Boarding Mental Health Week

To kick-start our Mental Health Awareness Week in Boarding all boarders and houseparents took part in the MIND Run & Carnival at Technology Park Malaysia, Bukit Jalil last Saturday evening. The 2018 Mind Carnival is an event centered on the intention to promote community involvement in raising awareness for mental health. The 5 kilometre night run was held at night as a representation of the darkness that mental illness is often associated with. On arrival we all received a complimentary NEON coloured T-Shirts to colour the darkness. Everyone finished the run and it was an amazing evening for us all. Throughout the week boarders attended workshops such as Morning Mindfulness, Meditation and Dealing with Stress and Anxiety, as well as talks by personnel from the Malaysian Mental Health Association (MMHA) and the Malaysian Music Therapy Association (MMTA) which highlighted encouragement for our learners to share their thoughts and feelings with others when facing challenging times. Our boarders were also involved in different exercise regimes such as yoga, kickboxing, early morning walks and Tabata which proved to be popular. A healthy well-balanced diet also contributes to us feeling positive therefore we all enjoyed a splendid Sunday breakfast of Superfood Breakfast Smoothie Bowls and on Wednesday we were treated to a delightful dinner of fresh salmon, chicken couscous and a variety of fresh vegetables and fruit. To celebrate World Mental Health Day on Wednesday school staff were invited to the Boarding House to share morning tea with each other, which was an enjoyable occasion for all. Finally, thank you to the boarders for your enthusiasm throughout the week and also to our Houseparents, Ms Leilah, Ms Leanne from MMHA and Ms Sherrene from MMTA who have all contributed to everybody having more awareness of our wellbeing and what support is available.