Healthy Risks Can Lead To Your Best Year Yet

Healthy Risks Can Lead to Your Best Year Yet

A new school year is a fresh start — a chance for students to discover new interests, build skills, and gain confidence. One of the best ways to make the most of it? Take healthy risks. These are safe, positive challenges that push students outside their comfort zones and help them grow, both in school and in life.

What Is a Healthy Risk?

• Joining a new club or activity

• Trying out for an athletic team

• Running for a leadership role in student government or a club

• Enrolling in a more challenging class or academic competition

These opportunities might feel a little nerve-wracking at first, but those butterflies often mean you’re about to grow.

Why They’re Worth It

Healthy risks can:

• Build confidence and independence

• Reveal new talents and passions

• Develop skills like teamwork, problem-solving, and time management

• Create friendships and connections with peers and mentors

Research shows that stepping out of your comfort zone helps your brain adapt and grow, making you more resilient when facing new situations later in life.

Tips for Students:

1. Start small. Choose one new thing to try, like joining a lunchtime club or volunteering for a classroom task.

2. Be okay with mistakes. Not everything will go perfectly. That's okay and that’s how you learn.

3. Look for support. Teachers, counselors, and friends can help you navigate new challenges.

4. Celebrate progress. Recognize the effort you put in, not just the end result.

Tips for Parents and Caregivers:

1. Ask open-ended questions to learn what your student is curious about this year.

2. Encourage exploration by pointing out school opportunities they might not know about.

3. Share your own stories of healthy risks you’ve taken and what you learned from them.

4. Be a cheerleader. Show up for games, performances, or presentations to help your student feel supported.

Closing:
This year, encourage your student, and yourself, to lean into new opportunities. Whether it’s trying out for a team, stepping up for a leadership role, or enrolling in a more challenging class, each healthy risk builds skills, confidence, and resilience. The first step may feel uncertain, but it might just lead to the most rewarding moments of the year.