Day 3: Connection and the future
The people around you, helping others well, gratitude, purpose and your own plan.
Today's goal
By the end of today you can map your support network, respond well to a friend who is struggling, and leave with a written Wellbeing Plan and a letter to your future self.
Agenda
- Warm-upThree good things and a safety reminder10 min
- LearnWhy connection matters15 min
- ActivitySupport network map25 min
- Case studyHow to help a friend25 min
- BreakBreak15 min
- ActivityGratitude and purpose20 min
- CapstoneBuild your Wellbeing Plan30 min
- CapstoneLetter to your future self15 min
- CapstoneSelf-review and optional sharing10 min
- ReflectClosing reflection7 min
- QuizDay 3 quiz8 min
The session
Three good things and a safety reminder
Start by noticing what went well, then check your help numbers.
- Write three good things from the last 24 hours, however small, and why each happened.
- Note how your sleep plan and your tool went last night.
- Re-read the help numbers: 999, 998, 800-SAKINA (800 725462), Itma'en 800506, a trusted adult, your school counsellor.
Solo
Write them in your journal.
Group
Volunteers share one good thing each. Pass is fine.
Related lessons: Gratitude: what the research says and how to practise it
Why connection matters
Connecting with others is the first of the NHS 5 steps. Support works best when it is spread across several people.
- Being alone is not the same as being lonely; you can enjoy solitude and still need connection.
- Different people help in different ways: someone to laugh with, someone to talk to, someone who can take practical action, a professional.
- Asking for help is a skill and a strength, not a burden on others.
- Trusted adults (parents, relatives, teachers, coaches, school counsellors) can act in ways friends cannot, especially when someone may be at risk.
Related lessons: Solitude and loneliness: knowing the difference, Finding your community, How to talk to someone and get help, When and how to ask for help
Support network map
See your support clearly, including where it is thin.
- Draw three circles, one inside the other, with "me" in the centre.
- Inner circle: people you could tell anything. Middle circle: people you enjoy and trust for some things. Outer circle: services and adults you could contact, including the school counsellor and the help numbers.
- Next to each person, write how they help: talk, fun, practical, advice.
- Mark one relationship you would like to strengthen and one small action to do it this week.
- Make sure there is at least one trusted adult on your map. If there is not, write who you could approach.
Solo
Keep the map private. Add it to your Wellbeing Plan.
Group
Everyone draws privately. The facilitator then lists, from volunteers, general kinds of support people in the UAE can turn to, so everyone hears options they may not have thought of.
Related lessons: Finding your community, Staying close to family from far away, How to talk to someone and get help
How to help a friend
You do not need to fix a friend's problem. You need to listen well and know when to bring in an adult.
- SAMH advice: make time and space to listen, ask open questions, do not jump to advice, and do not judge or dismiss what they say.
- Tell them they did the right thing by talking, and that you are there even if they are not ready to say more.
- Do not assume you know the cause or how to fix it, and do not try to "fix" them.
- If you are worried about something serious, tell a trusted adult or contact a helpline, even if your friend asks you to keep it secret. Their safety matters more than the secret.
- If anyone is in immediate danger, call 999 or 998.
- Look after yourself too: talk to someone about how you feel, and do not take hurtful words personally.
- Scenario (Abu Dhabi): Your friend Noor has gone quiet, stopped eating lunch with the group and says "I am fine" when asked.
- Scenario (online): A friend in another country messages late at night saying everything feels pointless and asks you not to tell anyone.
Solo
Write what you would say to Noor in three short messages, then write exactly who you would contact about the second scenario and what you would tell them.
Group
In pairs, seated and facing each other, role-play the Noor scenario for 4 minutes each way: one listens, one plays Noor. Then as a whole group, discuss only what to do in the second scenario: tell a trusted adult now and use the help numbers. The facilitator does not role-play the second scenario.
Related lessons: Helping a friend who is struggling, In a crisis: what to do if someone is in immediate danger, Empathy and understanding others
Break
That was a serious topic. Take a proper break.
- Get some water and move.
- If anything stirred up feelings, talk to the facilitator or a trusted adult now.
Gratitude and purpose
Gratitude notices the good and the people behind it. Purpose gives your days direction.
- Robert Emmons, quoted by the Greater Good Science Center, describes gratitude as recognising the good in your life and seeing that its source is partly outside yourself, in other people or, for some, a higher power.
