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Taking care of your emotional health is as important as taking care of your physical body. If your emotional health is out of balance, you may experience high blood pressure, ulcers, chest pain, or a host of other physical symptoms.

When you feel good about yourself, it's much easier to cope with life's little ups and downs as well as bigger events, such as divorce or a death, says Jeff Gardere, PhD, a clinical psychologist and an assistant professor of behavioral medicine at Touro College of Osteopathic Medicine in New York City.

Here are 10 ways you can practice better stress management and boost your self-esteem. These strategies will help you stay resilient through everyday stresses and when larger personal issues arise.

1. Grow Your Circle of Friends to Expand Your Support System

"It's very important that you have a support group of friends and family," Dr. Gardere says. "You need people whom you can talk to about your problems - people who will listen to you when you need to get things off your chest - so that you know you're not alone in whatever it is."

2. Learn More to Lessen the Fear of the Unknown

"Knowledge is power," Gardere says. If you have a problem, learn whatever you can about the issue or the health condition you're facing. The more you know, the less you will fear what might happen, Gardere says.

3. Get Moving to Improve Mood and Lessen Anxiety

Any form of exercise that you enjoy will do. "Regular exercise works as a good partner for people who are on medication," Gardere says. Exercise also works well for people who have mild or moderate depression and don't need to be on medication. Think of it as a great tool for stress management.

4. Have Sex to Build Confidence and Self-Worth

Intimacy within a committed relationship has all sorts of emotional benefits - it can help make you feel good about yourself and boost self-esteem. "Figure out a schedule that works for you and your trusted partner - that could be once a week or three times a week or twice a month," Gardere says.

5. Develop a Passion by Investing Time in a New Hobby

Everyone should have at least one hobby, Gardere says, whether it's taking care of plants, collecting antiques, or listening to music. You should do something that brings you some real joy - a passion that's all yours and that no one can take from you. Having a hobby and taking pride in it is a great way to boost self-esteem.

6. Eat and Drink Healthfully and in Moderation

Alcohol can be a good stress reducer, but you must indulge in extreme moderation, Gardere says. The same advice applies to indulging in food. You can eat what you want and enjoy it as long as you eat smaller portions and get regular exercise, he says. Maintaining a healthy weight is important for your physical and your emotional health.

7. Meditate or Practice Yoga to Relieve Stress

These types of activities are effective for stress management. Meditation is a focused form of guided thought. Yoga and tai chi, while movement-oriented, are also proven stress busters.

Other stress-reducing techniques include deep breathing and progressive muscle relaxation. If you're unsure of how to get started, take a class and learn how to practice on your own for 30 minutes, three times a week.

8. Manage Your Time by Setting Weekly Goals

If you make a schedule and set goals for yourself for the week, "you'll be more on top of your days, and when you're more on top of your days, you're more on top of your life," Gardere says. As you cross off the tasks on your to-do list, you will feel a sense of accomplishment which will help reduce stress, he adds.

9. Get Enough Sleep to Maintain Energy and Increase Productivity

"People who get a good night's sleep wake up with more energy and tend to be more productive," Gardere says. If you are overly tired, every task and responsibility can seem exaggerated, and even small problems will feel like big ones.

10. Learn to Say No and Refrain From Overextending Yourself

If you try to do more than you can handle, you will only end up frustrated and stressed out. If someone asks you to do something you absolutely can't do, say no. At the very least, ask for help. And if you can't do it, explain why kindly but firmly.

Nurturing your mind is as important as nurturing your body, and it will make you better able to handle whatever life throws at you. However, if your emotional problems are serious and you can't seem to shake them yourself, or if you're having issues with anxiety or depression, it's very important that you see a mental health professiona l and get help, Gardere says.

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10 Ways to Boost Your Emotional Health | Everyday Health

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Taking care of your emotional health is as important as taking care of your physical body.

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At one point in life you've probably asked yourself, "How can I better my spiritual wellness?"

Or maybe you haven't, at least not in such a direct manner.

Whatever the case may be, spiritual health is crucially important to living a vibrant, successful life.

These days many people are in a bad state of spiritual health, suffering from feeling unfulfilled and powerless; so many people that this has become a societal norm which has attracted vampire-like entities to ascend the power structure and exploit the situation.

Caring for your spiritual well-being is vital because we all incarnate on Earth with a certain mission.

And fulfilling this mission is beneficial for both our spiritual evolution and the survival of the human species.

In order to maintain our spiritual health while we mature as people we must eventually go through a process of spiritual individuation. This entails us going on the journey of asking ourselves some scarily deep fundamental questions such as:

What is my purpose on Earth? Why I am here, what do I have to do? How can I really know who I am, what my purpose is?

On the other hand, many people tend to avoid such questions. There are indeed people of all ages whom haven't yet opened their consciousness to this magnificent aspect of life.

Regardless of whether or not one choses to blindly ignore the spiritual side of life, it is true that spirituality plays a crucial role in our happiness.

By avoiding the chance to know ourselves more fully we are running away from responsibility. Inside each one of us lies a spiritual purpose- this is why we innately seek meaningful lives.
We have a responsibility to ourselves and to others to connect with our spirit and follow it's impulses which will lead us to become the best possible version of ourselves.
Our ego complicates the matter by trying to trick us into denying the existence of everything else except material reality.
But for those of you who show more interest in life's meaning than just being satiated with food and constantly saturated with shallow entertainment media, pursuing spirituality is essential.
Spiritual health concerns the inventory of values and beliefs representing your individual purpose in life, how compassionate you are capable of being with others, and seeking the underlying meaning of the seemingly random events of our lives.

So, do you want to improve your spiritual health and strengthen the connection with your spiritual body?

The following 7 ways are ideal for that!

How to Improve Your Spiritual Health?

1. Dive into the subtle.

By taking steps to access your spiritual side, you are entering a path torwards achieving fulfillment.

To initiate the process of examining your core set of beliefs and principles you should ponder in a calm, quiet atmosphere questions like:

Where are there parts of myself I don't know or understand well? What is my standard for accepting something as truth; is it enough that someone teaches me what someone taught them to teach? How well do I discriminate between sources of information? What is my own bias/blindspot?

These and other similar questions will lead you to deepen your thinking and know yourself better.

Journaling about these questions hastens the process.
Eventually, if you are persistent, you will solve the puzzles of your life and manifest your dreams in a realistic manner.
The key is to dive into the subtler dimensions of reality. The unseen part of reality which richly exists beyond our typical mundane consciousness.

Asking deep questions is how you knock on the subtle's door. Finding purpose & spiritual growth in life's seemingly random events is how you invite the subtle to enter your conscious awareness.

Behind every situation in life, there is a reason for its occurrence. Maybe you have already realized that everything we confront in life is sent with a special purpose. Painful experiences especially contain valuable lessons we must learn in order to grow spiritually.
There is a saying: The most precious lessons in life aren't learned in school. And it's true. In every failure there is a hidden lesson we must learn.
Integrating the lessons we learn from these experiences into our behavior patterns is how we evolve spiritually. We shouldn't run away from obstacles as that evasive pattern only leads to ruin. Challenging obstacles come to give us opportunities to grow.

Finding the meaningful purpose of the events of your life is a great way to keep a positive attitude, giving yourself enough courage to face any obstacle.

2. Meditate and pray.

Meditation empowers your conscious awareness of your subtle inner processes. Meditation sets the foundation of delving into the spiritual realm.
With practice you can monitor all of the processes going on inside you - physical, emotional, mental, & spiritual. When seen from a detached perspective negative thoughts and feelings are less impactful and you find that they will pass on naturally. Negativity loses some impact and influence on you.
Meditation also improves your health, both physical and spiritual. It releases accumulated pain, stress, and confusion.
Tip: The best time for meditation is early in the morning.
Prayer is a powerful way to heal spiritually.

Please note it is not mandatory to be part of any religion in order to perform. All you need to do is find a neat and comfortable place to send your prayers.

Pray about your hopes and your struggles and pray thankfully for all of the blessings in your life.

You can even try it at work, just find 10 minutes per day to leave your tasks and focus on being thankful for what you have. It will help you heal the connection with your belief system.

3. Clear lingering mental clutter.

We're buried in duties throughout the day. Busy all the time. By the end of the day we feel adrift and weary. But also like we need to blow off some steam.
Consider writing down at the end of the day your lingering thoughts; the things you wanted to say but didn't have the chance to. Or simply write down how your day passed. Writing it will give you a sense of relief and your body will usually rest calmer that night.
Clearing lingering mind-junk accumulated from daily interactions is hugely beneficial. It's like mental garbage, you must take it out or it will start to rot and stink up the place. Throw out the garbage; keeping your mind clean will sharpen your focus.

4. Why not yoga?

Yoga bridges the psychological divide between your physical health and spiritual health, it helps both. Yoga relieves both physical and emotional tension.

Lingering negative emotions and feelings can be permanently released.
The great thing about yoga is that with its practice you gain serious health benefits - reduced stress levels, lower blood pressure, healthy immune system and more emotional stability.
Teach yourself something invaluablely useful by practicing yoga.

5. Think positively.

Excellent exercise!
Like any exercise it will be difficult at first but your mental strength will increase as you work it out.
Weeding out negative, limiting thoughts will certainly enrich your life. Creating space for the positive is necessary to bring into your life the changes you've desired for a long time.

People complain all the time.

Complaining is not only culturally acceptable, it's practically required! When somebody else is complaining it can be considered rude not to commiserate with them.

In reality what they are doing is creating a breeding ground in their mind for limiting thoughts which eventually sabotage their life.

Being concentrated on the positive side of life, you are positioned towards developing more happiness over time. Your growth will flourish and you'll forget the unnecessary worries.

Ask yourself, why not aim towards happiness? Who doesn't want to be happy?

I bet you have noticed how a crowd of depressed people grows stronger and more chaotic over time.

Don't let yourself be consumed in the maze of sadness where the exit is blocked. Pick the light!

6. Be incognito.

Sometimes we need to take a break from our social lives and go incognito.
Alone time is deeply regenerative. All the noise & stress is left in the daily routine and you can focus on your internal processes.
When you are incognito, turn off your phone and other electronic distractions.

You can practice this whenever you feel like it.

When you are incognito, you can meditate, practice yoga, simply relax, or do other useful activities.

Traveling blows the dust off of our mental shelves.

It'll greatly rejuvenate your spiritual health.
Traveling can be a profound spiritual experience if you infuse your leisure time with reflective practices such as prayer, meditation, and yoga.
Visiting other places is broadens your mental horizons. Being all by yourself in a quiet and peaceful surrounding in a foreign place helps you increase the connection with your inner self.

