Spiritual Fitness
Helping students’ find meaning and purpose in their daily tasks and life.
Gratitude
"When you realise nothing is lacking, the whole world belongs to you" - Lao Tzu
Gratitude means "feeling and expressing a deep sense of thankfulness in life, and more specifically, taking the time to genuinely express thankfulness to others" (VIA, 2022).
Regularly practising gratitude can:
- Strengthen friendships
- Improve your physical health and sleep
- Improve your emotional wellbeing
- Help your motivation and concentration at school
Practising being grateful also changes our brain, making us more sensitive to being thankful in the future, and more likely to find things to be grateful for.
Try this:
- Three good things: At the end of the day, think about 3 good things that happened that day and reflect on why they happened.
- Start a gratitude journal: Before bed, write down 3 things you are grateful for that day
- Thank you note: Write a thank you note to someone who has made a positive impact on your life. Consider reading or hand-delivering this message to that person.
Check out the video clip below to learn about gratitude and neuroplasticity:
Mindfulness
Regularly practising mindfulness can help us to focus on the present moment - it stops us from worrying about what has happened in the past or what might happen in the future.
There are a number of free mindfulness resources available, including:
Primary School:
- Peaceful Kids meditations - available at https://www.peacefulkids.com.au/meditations1.html
- The Black Dog Institute has POWER UP (mindfulness audio tracks) and SNAP THAT (mindfulness through photography) - available at https://www.biteback.org.au/powerup
Secondary School:
- The Black Dog Institute has POWER UP (mindfulness audio tracks) and SNAP THAT (mindfulness through photography) - available at https://www.biteback.org.au/powerup
- Smiling Mind mindfulness app - available at https://www.smilingmind.com.au/smiling-mind-app
- UCLA have guided meditations available in a number in a number of languages - https://www.uclahealth.org/programs/marc/free-guided-meditations/guided-meditations
You can also participate in the below music meditation:
