August is National Wellness Month

Wellness and safety go hand-in-hand. There couldn’t be a better time to talk about this topic. After all, August is National Wellness Month. 

What is National Wellness Month?

Let’s face it, 2021 has already been a pretty stressful year. That is obviously true for adults as well as children. During the pandemic, a lot of our lives and basic day-to-day activities have been uprooted.

This can lead to surprising amounts of stress and worry for the whole family. During the month of August, take some time to start some new good habits. It’s a great opportunity to de-stress and create some healthy new routines. These will help as we reenter the school year and beyond!

Keep the Family on a Schedule

Throughout the past year, many folks have simply been burning the candle at both ends. Sleep schedules have been abandoned for parents and kids alike. National Wellness Month is a great excuse to take back control of your daily schedule. 

For kids, the usual school week provided some much needed order and purpose. It put them on a clear schedule and provided opportunities for socialization. Before classes resume, parents may want to look into setting an orderly routine.

This can include: 

• Waking up early and eating breakfast as a family.
• Stopping for scheduled, regular lunch and dinner breaks.
• Setting up a daily chore list on the refrigerator.

The goal is to make life seem as normal as possible. This will greatly help improve the mental wellness of kids -- and even their parents.

Don’t Be Afraid to Branch Out

Beyond orderly schedules, it won’t hurt to add some new fun activities to the mix. This could include going for a hike or a bike ride. Really, any form of exercise will do everybody some good. Self-care and good family fun can help improve everyone’s mental outlook.

Mind What You Eat

Healthy eating is crucial, not just for the body, but for the mind. Proper nutrition is absolutely essential for children and parents. When preparing meals, be sure to plan ahead. Try to keep the family diet as nutritious as possible. Beyond that, be sure to drink plenty of water. Even aside from National Wellness Month, hydration is key for overall health.

Limit Screen Time

While you’re striving to stay healthy and mindful, consider limiting those time-sucking, mood-killing screens in your pocket and in the living room. Screen time can absolutely affect every person’s mood. For instance, too much social media can make people feel isolated. This is an unfortunate side effect that far too many people have become very familiar with over the past year. 

For further reading, we wrote an entire post about screen time and kids. In the meantime, the simple summary is this: less is more. Set a schedule for screen time and do your best to stick to it. It can be tricky, but in the end it will be worth it for the whole family’s wellness.

That’s just a few ways your family can celebrate National Wellness Month. Do you have any tips? We’d love to hear them. During your scheduled screen time, feel free to share them on our Facebook page!