- Greater Good in Action suggests a gratitude journal: up to five things, about 15 minutes, at least three times a week for at least two weeks, written rather than just thought.
- Its tips: be specific, go deep on a few things rather than a long list, and focus on people more than possessions.
- Write one gratitude entry now following those tips.
- Then complete: "I feel most useful when ..." and "One way I want to make a difference in the next year is ..."
Solo
Write privately. If you wish, write a short thank-you message to someone on your support map.
Group
Write privately. Volunteers can share one purpose sentence. Optionally, everyone writes a thank-you note to someone outside the room.
Related lessons: Gratitude: what the research says and how to practise it, Finding meaning and purpose, Giving back and building community, Faith, belief and respecting others' beliefs
Build your Wellbeing Plan
Bring everything together into one page you will actually use.
- Section 1, what keeps me well: my values, strengths and the NHS 5 steps I will focus on.
- Section 2, my early warning signs: copy your amber signs from Day 1.
- Section 3, my go-to tools: your top three or four from Day 2, with when you will use each.
- Section 4, my sleep and screen plan: bedtime, wake time, wind-down and two screen changes.
- Section 5, my support people: names from your map, including at least one trusted adult.
- Section 6, if things get hard: the red signs and exactly what you will do and who you will tell.
- Section 7, help numbers: 999, 998, 800-SAKINA (800 725462) 24/7, Itma'en 800506 daily 9am to midnight, school counsellor.
Solo
Write it neatly on one page. Photograph it so it is on your phone too.
Group
Everyone writes their own plan. The facilitator circulates to help with wording, not content.
Related lessons: Looking after your mind for the long term, Daily habits for wellbeing, Meaningful goals and a personal mission statement
Letter to your future self
A private letter to open in six months.
- Write the date you will open it on the envelope, and put a reminder in your phone.
- Tell your future self what you learned these three days and which tools you hope you are still using.
- Name one hope for the next six months and one thing you are proud of now.
- Write a kind sentence for a hard day, in the voice you used in the self-compassion break.
- Seal it.
Solo
Give it to a trusted adult to keep, or store it somewhere safe.
Group
Letters are private and sealed. Students take them home; the facilitator does not collect them.
Related lessons: Reflection and journaling, Identity and independence: deciding who you want to be
Self-review and optional sharing
Check your plan against the rubric and celebrate finishing.
- Score your plan against each rubric criterion from 1 to 3 and note one improvement.
- Make that improvement now.
- Optionally share one section of your plan, such as your go-to tools, not your warning signs.
Solo
Show your plan to a trusted adult and ask them to help with one part, such as your sleep plan.
Group
Volunteers share one tool or habit from their plan in 30 seconds. The group responds with one word of encouragement. Pass is fine.
Closing reflection
End calmly, with help close at hand.
- Do one minute of the NHS breathing exercise together.
- Answer the journal prompts.
- Read the help numbers one last time and check they are in your phone.
Solo
Write quietly, then put your plan somewhere you will see it.
Group
Silent writing, then the facilitator thanks everyone and stays available for private conversations afterwards.
Day 3 quiz
Final five questions.
- Answer alone, then read the explanations.
Block timer
Your journal
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Day 3 quiz
Score 80% or more to complete Day 3.
1. A friend tells you something serious that makes you worried for their safety and asks you to keep it secret. What should you do?
2. According to SAMH, what is a good first step when a friend opens up?
3. Which UAE mental health line is available 24 hours a day, 7 days a week?
4. What does Greater Good in Action suggest for a gratitude journal?
5. In the UAE, which number do you call for an ambulance?
Overnight challenge
This week, do one action from your support map, follow your sleep plan for five nights and put a reminder in your phone for the day you open your letter.
Sources
- SAMH (Scottish Association for Mental Health): How to help a friend
- Devon County Council: Safeguarding one-minute guide 34, Disclosure
- Greater Good Science Center (UC Berkeley): What is gratitude?
- Greater Good in Action (UC Berkeley): Gratitude journal
- NHS: 5 steps to mental wellbeing
- Department of Health Abu Dhabi: DoH activates 24/7 mental health support hotline 800-SAKINA (725462)
- Dubai Health: Dubai Health, CDA and DHA introduce the Itma'en service to support mental wellbeing
- u.ae: Handling emergencies