My Needs, My Choices: Notice, Choose, Review
Students learn a practical self-care routine: notice signals, identify a possible need, choose a safe and realistic response, try it, and review what happened. They build a private “needs dashboard”, practise matching needs to actions, and run a one-week self-care experiment. The focus is flexible choice and sustainable care, not perfect routines or public disclosure.
Purpose
This method helps students recognise that self-care means responding to physical, mental, emotional and social needs in ways that support functioning and wellbeing. It strengthens Freedom by giving students meaningful, safe choices and the ability to adjust them. It also teaches when a small self-care action is enough and when adult or professional support is needed.
Use and Learning Outcomes
- • Identify personal signals that may indicate a need for rest, movement, nourishment, focus, emotional regulation, connection, privacy, support or choice.
- • Distinguish a signal, a possible need and an action instead of assuming that one feeling always has one cause.
- • Use the FREE Check to choose self-care actions that fit the need, are realistic, safe and genuinely chosen.
- • Create and test one small, specific self-care plan for one week, including a backup option and a support route.
- • Review evidence of what helped, what did not, and what school conditions may need to change rather than blaming themselves for imperfect self-care.
Wellbeing References
Details & Preparation
Room Requirements
• A calm classroom or tutor-group space where students can work privately before any optional pair discussion.
• A board/projector with the routine NOTICE → NAME → CHOOSE → TRY → REVIEW and the FREE Check.
• Seating that allows students to opt out of personal sharing without being singled out.
• Printed and digital handouts. Offer writing, drawing, symbols, speech-to-text, assistive technology and extra processing time.
• If possible, identify a quiet school space that students can use according to school policy. Do not create a “wellbeing corner” that removes students from supervision or safeguarding procedures.
• Online/hybrid: use private documents or forms. Do not require cameras, disclosure of needs, or public wellbeing scores.
Time for preparation
60 minutes
Preparation
Preparation tasks (45–60 minutes before first delivery)
1. Review the group-level WELL³ Sensor result for statement 33. Do not identify individual students who answered negatively. Consider whether low scores may reflect workload, inaccessible routines, long periods without breaks, unsafe spaces, discrimination, lack of privacy, financial constraints, caring responsibilities or limited access to support—not simply “poor habits”.
2. Confirm the school’s safeguarding, pastoral and health-support routes. The method is educational and preventive; it is not a diagnostic or treatment activity. Prepare the same referral information used for Statement 31 so students know where to go if difficulties are persistent, severe or unsafe.
3. Prepare neutral examples of self-care that do not assume money, home space, sport ability, specific foods, family support, gender norms or unrestricted digital access. Include low-cost/no-cost options and choices that can be used during the school day.
4. Brief the facilitator: avoid moralising language such as “good/bad habits”, appearance or weight talk, and avoid implying that self-care can solve structural problems. Do not ask students to report sleep hours, food intake, diagnoses, medication, trauma or family circumstances publicly.
5. Check school rules: movement breaks, water, headphones, phone use, quiet spaces, leaving class, contacting support staff. Only recommend actions that are permitted and safe in the local context.
6. Print Handouts 1–6. Decide how the one-week logs will remain private. Collect only anonymous group-level information about barriers and useful school supports.
Principles for success
• A signal is information, not a diagnosis. Tiredness, irritability, withdrawal or poor concentration can have many causes.
• Self-care is broader than relaxation. It may include rest, movement, connection, planning, asking for clarification, setting a boundary, taking a pause, seeking help or changing an environment.
• Freedom means meaningful choice within safety and responsibility. Students should have several acceptable options rather than one prescribed “wellbeing routine”.
• Self-care complements, but does not replace, supportive adults, school adjustments, health care or professional mental-health support when these are needed.
Materials
• Handout 1 – My Private Needs Dashboard.
• Handout 2 – Signal → Need → Choice Scenario Cards.
• Handout 3 – Self-care Choice Menu + FREE Check.
• Handout 4 – My One-Week Self-care Experiment.
• Handout 5 – 60-Second Check-in Log.
• Handout 6 – Facilitator Review, Safeguarding and Anonymous Group Pulse.
