From: AAS Health Office
Welcome back!
We hope that you had a wonderful break and enjoyed special time with friends and family. While these are often the busiest weeks of the academic year, we hope you are excited to be back. For some, it can be a time of mixed feelings, sometimes including stress, fear and anxiety.
Under significant stress, the brain becomes hyper vigilant, hyper focused, reactive, and emotional. When stress hijacks the emotional limbic brain, we are left in a survival response as the prefrontal cortex shuts down and turns off. The frontal lobe allows us to think through choices and consequences, plan, prioritize, problem solve, and emotionally regulate with focused attention. When a continuous stream of fear, anxiety, and worries seizes our frontal lobes, our ability to think through experiences and challenges is compromised.
To stay active and energetic by the end of the school year, it’s important to continue prioritizing healthy habits in and out of the classroom.
Feed your body with nourishment.
A powerful brain and body are fueled by powerful foods.
While it’s easy to reach for the pizza and cookies, these unwholesome foods only offer short-termed satisfaction. “Eating the rainbow” with naturally colorful fruits and vegetables like blueberries, broccoli, red bell peppers that contain antioxidants, vitamins, fiber, and many other nutrients can support students’ growth. This leads to better grades, memory, alertness and energy.
Pro-tip: Start your day with a solid breakfast (fruit, oatmeal, eggs are great go-to’s), aim for balance on your plate throughout the day and try to avoid snacking right before bed.
Find ways to move.
As we expect an active summer, it can be a shock to the body after sitting in a classroom for the majority of the day.
Studies suggest that regular physical activity supports students’ development by improving memory, concentration, and positive outlook. The outcome? Better performance in school. We can already see those A’s adding up!
Pro tip: Join a sport or health-focused club! Whether it’s soccer, track, or yoga, you can incorporate regular movement at the end of a long school day through these kinds of activities. Plus, it’s a great way to make friends and have fun outside of the books!
Hydrate, hydrate, hydrate.
With the hustle and bustle of classes, clubs, sports study sessions and everything in between, it’s easy to forget to stay hydrated.
The body depends on water to prevent illness, increase energy levels and give your brainpower a boost. For students studying abroad, water is also the number one way to beat the infamous jetlag.
Pro tip: keep a water bottle with you throughout the day and aim to drink at least two liters each day. Plan to drink around your schedule, before or after each class, during sports practice, and throughout homework.
Make sleep #1.
An all-nighter or to sleep?
That is a tough question that high school students wrestle with on a regular basis, especially when the pressure is on during exams. While it’s tempting to choose more time in the books, you’ll be at your best with the right amount of rest, ideally 8-10 hours of sleep each night.
Pro-tip: create a sleep ritual that you look forward to. Choose a time that you’ll commit to sleeping and the activities you’d like to do leading up to it, whether that’s reading a favorite book, taking a bath, sipping tea or listening to calming music.
Practice gratitude.
Studies show that people who regularly practice gratitude experience fewer physical aches and pains.
Gratitude also increases happiness, reduces depression, improves self-esteem and helps you sleep better (see tip #4).
Pro-tip: take a moment each day either after you wake up or before you go to sleep to write down one thing you are grateful for. It only takes a minute, but the positive effects can last a lifetime.
☝️ COVID Safety
As we look for ways to allow to go back to in-person learning, the Health office would like to remind students of healthy habits in the classroom that can help curb the spread of illness, including COVID-19.
Please, remember that it’s important to wash your hands and do it properly!
SEE THE PRESENTATION HERE
If you have a student and/or a family member that is experiencing any flu-like symptoms, please, keep your children (all siblings) home for 48 hours since the symptoms onset and ensure wearing a mask around other people. Even minor symptoms could be a sign of COVID. We definitely recommend staying home and getting tested if you are having any doubts.
We would also like to remind you that if your child has a fever above 37.5 C, your household members should remain home until fever free for at least 72 hours without any fever-reducing medications. Please, see our COVID response flowchart and do not hesitate to reach out to the Health Office for further guidance!
❤️ National School Nurse Day
National School Nurse Day is observed on the Wednesday during National Nurses Week in May every year, and takes place on May 11 this year.
At AAS, you are always welcome to contact the Health Office at +7 495-231-4462 ext. or health.office@aas.ru, or stop by and visit us in Room 1011 near the security desk in the main lobby.
Thank you for your commitment to keep our students and the AAS community healthy and safe!
The AAS Health Office Team.
