Episode Transcript
[00:00:00] Foreign.
[00:00:08] And welcome back to another episode of the Just say Something podcast. I'm Philip Clark and as always, please follow, share like and comment on our podcast episodes.
[00:00:22] We are on YouTube, Audible, Apple, I Heart, Pandora, and Spotify August is Recognized as National Wellness Month.
[00:00:35] It's a time to set aside to encourage August is recognized as National Wellness Month. It's a time set aside to encourage all of us to pay attention to our physical, mental and emotional well being.
[00:00:54] While wellness is something we should focus on throughout the year, August arrives at just the right time.
[00:01:01] Summer is winding down, students are heading back to school, parents are adjusting schedules, educators are preparing their classrooms, and many of us are wondering how the summer passed so quickly.
[00:01:18] The good news is that August gives us an opportunity to reset.
[00:01:24] Now. Reset doesn't mean you have to have to completely change your life overnight. It simply means taking a step back and asking yourself a few honest questions.
[00:01:39] How am I really doing?
[00:01:42] What habits are helping me? What habits are working against me?
[00:01:47] And what do I want this next season of my life to look at?
[00:01:54] Those are questions every one of us can benefit from asking, not just adults, but our children and teenagers as well.
[00:02:05] One thing we've learned through many years of prevention work is that good choices rarely happen by accident.
[00:02:13] They happen because we intentionally create environments, routines, and relationships that make those choices easier.
[00:02:23] As families prepare for another school year, most of the attention goes towards school supplies, new clothes, sports schedules, transportation, and homework.
[00:02:36] Those things certainly matter, but I encourage parents and caregivers to put wellness on the back to school list too.
[00:02:45] Sometimes we think wellness means eating perfectly or spending hours at the gym.
[00:02:51] Those things can certainly contribute to good health, but wellness is much broader than that.
[00:02:58] Wellness means getting enough sleep, learning to manage stress, taking breaks from technology, finding healthy ways to cope with difficult emotions, building positive relationships, staying active, making time to laugh, and spending quality time together as a family.
[00:03:22] Those simple habits have a tremendous impact on both our mental and physical well being.
[00:03:30] For young people especially, routines matter.
[00:03:34] Research consistently shows that children and teenagers thrive when they have predictable routines.
[00:03:41] Regular bedtimes, family meals, opportunities to talk, and healthy limits around screen time all contribute to better emotional health, stronger relationships, and better decision making.
[00:03:58] Those aren't just nice ideas, they're protective factors.
[00:04:03] Protective factors are the relationships, routines, and experiences that reduce the likelihood of young people engaging in risky behaviors while increasing their resilience and ability to cope with life's changes and challenges.
[00:04:22] That's what prevention is all about.
[00:04:25] At Just say Something, we often talk about preventing substance misuse, but prevention is much bigger than simply saying no to drugs or alcohol.
[00:04:36] Prevention begins with helping young people build healthy lives.
[00:04:43] When children feel connected to the people around them, have trusted adults they can talk to, get enough sleep, learn healthy ways to manage stress, and develop the skills to work through disappointment and challenges.
[00:04:58] They're much more likely to make positive decisions when life gets difficult.
[00:05:05] That's why wellness and prevention go hand in hand.
[00:05:10] I also want to encourage adults to give themselves permission to reset.
[00:05:16] Many parents are balancing work, family finances, extracurricular activities, and countless other responsibilities.
[00:05:26] Teachers and school staff are preparing for another demanding year, and students may feel excited, anxious, or somewhere in between.
[00:05:37] Wherever you find yourself today, remember the saying you can't pour from an empty cup.
[00:05:46] Taking care of yourself isn't selfish it's necessary.
[00:05:51] Sometimes self care gets portrayed as expensive vacations or spa days.
[00:05:58] While those things are certainly enjoyable, most of us don't have time to take that every week.
[00:06:06] Real self care is often much simpler.
[00:06:11] It might mean taking a walk after dinner, putting your phone away during family time, reading a book instead of scrolling through social media, getting to bed 30 minutes earlier, talking with a trusted friend, spending time outside praying, or simply taking a few deep breaths before walking into a stressful situation.
[00:06:37] Small choices repeated consistently create meaningful change over time.
[00:06:45] The same is true for our children.
[00:06:48] They don't need perfect parents.
[00:06:50] They need consistent parents, adults who are present, who listen, who notice when something seems different, and who create safe spaces for honest conversations.
[00:07:06] As the school year begins, I would encourage you to ask questions that go beyond how was school today?
[00:07:14] Instead, try asking, who did you sit with at lunch?
[00:07:21] What made you smile today?
[00:07:23] Did anything frustrate you?
[00:07:26] Who was kind to you?
[00:07:29] Or did you notice anyone who might need a friend?
[00:07:35] Questions like those often open the door to conversations that tell us more about how our children are doing emotionally than simply asking if they had a good day.
[00:07:46] Those conversations don't have to happen around the dinner table.
[00:07:51] They might happen during a car ride, while walking the dog, or while folding laundry together.
[00:07:58] The setting isn't nearly as important as simply creating opportunities to connect.
[00:08:05] Connection is one of the greatest gifts we can give our children.
[00:08:10] It's also important to remember that wellness isn't about being happy every minute of every day.
[00:08:19] Life will always include stress, disappointment, conflict, loss and challenges.
[00:08:27] The goal isn't to eliminate those experiences. The goal is to develop healthy ways to respond when they do happen.
[00:08:36] That's resilience.
[00:08:38] And resilience can be learned.
[00:08:42] Every encouraging conversation, every healthy routine, every trusted relationship, and every positive choice helps build resilience one day at a time.
[00:08:56] If your summer wasn't exactly what you hoped it to be, that's okay.
[00:09:02] If healthy habits slipped a little, that's okay too.
[00:09:07] You don't have to wait until January to make positive changes.
[00:09:11] August is a wonderful time to begin again.
[00:09:15] Start with one small step, then take another.
[00:09:20] Before long, those small steps become healthy habits.
[00:09:25] And healthy habits build stronger individuals, stronger families, and stronger communities.
[00:09:33] That's exactly what we strive for every day at Just say Something I want to thank you for everything that you're doing to support the young people in your life.
[00:09:46] Whether you're a parent, grandparent, teacher, coach, mentor, counselor, or community member, your influence matters more than you probably realize.
[00:10:00] The conversations you have today may shape decisions someone makes tomorrow.
[00:10:08] Thank you for joining me today on this episode of Just say Something Podcast.
[00:10:14] If you found today's conversation helpful, I hope you'll take a moment to like, follow and share our podcast.
[00:10:22] By sharing these episodes, you're helping us reach more families, educators, and community members with practical prevention strategies and encouragement that can truly make a difference.
[00:10:36] Until next time, take care of yourself, take care of one another, and remember, sometimes all it takes is just saying something.
[00:10:48] I hope you have a great week and thanks again for listening.
