{"id":2170,"date":"2023-10-10T09:00:00","date_gmt":"2023-10-10T16:00:00","guid":{"rendered":""},"modified":"2025-12-18T22:39:37","modified_gmt":"2025-12-19T06:39:37","slug":"new-ways-to-reflect-and-thrive-on-world-mental-health-day","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/cm-edgetun.pages.dev\/en-us\/education\/blog\/2023\/10\/new-ways-to-reflect-and-thrive-on-world-mental-health-day\/","title":{"rendered":"New ways to reflect and thrive on World Mental Health Day!"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

October 10th<\/sup> is World Mental Health Day<\/a>: a day to raise awareness and to mobilize efforts in support of mental health. The day provides an excellent opportunity to discuss and normalize mental health issues so that we can make mental health a universal human right.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Mental health is essential and is much more than the absence of illness. It is the key to our overall wellbeing. Close to one billion of the world population<\/a> are living with mental illness and the majority have no access to care. 10-20% of children and adolescents<\/a> experience mental health conditions worldwide and 1 in 5 U.S. children ages 3\u201317<\/a> has a mental, emotional, behavioral, or developmental disorder.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

An increasing number of adolescents and young people are grappling with mental health conditions, which not only affect their physical health but also pose challenges to their academic success, interpersonal relationships, and overall wellbeing. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cStudents are coming into the counselor\u2019s office more because they are more comfortable talking about it,\u201d says Alison Gimbi, a school counselor for Middle Smitheld Elementary in Pennsylvania. \u201cWe don\u2019t just get the kids after something is already a problem. It\u2019s helped us do prevention, not just reaction work<\/a>.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

How educators are helping<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

Educators help students to develop better emotional regulation, self-awareness, and empathy in the classroom. When emotions become uncomfortable and perspectives skewed, it may seem counterintuitive to focus on such feelings. But identifying and labeling these feelings is an essential step in managing overwhelming emotions<\/a>. Sometimes it\u2019s as simple as asking your students how they feel and providing the space to share.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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Watch the YouTube video<\/a><\/div>\n<\/div>\n\n\n\n

Next, educators support students by modeling and reminding students about positive coping skills and strategies. These strategies could be anything from deep breathing, practicing mindfulness, creating art, or physical movement. Even activism\u2014doing something good for your community\u2014can be empowering and improve mental health<\/a>.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Technology tools for perspective and balance<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

If there was any silver lining to be had with the COVID-19 pandemic, it was a renewed focus on mental wellness and self-care. Technology also became the lifeline that many utilized to seek help. In fact, a RAND study<\/a> found that the rise in telehealth use during the height of COVID-19 was driven more by people looking for mental health services than care for physical conditions.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Microsoft believes that technology can play a valuable role in supporting the mental health of students and educators. To acknowledge and celebrate World Mental Health Day, Microsoft Education is highlighting some key features and updates in Microsoft Reflect<\/a> designed specifically to support connection, expression, and wellbeing in the classroom.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\"A<\/figure>\n\n\n\n

Help students build important social, emotional, and academic skills with Microsoft Reflect.<\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Microsoft Reflect is a Learning Accelerator<\/a> designed to help educators prioritize their students’ emotional wellness by creating a safe space to reflect on their emotions and build self-awareness. With Reflect, students share how they feel, and educators can access the data at both individual and class levels. And there are additional resources like breathing exercises\u2014shown to have a significant impact on student learning. Check out the ready-to-use activities, lessons, and materials<\/a> like Minecraft Education and Kahoot games, along with Flip discussion topics to help extend the social-emotional impact of Reflect.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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Create custom check-in questions in Reflect that encourage students to share their feelings while building emotional vocabulary.<\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Educators can create custom check-in questions in Reflect that encourage students to open up and share their feelings while building emotional vocabulary. This exercise provides deliberate practice of social skills and improved communication, which helps students build positive relationships with peers and the important adults in their life.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

New ways to connect with you<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

On World Mental Health Day, we are launching the all-new Brain Breaks feature in Reflect. Students and educators will be able to take a Brain Break with our curated collection of concise, inclusive activities designed to promote mental fitness, refresh the mind, and enhance focus. This helps give everyone a much needed \u201cpause\u201d to help navigate their emotions and formulate strategies to manage uncomfortable feelings.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\"Microsoft<\/figure>\n\n\n\n

Take a Brain Break with a curated collection of activities in Reflect designed to promote mental fitness, refresh the mind, and enhance focus.<\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Another new feature coming soon is Learning Tool Interoperability (LTI) for Reflect, which enables the embedding of Reflect as part of LMS (Learning Management System) courses in Schoology, Canvas, Moodle, and more. This feature helps educators use Reflect in the environments and tools that they are already familiar with.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Microsoft has also collaborated with wellbeing and social and emotional learning<\/a> (SEL) experts to create an exclusive, unique gallery of activities for Reflect! Specially designed for students and classroom settings, these activities include:<\/p>\n\n\n\n