• Pens/pencils, optional sticky notes, board/projector, private folders or digital copies.
• Optional resource/video: British Red Cross “Being kind to yourself” and “Circles of control”; UNICEF Adolescent Mental Health Hub self-care resources. Use optional videos as discussion prompts, not as stand-alone evidence or treatment guidance.
Sequence of Steps
Reframe self-care as noticing and responding to needs
8• Introduce the link with Freedom: “Freedom is not doing whatever we want at any moment. In this activity, it means having meaningful choices and being able to decide which safe option fits your needs and context.”
• Write three statements on the board: (A) “Self-care is always relaxing.” (B) “Self-care means doing everything alone.” (C) “Self-care can include rest, action, boundaries, connection and asking for help.” Students vote privately or with fingers; discuss why C is the most complete.
• Introduce the five-step routine: NOTICE a signal → NAME a possible need → CHOOSE an action → TRY it → REVIEW what happened. Explain that the “possible” in possible need matters because the same signal can have different causes.
• Students privately complete one neutral prompt: “A small sign that tells me I may need to pause or adjust something is…” They may write “not sure yet”. No sharing is required.
Do not ask students to reveal diagnoses, family problems, eating patterns, trauma, medication or other health information.
NOTICE and NAME: build a private needs dashboard
10• For each area, students mark Green = mostly supported, Amber = could use attention, or Red = needs attention now. They may leave any area blank. Emphasise that colours are not scores and will not be collected.
• Next to one Amber or Red area, students record only signals they have noticed, such as “hard to concentrate”, “tense shoulders”, “snappy”, “wanting to be alone”, “too much noise”, “racing thoughts”, “feeling left out”, or “no time to think”. Provide icons or keywords for younger students.
• Ask students to write two possible needs, not one certainty. Example: “I cannot focus” might point to a break, clearer instructions, less noise, movement, food/water according to normal routine, emotional support, or something else.
• Say: “We are practising curiosity, not self-diagnosis. If a problem is strong, keeps happening, or worries you, self-care is not the whole answer—talk to a trusted adult or health professional.”
Students may choose a fictional example instead of using their own dashboard if personal reflection feels unsafe or intrusive.
Practise matching signals to needs without jumping to conclusions
10• Model: “Sam is unusually quiet and keeps rereading the same paragraph.” Do not label Sam as anxious, lazy or tired. Possible needs might include clarity, a quieter space, a short pause, reassurance, help with the text, food/water, or something unrelated to school.
• Teach two clarifying questions for self-use: “What changed just before I noticed this?” and “What would make the next 10–20 minutes more manageable?”
• Invite groups to compare different reasonable interpretations. Emphasise that the purpose is not to find the “correct diagnosis”, but to expand the range of safe responses.
• Ask: “Which options can the student choose independently, which require permission, and which require an adult?” This links self-care to realistic school boundaries.
Use fictional scenarios for the group discussion. Do not ask peers to interpret each other’s emotions, bodies or needs
CHOOSE: build a personal menu and use the FREE Check
12• Introduce the FREE Check before choosing an action: F = Fits the need I am trying to address; R = Realistic in this place and time; E = Enhances wellbeing without harming me or anyone else; E = Elected by me / agreed with a trusted adult when permission or support is needed.
• Students choose three “go-to” actions from different categories: one I can do in 1–3 minutes; one I can do in 10–20 minutes; one that involves another person or a boundary/request. They may add their own safe option.
• Add a backup: “If my first option is not possible, I can…” This protects choice when school rules, disability, time, resources or circumstances limit an action.
• Discuss what is NOT an appropriate self-care recommendation in this method: using alcohol/drugs, self-harm, unsafe risk-taking, deliberately skipping normal meals, excessive exercise, disappearing from supervision, harming someone, or relying on social media in a way that makes things worse. These require a different response and, where relevant, adult/professional support.
Do not present breathing, mindfulness, exercise, sleep or any single practice as universally effective. Offer alternatives and choice.
