25 Aug 2022
Champion rugby league footballer Paul Langmack and qualified social worker Josie Valenti dropped by the MRHS today to speak to the school about mental fitness and bullying.
Paul Langmack, who won three premierships with the Canterbury Bankstown Bulldogs in the mid-eighties, has experienced poor mental fitness in his life. After a fight with cancer, he became determined to help others with their mental fitness.
Paul’s tips for better mental fitness were:
- stay active (go for walk or a run)
- maintain a good diet
- eat food that's high in magnesium and potassium
- drink plenty of water
- get six to eight hours of sleep every day
- stay away from your phone two hours before bed
- be connected with positive people
- be social and meet up with friends
- do something you’re good at
- stay away from drugs and alcohol
Josie also engaged the students by discussing bullying and the harm it causes. During her presentation she outlined five different strategies to deal with bullying. They are:
- Ignore it (if possible)
- Be friendly to the bully (it negates their power over you)
- Walk away
- Talk to an adult
- Report it to authorities
At the end of the presentation the students were given a Steeden rugby ball to encourage them to get outside and improve their mental fitness.
“Today you might have woke up and not wanted to go to school,” explains Paul, “You have no energy. You’d rather sit on the lounge all day and play on your phone. That’s okay. It happens to adults. It happens to everyone. "
"But if it happens at least ten days in a row," he continues, "You need to reach out. It’s weak to keep things inside of you. Tell your friends, family, your teacher or your coach that you don’t feel well.”
Thanks for visiting Murrumbidgee Regional High School, Paul and Josie and thanks to Nigel Plum from Clontarf for organising this fantastic opportunity!
