How do you define the word “healthy”? Being healthy isn’t just about what foods you eat. Your mental health is just as important as your physical health! And it all starts with your habits.

So far in this series, you have learned important skills. And our social and emotional learning (SEL) series isn’t done yet! It’s time to learn about healthy habits.

Carla Tantillo Philibert and Vienna Webb are SEL experts. They shared tips on how to build your own healthy habits:

Know Your Needs
Knowing your needs is important. You need to understand how your environment affects you in order to improve it. Start by paying attention to how your surroundings make you feel.

For example, maybe you feel well rested. How much sleep did you get? What did you do before bed? Perhaps you read a book and went to bed early. Try to get into that habit!

Philibert explained that you should “ask yourself what makes you feel the best.”

Speak Up!
Now you are more aware of your current habits. You can start to make better choices. Philibert said you should speak up for yourself.

For example, you know that eating vegetables makes you feel good. But maybe you don’t get them a lot. Philibert said you can use your voice to communicate your needs. Say something like: “I’d like to have a veggie with dinner. I can help prepare it.”

Philibert said speaking up can also help others. That is because other people may wrongly assume how you are feeling. For example, Philibert said if you walk into class with a hoodie on and your hood up, a teacher may think “that means you must be upset.” However, maybe you just had a bad haircut! Advocate for yourself by communicating.

Set Boundaries
Sometimes we have to do things we don’t want to, such as homework. But other times there are things we don’t have to do. It is OK to say no!

“We want you to have agency,” Philibert said. That means setting boundaries for yourself. Think of this as a set of rules. For example, maybe watching scary movies makes you anxious. Let others know you don’t like to watch scary movies. Be direct.

Find What Brings You Joy
Webb said the best habits are ones that bring you joy. Maybe you like doing yoga or taking a walk. Or perhaps you feel best while listening to your favorite music. Whatever it is that makes you happy, do it!

Take Care of Your Mind
To have a healthy mind, you need to pay attention to what you are putting into it! Be mindful of what you watch and listen to. Think about how certain movies or posts you see on social media make you feel.

We spend a lot of time with technology. And it is important to make sure our digital environment is healthy. For example, you may follow someone on social media whose posts don’t make you feel good. You don’t have to follow that person! Make sure every environment you spend time in is a healthy one for you!


Updated August 18, 2020, 5:02 P.M. (ET)
By Alexa Tirapelli