TRY: design a one-week self-care experiment
12• Create an implementation sentence: “When I notice [signal], I will try [small action] for/about [time] in [place], because I think I may need [need].” Add a backup: “If that is not possible or does not help, I will…”
• Add one boundary/support sentence where relevant: “I can say/ask…” Examples: “Could I have the instructions one step at a time?” “I need five quiet minutes before we talk.” “Can I sit somewhere with less noise?” “I would like help working out what to do next.”
• Define a realistic indicator: “I can return to the task”, “I feel more settled”, “I know what my next step is”, “I have asked for what I need”, or “I have decided to seek more support”. Avoid goals such as “never feel stressed”.
• Students check their plan with FREE. If it does not fit, make the action smaller, safer, cheaper, more accessible, or more supported. They keep the plan private unless they need an adult to enable it.
A self-care experiment is not a test of character. If the environment blocks the plan, record the barrier instead of blaming the student.
REVIEW: learn from the week and identify school-level barriers
8+15• At the end of today’s session, use the anonymous group pulse in Handout 6: “I can notice at least one sign that I may need something”; “I have more than one safe self-care option”; “I know when I need adult support rather than only self-care.” Record group totals only.
• One-week review (15 minutes): students privately look for patterns. Which needs appeared most? Which actions were realistic? Which were blocked by the environment? Did they discover that a different need was involved?
• Students decide one of five next moves: keep; adjust; replace; ask for support; or stop because it is not useful. Repeating an experiment is optional.
• Collect one anonymous class-level question: “What school condition would make it easier for students to take reasonable care of their needs?” Examples may include clearer break rules, less noise, access to water, predictable instructions, a quiet space, more respectful transitions, or knowing who can help. The facilitator identifies at least one feasible response or explains transparently why a change cannot be made.
• Close with: “Good self-care is not doing everything perfectly. It is getting better at noticing, choosing, asking, adjusting and knowing when you need more support.”
If a student indicates persistent distress, significant functional difficulty, unsafe behaviour or risk of harm, follow safeguarding and referral procedures. Do not rely on the self-care plan.
Reflection & Tips
Reflection
• What is the difference between a signal, a need and an action?
• Why can the same signal point to different needs on different days?
• Which kinds of self-care feel genuinely chosen rather than imposed?
• What makes an action realistic in school, and what barriers are outside your personal control?
• When does asking for help count as self-care?
• Which action helped now but might not help later, and which action could support you more sustainably?
• What would make it easier for students in this school to respond to their needs safely and respectfully?
Tips for Implementation
Facilitation, inclusion and safeguarding
• Keep dashboards, logs and plans private by default. Do not grade them or require personal sharing.
• Avoid wellness perfectionism. A student who cannot complete a routine because of disability, poverty, caring responsibilities, school demands or an unsafe environment has not “failed self-care”.
• Avoid weight, calorie or appearance language. Do not prescribe diets, supplements, exercise programmes or sleep treatments. Use broad health-supportive language and refer health concerns appropriately.
• Make every strategy optional. Breathing, mindfulness, movement, eye-closing and body-focused activities can be uncomfortable or inaccessible for some students. Offer neutral alternatives such as looking at a fixed point, doodling, changing posture, listening quietly, walking with permission, or asking for space.
• Maintain cultural responsiveness. Privacy, family roles, help-seeking, food practices, social connection and acceptable self-expression vary. Let students choose strategies that fit their values and context.
• If many students identify the same barrier, treat it as school data. Examples: workload clustering, noise, lack of predictable breaks, unclear instructions, limited access to quiet spaces or fear of asking for help. Escalate repeated barriers to the WELL³ working group/school management.
• Use Statement 31 “Support Compass” alongside this method when the need is primarily about knowing who can help. Statement 33 focuses on recognising needs and making safe choices; it should not duplicate referral mapping.
Variants
• 20-minute booster: use one fictional scenario + FREE Check + one personal go-to action.
• Tutor-time version: 5 minutes weekly for four weeks using only Handout 5.
• Digital wellbeing extension: students apply FREE to one digital habit (notifications, late-night scrolling, group chats, online comparison) and test one realistic boundary without framing technology as inherently harmful.
• Whole-school extension: anonymised barriers from several classes are reviewed by the WELL³ working group and turned into one small environmental improvement.
Further Readings & Links
Files & Attachments
English