During the week we marked ‘Wellness Week’ in our school (Col’iste Pobail Bheanntra’), by putting an emphasis on minding our mental health and putting the emphasis on doing small little acts of kindness. It worked really well. Some of the students made beautiful posters too which included some of the following messages: “You cannot stop the waves but you can learn to swim” – “When you do good you feel good” – “It’s ok to ask for help” – “You have 3 choices, give up, give in or give your all” – “One baby step at a time”.



If you talk about wellness and minding ourselves, you cannot avoid talking about worry and stress. So often we worry about the stuff of tomorrow, carrying today’s load but also carrying tomorrow’s too. Sometimes we carry next week’s and next month’s load as well. This of course leaks and empties the energy we have to get through today. It is important to deal with the worry and stress of today as best we can. That is more than enough any of us can deal with. It is so much better when we can share this with a friend or someone we know who will listen and someone who cares. It is good to know that so many genuinely do care.



In the Gospel of John we have Jesus telling us “Do not let your hearts be troubled. Trust in God and trust also in me.” Spiritually it is good to know that God is a presence in our world, who holds us in our good times but especially in our difficult times too. When we feel stressed or worried it is also good to pray for help. A simple prayer is often most effective. “Loving God, I am so worried. I need your help too today”.