ideal but not needed.
- Slowly inhale and take a long deep breath counting from one to four. Your lungs should be filled with air but not overly forced.
- Hold your breath for four seconds.
- Slowly exhale through your mouth for four seconds.
- Repeat the above four steps, which all include four-second inhales, holds, and exhales, four times or more if you are comfortable. Are you noticing a theme? 4!
- To Note: You should do this slowly and comfortably, never feeling out of breath or tired.
- Advanced Tip: On your exhale, at the same time you are breathing out, slowly relax your muscles and let them sink into your chair or the floor. For example, as you are slowly exhaling, gently relax and release your face muscles, your shoulders, and all of your other muscles. This will lead to even deeper relaxation and increased benefits.
Additional Resources to Learn Deep Breathing and Box Breathing:
-This “Guided Square Breathing for Children” video is a great way to teach elementary-aged students how to easily practice box breathing.
-This “Box Breathing Technique” video is ideal for middle school students and adults alike.
-This article from the Cleveland Clinic explains how simple box breathing is, how powerful it is, why the Navy SEALs even practice it, and how to do it.
Incorporating deep breathing into your daily routine can have a positive and significant impact on your mental health and overall wellbeing. Consider taking a few minutes each day to practice deep breathing exercises, and encourage your children to do the same.
Remember, prioritizing your mental health and wellbeing is essential for living a happy, healthy life. Incorporating simple techniques like deep breathing can help you feel more calm, focused, and in control. We hope you found this information useful, and please keep an eye out for next week’s Mental Health Monday email for more helpful information and suggestions. Please also be sure to visit our Mental Health Webpage for more stress-reducing strategies and lots of additional resources.
Your partner in wellness,
Arcadia Unified School District
Mental Health Monday #2 - Warning Signs
Dear Students, Staff, Parents, and Community,
As we continue with our Mental Health Monday series, we want to emphasize the importance of recognizing the signs of a potential mental illness. Mental health is just as important as physical health, and it is essential to take care of both.
Mental illnesses can affect anyone, regardless of age, gender, or background. They can impact our thoughts, feelings, and behaviors and have a significant impact on our daily lives; however, with early recognition and intervention, most mental health conditions can be treated effectively. It is crucial to recognize the signs of a potential mental illness in yourself and those around you.
Some common warning signs and symptoms can include the following:
-Changes in behavior or personality
-Feeling sad or withdrawn for more than two weeks
-Withdrawing from social activities
-Changes in sleeping or eating habits
-Excessive use of alcohol or drugs
-Significant weight loss
-Extreme difficulty concentrating or staying still
-Intense worries
This information is also attached above courtesy of the National Alliance on Mental Health and is available on its website here, along with resources for support. If you or someone you know is experiencing any of these symptoms, it is important to seek help from a mental health professional. You can also view our Arcadia Unified Mental Health page, which has a plethora of resources, including our recently launched partnership with Hazel Health.
Arcadia Unified students now have access to free virtual mental health services through our partnership with Hazel Health. Hazel Health is a program that provides students with mental health support from a licensed therapist at school or at home and at no cost to our families. To ensure a smooth process for accessing these services for your student, please complete this form Google Form. You can also learn more about this partnership and how to sign up for services here.
Remember, recognizing and addressing mental health concerns early can prevent more severe problems down the road. By taking care of our mental health, we can live happier and healthier lives. Let's work together to create a culture of support and understanding around mental health.
Sincerely,
Arcadia Unified School District
Mental Health Monday #1 - New Resource for Mental Health Awareness Month
Dear Arcadia Unified Staff, Students, Families, and Community Members,
Today is the first day of Mental Health Awareness Month, and we wanted to take a moment to reaffirm our continuous commitment to offering meaningful and helpful mental health and wellness resources and support for our students, staff, and families. We firmly believe that mental health matters, so we are also grateful for this opportunity to announce a new resource for students and remind you about our Mental Health & Wellness Support and Resources webpage, which we continually update with information, links to resources, wellness tips and strategies, and more.
On this, our first Mental Health Monday of May, we are very excited to share a new and very valuable resource for our students and families. Arcadia Unified students now have access to free virtual mental health services through our partnership with Hazel Health. This new program provides students with mental health support from a licensed therapist at school or at home and is completely free to Arcadia Unified families. Requests and referrals can be done through AUSD staff or parents. Please note that students cannot request services on their own.
Hazel Health provides therapy via video sessions through our students’ school counseling offices or from the comfort of home. Licensed therapists from this program can help students with:
-Mood/behavior changes, motivation, grief/loss
-Anxiety, worry, fears
-Social skills, peer & family relationships
-Academic stress
Our partnership with Hazel Health will be available at no cost through December 2024. For more detailed information and to sign up, please visit https://bit.ly/ausdhazel.
Each Monday during Mental Health Awareness Month in May, we will be sending a “Mental Health Monday” message with additional resources to further help support our students, staff, parents, and community. We look forward to continuing to spotlight the importance mental health and wellness play in leading happy and healthy lives.
Be well,
Arcadia Unified School District
For Mental Health Mondays 2022, please visit https://www.ausd.net/apps/pages/mhmondays.
For the comprehensive Arcadia Unified School District Mental Health & Wellness Support and Resources webpage, please visit https://www.ausd.net/apps/pages/mentalhealth.