Traveling also helps mature our capability to skilfully & courageously face chaotic situations in our lives. Going on adventures outside of your comfort zone will really increase confidence in your skills.

~~~

These activities will keep you on the right track towards improving your spiritual health. Don't wait for things to happen, create them!

Here's some great music that resonates deeply with our soul.
How does spiritual well-being affect overall quality of life?

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how to improve your spiritual well-being

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How to Improve Your Spiritual Health in 7 Joyful Ways | Inner Outer Peace

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At one point in life you've probably asked yourself, "How can I better my spiritual wellness?" Or maybe you haven't, at least not in such a direct manner. Whatever the case may be, spiritual health is crucially important to living a vibrant, successful life.

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"One of the secrets of life is to keep our intellectual curiosity acute" - William Lyon Phelps

In our modern lives, there are so many things to keep track of: making healthy meals, being physically active, staying on top of things at work, making sure the kids are doing well in school and about a million other chores to do. Feeding your intellectual curiosity and creativity easily falls to the bottom of your list. Maintaining intellectual wellness doesn't seem like it is as important as your physical health but, it's a crucial part of your mental health and overall well-being. Here are 4 easy ways to cultivate intellectual wellness:

1. Read

It's a sad fact that over a quarter of American adults don't read a single book after they leave college. Reading is known to have many benefits including improvement in memory, vocabulary growth and increase in the capacity to empathize with others. Reading can inform you, make you think and question your preconceived notions, help you connect with a character or engage you as you try to predict the twist ending. All of these things feed the mind and nurture your intellectual curiosity.

2. Explore

Not all learning experiences come from books. Sometimes it takes interaction with the world around you to stimulate your mind. There are plenty of ways to boost your intellectual curiosity without spending all day at the library: you can go to a museum, go on a nature walk, see an educational movie or simply explore a place you have never been to before. Road trip, anyone?

3. Create

The arts often get stereotyped as less "intellectual" than science or math but being able to create does wonders for both your intellectual and mental health. Similar to the positive effects of reading, being creative is known to improve memory retention as well as emotional stability. Our emotions can be a solitary experience. Art helps bring a physical representation to those emotions which allows others to share in that same emotional experience. This can very therapeutic whether or not you are someone living with a mental health disorder.

4. Do the Opposite

Ever feel stuck in a rut-doing the same thing day in and day out? Then, take advice from Seinfeld's George Costanza and do the opposite of what you normally do. It can be as simple as taking a different route to work or seeing a movie you normally wouldn't be interested in. Often, we can be too judgmental or too set in our ways to give something new a try. If you tend to jam-pack your schedule with events and activities, try scheduling in some quiet time at home. If you are more of a homebody, try something more adventurous that you normally wouldn't do. You never know what you might discover if you start making yourself get out of your comfort zone.

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4 Ways to Cultivate Intellectual Wellness | Resources To Recover

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"One of the secrets of life is to keep our intellectual curiosity acute" - William Lyon Phelps In our modern lives, there are so many things to keep track of: making healthy meals, being physically active, staying on top of things at work, making sure the kids are doing well in school and about a million other chores to do.

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Good nutrition is fundamental to healthy living. You can help encourage healthy choices by implementing strategies in your school community to improve nutrition among students, staff and teachers. For example, offering healthier food options such as fruit and non-sugar sweetened beverages at your school's snack bar, at school events and classroom parties, can make choosing healthy snacks over sugary ones a no-brainer!

Why we care (and why you should, too)

Schools have a significant role in providing students with good nutrition, helping to teach lifelong patterns of healthful behaviors. Many children consume at least half of their meals at school, and with more than 32 million children participating in the National School Lunch Program, good nutrition at school is more important than ever. Good nutrition is associated with:

Increased focus and attention, improved test scores, better classroom behavior, and a better understanding of healthy eating behaviors

Improved cognitive function (especially memory) and improved mood

Promote healthy eating at your school

Improve the consumption of nutritious foods at your school by starting with a few of these ideas:

Ensure healthy food at school

Create a healthy snack list and distribute to parents and school staff. Keeping kids fed throughout the day is essential; ensuring that these snack are healthy will help improve energy and focus throughout the day.

Provide a quality school meal program and ensure your school meals are consistent with the new USDA nutrition standards. See Smarter Lunchroom ideas on how to encourage students to choose the healthiest choices.

Evaluate your schools breakfast program. Breakfast is a critical meal for children to start the day in a healthful way. Consider allowing students to eat breakfast in the first 10 - 15 minutes of class time, or consider creating a Breakfast in the Classroom program that provides nutritious breakfast for all students.

Celebrate in a healthy way

Offer only healthy food and beverages at school celebrations and holiday parties. For example, serve festive healthy treats like green and red fruit kabobs for a holiday party to celebrate in a healthy way.

Instead of celebrating birthdays with sugar and junk food, let students choose from a menu of healthy options, such as having lunch with the teacher or having a class dance party.

Eliminate candy and junk food as a reward in the classroom and allow for five minutes of extra recess or play time instead.

Reinforce healthy eating at school events

Assess your school's sporting event snack bar and ensure healthy options are offered like fruit and non-sugar sweetened beverages. Consider creating a district or school-wide policy on concession stand food guidelines to support healthy eating for students, staff and families attending events.

Instead of school fundraisers that sell unhealthy foods undermining student health, try out other fundraising alternatives like hosting a walk-a-thon or supporting programs such as grocery store Scrip of gift-card sales, book fairs, and more.

Success stories

See how Oakland Unified School District in California partnered with local organizations to provide locally grown, fresh fruits and vegetables for their school meal programs.

Learn how the Grimmway Academy in Bakersfield, CA incorporated an integrated approach to edible education by having students get hands-on lessons on growing vegetables that are used to prepare their tasty school lunches.

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Good nutrition is fundamental to healthy living. You can help encourage healthy choices by implementing strategies in your school community to improve nutrition among students, staff and teachers. For example, offering healthier food options such as fruit and non-sugar sweetened beverages at your school's snack bar, at school events and classroom parties, can make choosing healthy snacks over sugary ones a no-brainer!

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By giving students positive quotes and having them reflect on what those quotes might mean to them or how those quotes can be applied to life, I believe that it would exercise their spiritual wellness. Also, reading literature that have deeper meanings could help to exercise students' spiritual wellness.

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"The spiritual dimension is your center, your commitment to your value system. It draws upon the sources that inspire and uplift you and tie you to timeless truths of humanity."
Stephen Covey

Wellness is defined today in the dimensions of mind, body, and spirit. Included in these dimensions are physical, mental, emotional, sexual, social, and spiritual health. We cannot have total wellness if we ignore any one of these dimensions.

What is spiritual health? The word "spiritual" refers to that core dimension of you - your innermost self - that provides you with a profound sense of who you are, where you came from, where you're going and how you might reach your goal.

You may not think much about spiritual health or well-being and what role it plays in your life, but its significance is stronger than you may believe. Spiritual wellness may mean different things to different people. For some, spirituality may be synonymous with traditional religion, while for others it relates primarily to the quality of personal relationships or love for nature. A basic foundation for spiritual wellness may be the sense that life is meaningful and you have found your place in it. The search for meaning and purpose in human existence leads one to strive for a state of harmony with him/herself and with others while working to balance inner needs with the rest of the world.

Many of the behaviors associated with wellness are key components of a healthy spiritual life. Examples include volunteerism, social responsibility, optimism, contributing to society, connectedness with others, feeling of belonging/being part of a group, and love of self/reason to care for self.

Signs of Spiritual Health

- Insightful and nurturing relationship with self and others
- Strong personal value system
- Cultivation and fulfillment of purpose in life

Assessing your spiritual health

Take a moment to assess your own spiritual health by selecting the words in each column that best describe your current spiritual condition. You decide which column more accurately describes where you are in your spiritual health

- Christiancrusaders

- Oneplace

The Labyrinth

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"The spiritual dimension is your center, your commitment to your value system. It draws upon the sources that inspire and uplift you and tie you to timeless truths of humanity." Stephen Covey Wellness is defined today in the dimensions of mind, body, and spirit.

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It can be difficult to share your emotions out loud with someone. I would have my students write in a journal each day to let out their emotions. I would then read the journals and respond with a question based on what they wrote. The question would be a reflection question, something that might help them think of their situation or their emotions in a different way.

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Have you ever wondered what it really means to be emotionally healthy? Have you ever wondered how your psychological well-being compares to others around you?

When I meet new people in social settings, the conversational question of, "What do you do for a living?" often leads people to ask me the follow-up question, "So are you analyzing me?" While it's said in a fun, playful manner, I think it speaks to a deeper question that all of us face.

Am I emotionally healthy? Are my problems so much worse than what others are dealing with? How am I doing at life?

I remember being a teenager and going to visit my aunt, a child psychologist, and having the eerie sense that she must be able to see right through me and into my problems. What I didn't know then, which I now understand, is that emotional wellness isn't really about the problems you have in your life -- everyone has those. It's more about how you approach the problems in life, and how much you're able to embrace the parts of life you do love.

This list is a guide to the most salient factors psychologists have found in people who are emotionally well. Most of us will continue to cultivate these qualities throughout our life, as opposed to ever reaching a point where we stop and say, "Okay, I'm done now -- I've reached emotional wellness." Here's the list:

1. You treat others well. Viewing other people with compassion and treating them with kindness is a hallmark of your own well-being. Psychologists call this prosociality. It means you tend to be sensitive to the needs and feelings of other people, and you think it's important to help others. It's basically the idea that you'll lend a hand to someone in need -- even if it's as simple as returning a lost wallet to the front desk of a hotel lobby, or smiling and making friendly conversation with the person standing next to you in line.

2. You like who you are. When you're emotionally healthy, you generally feel pretty good about who you are. You know yourself -- foibles, quirks and strengths and you're okay with what's inside. You're also congruent: congruency means that the person you show to the outside world is reflective of who you are on the inside. While there are situations where you naturally shift your attitude or behavior a bit depending on the social situation (i.e., it's normal to behave differently at a work luncheon then at a weekend picnic with friends), congruence means your overall sense of who you are feels in line with what you show others. It's the opposite of feeling like you have to wear a mask or pretend to be someone you're not. Instead, you're able to be genuine with yourself and others. You feel like you're living the life you want, not living the life that others want you to have.

3. You're flexible. People who have emotional wellness have an ability to adapt to all kinds of situations that life throws at us. You're able to assess a situation mindfully -- you notice your surroundings, your emotions and other's reactions to a given situation -- and then you use these factors to decide what the best course of action is. With colleagues, friendships, or your kids, flexibility is knowing that sometimes you need to talk things out, and sometimes it's best to let a situation cool off. You stand up for yourself when need be, but you're also able let others have the last word. You know how to have tough conversations and set boundaries, but you also know when to let things go. You approach life and relationships with an openness and sense of curiosity, knowing that you might need to adjust your course of action when one strategy isn't working. Flexibility is the core component of current psychological treatments because it allows you to make decisions based on your values and to make choices that will serve you well in life.

