PARTNERS
“Caring for myself is not self-indulgence, it is self-preservation, and that is an act of political warfare.”
– Audre Lorde, Author, Feminist, and Civil Rights Activist
Breathe in through your nose and out through your mouth. Take a moment to relax and just breathe. The last two weeks have been a whirlwind of education and action, so it’s normal to feel a bit overwhelmed. To care for the planet, you must first care for yourself. The world needs a healthy and balanced you, now and for the long haul — with the robust energy and stamina to be an effective and enduring changemaker. In moments of high personal, academic or social stress, wellness may feel like a low priority. It never is. With a toolbox of techniques and commitment to prioritizing health, you can actually accomplish a lot more, while also feeling your best!
Today, we invite you to sustain yourself! Take another deep breath, clear your mind, and celebrate your extraordinary accomplishments thus far in Project Green Challenge and in life! With that, let’s get started on your daily dose of wellness.
Here are ten simple ways you can choose health and well-being in daily life!
Our partners for today’s challenge are united by missions of looking after wellness through responsible practices. Natracare provides organic, sustainable, plastic-free products that champion health for people with periods and for ecosystems worldwide. Women’s Voices for the Earth works to eliminate toxins from our bodies and the environment. MADE SAFE is the first third-party certified non-toxic seal for daily use products. Here’s to coming together to prioritize wellness!
Life is stressful and PGC is surely adding to your workload this month, but we want you to always always remember: you are important and deserve to rest. Taking time to yourself, to breathe, to be will help you and everything you are trying to do, far more than burning yourself out ever will.
Healthy habits don’t just become a part of your life overnight. Project Green Challenge is thirty days back-to-back for a reason! No one has ever created or broken a habit instantly. It takes conscious thought, attention and repetition over time, so let’s focus our energies on wellness practices to make them an enduring part of our life. During PGC, we’ve asked you to go outside, to explore, to get in touch with nature, to listen, to set intentions, and to reflect, all of which connect us to ourselves and surroundings in meaningful ways. But how do we make those types of practices second nature, and thereby improve our long term health, concentration, and happiness?
Think about positive habits in your life. Sit comfortably inside or out, with your phone off (or at least on airplane mode to remove distractions) and a notebook or upcycled piece of paper and pen in hand.
First, define wellness in your own terms. What does it mean to you?
Now, write down at least three habits or activities that foster wellness and bring you joy. Then, write three habits or go-to behaviors that you would like to change or let go of to be a healthier version of yourself physically and/or mentally.
Create a visual depiction, doodle or word cloud with as many positive habits that support WELLNESS as you can think of. Take inspiration from the above introduction or anywhere else. Post it on Instagram with a brief caption of what wellness means to you, tagging @TurningGreenOrg and @Natracare in the image and caption, plus #PGC2022.
Upload a PDF Document with your responses and a screenshot of your social media post. Include your name (or team name), username, and school on your upload.
Submission Guidelines
Showing appreciation for life and those around us is one of the simplest ways to improve well-being, yet few make gratitude a daily practice. It’s never too late to start being thankful or put that into higher gear!
Start by watching An Experiment in Gratitude: The Science of Happiness.
After taking a moment to reflect on this video, think of a person for whom you are grateful. Write a letter to this person detailing why you are grateful. Include at least 5 ways they have positively contributed to your life. Be personal, intentional and genuine.
After you have written your letter, read it to that person (if possible), whether face-to-face, by phone or video call. Take note of their reaction and how it made both of you feel.
Share your letter and write a short reflection on this experience.
We will post winning submissions, unless you prefer to keep it private. If so, simply let us know and it will stay between you and our team. If you feel comfortable, post it on Instagram. We would love to see and hear to inspire gratitude practices far and wide. Tag @TurningGreenOrg and use #PGC2022, like always. THANK YOU!
Upload a PDF Document with a copy of the letter and your short reflection. Share how they responded and also how you felt. Include your name (or team name), username, and school on your upload to be eligible to win.
Submission Guidelines
The benefits of mindfulness are widely known, promoted by health professionals, celebrities, self-help gurus, students, and many more. While it may seem complex, mindfulness is simply practicing the art of creating space to think, to breathe, to recognize connections between ourselves, others and our surroundings. Mindfulness is a mental and spiritual practice, but dedicated physical space to support the process is very helpful. We hope that heightened self-awareness will propel you to think about and further develop a vision of how you seek to effect change in the community and world.
Envision a self-care sanctuary for practicing mindfulness, self-connection and relaxation. Get creative and dream big in creating your own! And remember to prioritize sustainability and health, with the key learnings from PGC around plastics, waste, organics, toxins and more.
Share a picture of the space you curated on Instagram with a caption about why self-care matters and your experience in creating space for mindfulness. Tag @TurningGreenOrg and @Natracare, as well as #PGC2022.
Upload a PDF Document with a picture of your new space, reflection and a screenshot of your social media post. Include your name (or team name), username, and school on your upload to be eligible to win.
Submission Guidelines
Up to 10 Greener and 10 Greenest outstanding submissions will be selected as winners.
Each Greener Winner will receive:
Each Greenest Winner will receive:
