To empower young people with the tools they need to thrive in an increasingly complex world, we must revisit the basics of health awareness. Self-regulation is central to this, since unless we can detect and interpret the signals our bodies are giving us, there’s little chance of achieving true autonomy over our physical, psychological and emotional wellbeing. Understanding these signals is key to fostering resilience and self-management, both vital skills for today’s students in the wider world.
We begin with ‘Health Awareness’ and by examining the factors that influence our health and sense of wellbeing. These influences can be external, like social pressures and environmental conditions, or internal, such as blood pressure, glucose levels, and pH balance. Our body’s natural process for managing these factors is called homeostasis – the maintenance of internal stability amidst external change. Homeostasis, relies on thousands of interconnected self-regulatory mechanisms that work tirelessly to keep us balanced. Each “level” of our system, from cellular processes to emotional and physical responses, operate in concert with others, creating a synchronised meta-system.
To better understand how our bodies maintain this coordination, we turn to the concept of allostasis, which can be thought sort of as an extension of homeostasis.” By teaching children about these processes, we offer them insights into how their bodies strive for balance and why they may feel changes in response to different life challenges. At Vibrant Health Education (VHE), we believe that introducing self-regulation in early stages of development – through playful PSHE workshops – youngsters can build a lifelong foundation for wellbeing. When students understand how their bodies achieve and maintain balance, they gain a sense of agency over their health that promotes physical, psychological and emotional resilience all in a single stride.
Recognising Health Disruptors
Once we identify the factors that disrupt our unique health balance, we can address them more effectively. This approach includes taking a whole-system view, which goes beyond studying physical body but integrates concepts pertaining to the psychological, nervous, endocrine, and immune systems. Understanding these interconnected subsystems helps to recognise how stressors can ripple through our entire being, affecting our psychological integrity, nervous function, emotional balance, immune response, and so on. In other words, self-regulation is not only about addressing individual symptoms; it’s about seeing our body as an integrated whole. This knowledge encourages young people to become attuned to how external and internal factors affect them and empower them to adopt practices that support overall wellbeing.
An essential aspect of self-regulation involves becoming mindful of the ways in which we interact with energy – how we perceive and respond to positive or negative forces around us. Positive energies and perceptions foster healthier, more resilient physiological states, while negative perceptions or emotional denial can subtly manifest as physical tension or discomfort in the body. As Stanley Keleman explores in his book ‘Emotional Anatomy’, unresolved emotions leave imprints on our body’s structure, reinforcing patterns of holding or release. By cultivating awareness of these interactions, we can begin to reset these patterns, allowing our bodies to release tension associated with unprocessed emotions and creating space for healthier emotional, physical and psychological functioning.
For example, when children learn that stressful interactions can manifest as tightness in their muscles or changes in breathing, they gain a tangible understanding of how emotions impact their physical state. This awareness can guide them in practicing self-regulation techniques, such as deep breathing, mindful movement, and positive visualisations, to reset these patterns.
Intake and Outtake
Self-regulation also involves the broader concept of ‘intake and outtake,’ which extends beyond the nutrients we consume or the air we breathe to encompass the emotional and mental exchanges that shape our physical being. By understanding that we “take in” not only food but also experiences, ideas, and energies, students can become more intentional in how they process and respond to their environments.
When students learn to be selective about the influences they “take in”– from media, relationships, or even self-talk – they gain greater control over their mental and emotional states, laying the groundwork for healthier, more resilient and balanced lives.
Making it Practical: Applied Knowledge for Lifelong Wellbeing
At VHE, we consider this knowledge of self-regulation to be “applied knowledge” or “alive information” – that’s to say, insights that children can integrate into their daily lives to support their health. We believe that teaching these principles early empowers students to develop habits of multifaceted health-awareness and wellbeing that will serve young people to access tools for their current and their future resilience.
Understanding self-regulation as a multi-level system, or “a manager of the managing systems,” gives students a structured way to think about all aspects of their health, from their own relatable experience. “Alive information” is not only knowledge – but skills for life. With greater awareness of when and how to listen to our bodies, regulate our minds and emotions, and manage our environments to the best of our abilities in any given circumstance, students can navigate life’s ups and downs with confidence, resilience, and a grounded sense of self.
For headteachers looking to promote wellbeing as a core part of their school’s PSHE curriculum, VHE offers this foundation of self-regulatory tools for students. By implementing courses that cover these concepts, we not only address academic and productivity goals but also nurture a generation of individuals equipped to navigate their health, wellbeing, and the world around them for the highest common good.
Support #VibrantHealthedu so that together, we can help bring this applied knowledge into all classrooms, empowering students with skills that go beyond schools and into lifetimes.
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