Kristana:
I'm Kristana and I'm a weight lifter. I was bullied, like quite a lot, like from primary until maybe like a year or two ago. When it first happened I didn't speak to anyone. It really messed with my, my mental health and like my mind.
Kristana:
When it really hit me the most I had affects me and I couldn't do anything, it stopped me from doing pretty much everything. I couldn't ask a teacher for help, couldn't put my hand up. Everything just seemed impossible to me. It wasn't until I moved into secondary school where some fo the teachers noticed it and they realized like how bad it really was getting and they got methe help I needed. Weight lifting gave me a kind of new perspective and made me realize that I can do whatever I want to do. It made me feel quite outgoing. It made me feel like more brave and confident because I was going out and lifting in front of people. It made me feel like I was overcoming all the stress and like panic and anxiety and stuff like that. It became like more of a stressreliever. To begin with I, I had no technique at all, it was just I tried it and I liked it so I kept going. As time went on I was able to learn the technique and learn how to do certain things and make myself better. So make myself better made me happier as well. I don't have a certain kind of outlook on how things go I just try and believe and I try and push myself to keep going. If it wasn't forthe coach I have and the ones that have helped out as well I wouldn't have the kind of mindset I do to know that I can do it. And it's not just I can't and I never will, it's more of a I don't believe yet. Within the last year I've injured myself a bit. So that's kind of set me back quite a lot. Having setbacks is always gonna be important in life and everything because if you don't have asetback how are you gonna know to improve and to know that you're not doing the best. Setbacks make you a lot stronger. Like, whether it's overcoming an injury and you become stronger again. Or you do something wrong in a test, you learn to overcome it and you learn the knowledge. Everything kind of makes you stronger mentally and physically regardless ofwhat happens you can always tackle it.
Kristana:
For me especially picking up weight lifting or in fact anyone else picking up a sport gives you the kind of growth mindset as if I can do this what else can I do? If you don't have that growth mindset then you're never gonna want to improve, you're never gonna believe you can improve. School-wise, weight lifting's helped me a lot because before I haven't a growth mindset I didn'tthink I was smart, I didn't think I could do well in my classes. But within the last year weight lifting's helped my growth mindset improve that much to the point where my grades have completely like switched, I'm doing so much better than I thought I ever could. It's helped me also become more confident within the classroom. I can ask for help when I need it. I can answer thequestion. I can learn how to do things that I didn't know how to do. It kinda acts as a stress reliever if you have a sport. Like, you can take your mind off all your issues. It kinda gives you the power to kind of overcome that obstacle. It gives you the chance to kinda move on from it.
Kristana:
Obviously, growth mindset isn't gonna be 100% all day every day, there's gonna be times where you feel a bit more [UNSURE OF WORD] mindset than you do growth. But if you manage to push yourself out your comfort zone that slightest bit to try and do what you want to do. There's no telling how far you're gonna be able to go with it.
Video summary
In this short film Kristana explains how weightlifting has helped her to feel better about herself, develop confidence in school and overcome challenges.
We hear about the positive effect that being active can have on our wellbeing, and how demonstrating a growth mindset can help us to learn new skills and grow our brains.
Teacher Notes
Exercise is anything that gets your body active and makes you a bit out of breath.
It's good for both your body and your mind.
Children need to exercise for about 60 minutes each day (but it doesn’t have to be all at one time).
Exercise helps you to feel good about yourself; encourages a better night’s sleep; helps you concentrate on work; helps you keep positive; and helps your body build healthy bones, muscles and joints.
When you exercise it releases little ‘feel good’ signals in your brain and gives you a positive boost.
Using the film
This is one of five films about wellbeing and developing a growth mindset.
They can be shown in any order and are designed to encourage students to think about their own wellbeing, and how they can learn to build good habits to support their mental health and develop a positive attitude.
Classroom ideas:
Start a group discussion about being active and the positive impact it can have on wellbeing.
Design a poster with all the different ways you can exercise.
Try writing about which exercises you love to do, and how they make you feel during and afterwards.
Explore how music helps us to keep active. What types of music inspire you to move your body?
Dan - Connect with others. video
Dan has Asperger Syndrome, also known as Asperger's, and sometimes finds it difficult to connect with people. In this short film he shares his experiences of learning magic, using his growth mindset, and using magic tricks to help him connect with other people.
Mjd - Give to others video
In this short film Mjd explains how he used a growth mindset to learn English, and how he 'gives to others’ by translating for his classmates and helping them learn.
Rachel - Take notice. video
In this short film Rachel shares how she takes notice of the issues that are happening around her and how she tries to make a positive change.
Ethan - Keep learning. video
Ethan has cerebral palsy, a medical condition that affects his movement and coordination. He's also an adaptive surfer and is training to go to the world adaptive championships in California. In this short film Ethan shares his experiences of using a growth mindset to learn new things.
