standardizing mental wellness

It seems we have become more unhappy than ever before, our children too. A study done by a Johns Hopkins professor showed that the chance of an adolescent experiencing major depression rose by 37% in the span of almost 10 years. The dark truth is that the numbers are continuously increasing. While we concern ourselves with making sure that all of our students are able to fulfill certain expectations of them, with standardized testing and common core math problems, we neglect to pay attention to how these expectations are affecting their mental health.

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Living in a society that tells you materialism and money are the keys to success is the first mistake that we’ve made as a community of role models to our children. Not only is it important for us to pay attention to the academic achievements of our children, but to be focused mainly on their well-being. According to the CDC the suicide rate for young males has increased by 31% since 2007 and has doubled for females… What do we have to say about this? What can we do about this? Are we doing enough…

Currently only two states in the entire United States of America actually include mental health education in their curriculums, but that’s not enough and it certainly isn’t going to be enough to help the rest of our young people learn how to manage not only their emotions but their mental health as well. It may seem like an issue that is common sense; however in our current climate of government priorities, mental health and education seems to be the lowest on the list. There are a lot of contributing factors that play a part in the reason for our students decline in self-confidence, happiness, and socio-emotional stability, let’s visit those.

• Boxing Them Up
  

Our current education system caters to one strain of thought, one style of learning, one path to success. In a world of hundreds of millions of students, it is impossible that one version or style of education is going to fit all. What our current system has done is forced students to try to fit themselves into a box, bursting through the seams with their own unique creative abilities, and intern feeling suffocated and denied. The reality is that most children/young people do have an innate natural ability, it is our job as parents, educators, and a community to make sure we nurture that. Our goal is to make sure that we are helping them grow, not condemning them to a life that breeds discontent.

• Technology
  

While we can all admit technology has played a huge role in our progressive achievements as a society, there is no denying the influx of social media has placed an unattainable level of perfection on our young people, causing a huge pressure to maintain a certain image. It is said that most children and teens are spending eight hours a day on their phones, phones have replaced real life relationships, person-to-person contact, building with their peers. Tone, inflection, and emotion have been stripped from conversation. Leaving our young ones, who are not all the way developed, confused by faux emotions through words and emojis floating on a screen. Comparison is the death of ingenuity. 

• Lack of emotional support
  

While our babies are little, we tend to show them the most emotional support that we may ever really show them throughout their lives. As our children grow, we see their needs from us as parents change, they seek independence and we encourage their independence. However we sometimes forget even without seeking it from us, they are in constant need of emotional and mental support. Paying attention to how they view the world, encouraging them to have their own thoughts, encouraging them to pay attention to their feelings, this is what makes a child become a confident adult. This is not what we see happening in the school system, instead social media is teaching our children confidence, unfortunately lack thereof. Maintaining closeness, authenticity, and relationships is what we need to teach in school, until then The FreeAtive Nest is a space to do that.

why freeative nest?
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When creating the curriculums for The FreeAtive Nest, I spent time thinking about what a perfect educational program would be for my daughter. She is tender, mindful, attentive, but she is not a student to fit into a 40 seat classroom box. I found myself dealing with the public school system regarding my daughter like she was a number on a cereal box to be scanned. Why did certain subjects carry more weight than others? Why is young Dante's love for architecture deemed unnecessary in comparison to his need to remember what happened in Mesopotamia? Are we checking in with our students to know that they’ve slept well, have eaten, are ready and prepared with heart, mind and soul to be attentive while sitting in that classroom? At the very minimum, are our students happy and well? 

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This is where my rebellion started to rise, I challenged the public school system in my mind. I dared to ask the questions about mental health, about well-being, about self-confidence, about all the things that are not discussed or taught in a regular curriculum. So I created one. Here’s what we train our teachers and students on: 

• Positive Psychology
  

One of the founding building blocks of The FreeAtive Nest is built around the idea of positive psychology, not only for the students but for teachers as well. Trying to maintain a level of working with what I have rather than what I have not. Believing and doing in the space of I can and I will, rather than I can’t and I won't. It requires looking at your life, your abilities, and the things that you know and allowing them to show value in your life. Helping students and teachers remember the purpose of the life that they are living, giving deeper meaning to one’s life.

• Mindfulness
  

 Mindfulness has been shown to improve overall well-being, release stress and anxiety, and help the daily symptoms of depression. There’s not only a mental benefit from mindfulness and meditation but also a physical one, slowing the body down, slowing the breathing down, and slowing the mind down can help bring attention to the desired aspirations of students and teachers. Our mindfulness training can be focused on different things, by helping our students find a concentration in a natural and calm process. Using breath work, journal prompts and meditation, expression and writing we're able to release some of the pressure that a lot of young people are feeling. Doing this daily in the classroom, or at home, teachers and students are able to manage their emotions, bringing about a soothing environment, a receptive mind, and an open heart. 

• Inspire creativity 
  

One of the most important tools I believe we have as humans, is our ability to be inventive. Each one of us has a creative skill, I know a lot of people will read that and say they can’t draw or sing; however creativity is not so black-and-white. Even the accountant who figures out ways to save money is using a creative gift. One of our beliefs at The FreeAtive Nest is that every student must be encouraged to be creative in a way that speaks to their natural gift. The more we are inspired, the more successful we are. Seeking our students' inspirations is necessary if we seek their best efforts. We’ve become so imprisoned by our current age old life program we aren't seeing how progressive and fast changing the young mind has become, left and right lobes exploding with information. Everyone needs a release, creativity is that release.

This post if anything, is a declaration of my commitment to change the system. And acknowledgment of the wrongdoings of the past, the responsibility to put in the work, and the dedication to the cause… the cause being raising strong and confident young people. 

Author 
Randy Butler

Founder of The FreeAtive Nest