It’s always the season for self-care! Oakton Minds Matter from Oakton High School in Fairfax County, Virginia hosted a Holiday Cookie Decorating Event in December for students to unwind and have some fun. They partnered with the cooking club at their school, the Cooking Cougars, who baked all the cookies for the event. Look at the huge turnout!

While attendees decorated and ate cookies, they talked about their days and feelings about the upcoming winter break. Club leaders shared that they wanted to make the event feel as “low-key as possible” so students could relax and take a step back from school to focus on their mental health. One leader shared: “During this event, we learned that it’s incredibly important for us to take a break once in a while, no matter how busy we are, because the positive effect it can have on our mental well-being is always worth it.” We couldn’t agree more.

Shoutout to Oakton Minds Matter for the reminder that taking care of your mental health can be fun. Even though the winter holiday season might be over, it’s always a good time to unwind and relax with some yummy food. Take a page out of Oakton’s (cook) book and try partnering with a cooking club for an event, treat yourselves to some snacks at your next OMM meeting, or try out another fun way to practice self-care (like one of our art activities)! Like Oakton Minds Matter said, it’s always worth it.