4. You hold gratitude for your loved ones. If you're emotionally healthy, it's likely you easily feel and show gratitude for the people and the things in your life. Holding gratitude is a way of purposefully looking at your life with a sense of appreciation for what you have, rather than focusing on what you are lacking. And indeed, research has shown that counting your blessings has strong benefits for emotional well-being.

Showing appreciation for your loved ones is a key factor in relationship well-being. When you show gratitude, it means that your husband or wife, your kids, your parents -- the people who matter to you -- know you love them and feel valued by you. It doesn't mean you don't fight or say things your regret at times, and it doesn't mean you always be have the perfect relationship. But when it comes down to it, you're able to show unconditional love and affection for your family. You give hugs, warmth, appreciation and attention freely, and you share in your triumphs together.

Next, emotional well-being depends on your receiving social support. We all need a nurturing, loving environment to thrive. This means you have people you can depend on, friends and family who have your best interest at heart. In your relationships, you feel safe to express how you feel and you feel respected and validated by those closest to you.

5. You're in touch with your emotions. Another sign of emotional wellness is that you embrace your emotions -- sadness, anger, anxiety, joy, fear, excitement -- as a natural and normal part of life. You handle and acknowledge your difficult emotions without becoming overwhelmed by them or by denying that your emotions exist. You know it's normal to have periods of stress, you know how to manage and express yourself when you feel upset, and you know who you can go to get comfort or help. You're feelings of sadness, anxiety and fears -- while acknowledged -- also aren't getting in the way of what you love to do. So if you're afraid of flying or public speaking, you manage to take the flight or give the speech regardless. Emotional health comes from being able to label, acknowledge and accept tough emotions, but also move forward from them without getting stuck. This means you might get nervous before going on date, but you don't let the nerves stop you from going out altogether.

At the same time, savoring your positive emotions -- reveling in those moments of pleasure, happiness and joy when they come your way -- is also linked to well-being.

6. You have meaning in your life. Leading a purposeful life is about having a passion, a mission or larger meaning to your life. This happens when you use your strengths to help something you believe in. It might be volunteering with kids, being involved in politics, being an active part of your religious group, contributing to your neighborhood or child's school, or competing in a marathon or triathlon for a good cause. Regardless of the cause, being part of something you connect with and care about is largely associated with well-being, and volunteerism is even associated with living a longer life.

7. You value experiences more than possessions. The final component is considering the types of values you have in life. People who tend to highly value attaining wealth, popularity, or attractiveness tend to be less well-off emotionally than people who value self-fulfillment and being there for others. This means that while you might have goals for career and financial security, you also may highly value time with your family and friends. Additionally, people with high levels of well-being tend to spend their money on experiences, like going to a concert or going on a trip, rather than material possessions such as clothes or furniture. Experiences may be more meaningful than possessions because they lead to shared experiences and bonding with people, help you enjoy the beauty in the world and cultivate the positive emotions that come with new experiences.

So the mystery is revealed -- emotional wellness is no longer elusive, vague or daunting. And to answer the dinner party question -- no, I'm not analyzing you. I'm just enjoying our conversation with my psychologist thinking cap off, and at the most I'm deciding if we might become good friends.
Follow Dr. Shannon Kolakowski on Twitter, Facebook, or visit her website to learn more about her upcoming books on relationships and dating. For more by Dr. Shannon Kolakowski, click here. For more on emotional wellness, click here.

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Have you ever wondered what it really means to be emotionally healthy? Have you ever wondered how your psychological well-being compares to others around you? When I meet new people in social settings, the conversational question of, "What do you do for a living?"

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Social media and other technologies can sometimes prevent students from realizing what's going on around the world. I would do a weekly debate where I'd put my students in groups, then I'd pick a topic, I would let them use their phones or give them access to computers and allot them time to do some research on the topic. After time is up I would let the groups debate the topic and come up with solutions they might think could work to solve the issue at hand.

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If students can work together as a team with a common goal in mind they would become very close. I would set two goals for my class at the beginning of the year. One to be accomplished by the middle of the year and the second to be accomplished by the end. I think this would create a sense of community in the classroom.

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7 Ways to Successfully Cultivate Social Wellness for Life

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Social wellness consists of balancing our own physical, mental, emotional, and spiritual health. Get started with these seven guidelines.

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Students tend to not put effort into or be less likely to want to participate in something that doesn't interest them. I would try my best to have options for all my assignments.  For example instead of assigning a straight forward assignment I could give my students the option to draw a picture, instead of writing a paragraph to summarize a story. I would also incorporate classroom jobs.

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Simple, free career test to determine what jobs you are best suited to.

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Students acquire their eating habits from their families, who might not have the healthiest diets. They may also not be very active due to technology such as video games. I would allow only healthy snacks in my class as a way to promote healthy eating. I would implement stretch times every couple of hours so that my students aren't just sitting all day long. If possible, I would also plan some of my lessons outside to promote physical activity.