Editor’s note: Eighth graders at St. Joseph Pro-Cathedral School have been considering Healthy NewsWorks’ theme for the 2022-23 school year, Caring for Our Earth and Ourselves. Here, they reflect on what it means to be healthy.Â
Illustration by Maribel, 9th grade, Girls High
When some think about health, images of exercise, a doctor, or types of food may pop up. All of which are important to keep your body healthy, but in my opinion, the most overlooked aspect is mental health.
Mental health is never easy to talk about. It’s consistent throughout our lives, affecting how we think, feel, and act. As an eighth grader, mental illness is more prominent than ever with the stress of applying to high schools, grades, and the chance of leaving long-time friends behind. Â
Writing about mental health can help us identify what we’ve struggled with and furthermore find ways to cope. Not only that, it can also bring awareness to the seriousness of mental illness. This could cause students to check up on their classmates more frequently, along with the possibility of students thinking twice before speaking, to learn compassion. —Thabata
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Health is important to survival. Everyone should care about their health and how to maintain a healthy body. To me health is something that I care about because it determines how I can live my life on a daily basis. Having good health helps you live an active and fun life. Health is survival and life. —Kayla
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Health is important to me because it is critical to human happiness. Being healthy means you get to stay out of hospitals and out of bed. It means you get to spend time with the people you love the most. To be healthy, you need to eat well and exercise. —Chinwe
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There are multiple things that are important about health. One of those is so that we can live a healthy life. We need to take care of our bodies to live a healthy and long life. Examples on how to stay healthy are to have a good diet, hydrate yourself, shower daily, and practice good hygiene. —Damin
