Maintaining healthy personal wellness is crucial to becoming our best selves, reaching our goals, and sustaining our happiness. Read the story below to explore how the character approaches her personal wellness.

Aurelia is admired by many other students because she’s a science whiz. Many of her engineering projects have won awards, and she’s participated in several state-level robotics design competitions. She’s proud of all the work she’s done so far and loves seeing her designs in action.

But the pressure of others’ admiration is starting to wear her out. She’s tired of competing for awards and doesn’t feel the same kind of joy she used to when working on projects. She’s feeling a need to regain that pleasure, so she decides to take a break by opting out of a national contest. She feels bad about letting others down—especially her teacher, who has been very supportive of her work, but she feels the need to protect her own well-being. She needs to figure out how to explain her feelings to her teacher.

Written Reflection

Consider the story as you answer these questions.

What should Aurelia’s next step be?
Do you think Aurelia has a clear sense of what she needs to maintain her personal wellness?
Do you think she has high self-esteem?
Is she trying to live up to her own high standards?
Is Aurelia allowing herself to make mistakes, fall short, or change her mind about what she wants?

1 answer

Aurelia's next step should be to talk to her teacher and explain her feelings. She needs to be honest and open about why she needs to take a break from competing for awards. It is clear that Aurelia has a good sense of what she needs to maintain her personal wellness, as she is taking the initiative to take a break from competing for awards. She also appears to have high self-esteem, as she is confident enough to make the decision to take a break from competing. It is also likely that she is trying to live up to her own high standards, as she is feeling the pressure of others' admiration and is taking a break to regain her pleasure in her work. Finally, Aurelia is allowing herself to make mistakes, fall short, or change her mind about what she wants, as she is taking a break from competing for awards despite the pressure from others.