As part of the school project “BitTovci, jesmo li sretni?”, third-year students from class 3.c took part in an English lesson workshop focused on mental health and self-care. The workshop explored anxiety and wellness, two topics that are still not talked about enough, even though they affect us all. Although fewer students than usual attended, the discussion was open, honest and very meaningful.

We started with an anonymous Mentimeter activity. First, students tried to guess the topic of the workshop and then answered questions about stress and the things that help them relax and feel calm. As the answers appeared on the screen in real time, we could see how similar our thoughts and experiences were. This was followed by a musical introduction featuring Doechii’s song “Anxiety”. We discussed how music can express feelings that are sometimes difficult to put into words, and each student wrote down their first impressions and reactions.

Next, we watched a Mind Frame video about anxiety and checked our understanding by answering true-or-false questions during the video. We learned that anxiety is a natural response of the brain and a normal part of life. It becomes a problem when fear or worry becomes intense, excessive or persistent, and that is when seeking support is important. In this way, we challenged several common misconceptions, including the idea that anxiety is a sign of weakness.

The second part of the workshop focused on wellness and the importance of taking care of ourselves. Before watching the video, students wrote down their own definitions of wellness. Afterwards, they compared their ideas with what they had learned from the video. They then completed their personal *Wellness Wheel*, reflecting on how well they take care of different aspects of their lives: sleep, nutrition, physical activity, relationships with people close to them, screen time and time for relaxation. To finish, each student identified and wrote down one small, achievable step they could take to improve their well-being.

For the final activity, each student created their own *Mind Toolkit* – a personal set of tools to turn to when things feel overwhelming. They wrote down what they could do to take care of their body and mind, who they could turn to for a conversation and what change they would try to make in their screen habits. We also practised the *5-4-3-2-1 grounding technique*, which helps us calm down by focusing our attention on what we can see, hear, feel and notice in our surroundings.

Stress and worry are part of everyday life, especially during the school years. Learning to recognise our feelings and bodily reactions helps us cope with everyday challenges and recognise when we need support. By talking openly about mental health, we help reduce shame and stigma and highlight the importance of understanding and supporting one another. The main message we took away from the workshop was simple: anxiety is a normal human response, small everyday habits – such as getting enough sleep, staying physically active and limiting screen time – can make a positive difference to our health and well-being, and asking for help when we need it is a sign of strength, not weakness.

Together, we are building a school where it is okay to talk about how we feel.