By Claire Baxter (Year 9)
An annual Mornane initiative dedicated to spreading the message that #youarebeautiful, Love Your Body and Mind week was once again a huge success. All students were welcomed into school on Monday morning with a positive and empowering phrase on a sticky note attached to their lockers. Some said uplifting words such as ‘gorgeous’ or ‘you look amazing!’, while others offered amusing pick-up lines such as ‘did it hurt when you fell from heaven?’ (And yes, it did).
The positive atmosphere lasted throughout the entire week with a massive dance party in the Quad being a popular highlight. On top of that students were also allowed to wear comfy casual clothes, which reinforced the idea that everybody deserves to be comfortable in their own skin. Looking around, it was clear that our classmates and other students felt relaxed and able to express themselves.
While the week was run by Mornanians, it was even more powerful to see that students from every year level had taken the initiative to write kind messages to their peers and anonymously let them know something positive they appreciate about them.
The overall message of Love Your Body and Mind Week still comes back to showing kindness to yourself, and in doing so, spreading kindness towards others. This week proved to so many just how powerful a moment of reflection is in how we view and treat ourselves. The many students who participated in Just Dance saw this, as they quite clearly felt a lot brighter and better about themselves after moving around and having a dance with friends. The notes on lockers also proved how important it is to surround ourselves with people who lift us up, and help us to feel better about ourselves.
With activities such as these, Love Your Body and Mind Week absolutely stayed true to its name, encouraging girls to lift each other up and to love yourself first.
