Helping students through break

 

Prior to the pandemic K-12 depression was on the rise. Since the start of the pandemic 50% of surveyed students now report a worsened state of their mental health. 35% of the students reported problems with family relationships and feeling lonely and anxious.

Another study also found that 50% of students feel a loss of connection with their peers

In a review of 61 mindfulness studies it was reported that mindfulness improved students cognitive skills and social emotional functioning. 

As we end the final week before a two week break it is important to take some time to think about what extra resources we want to provide to our students. On my google classroom this week I posted reminders that mindfulness is not something to restrict to school days and should be practiced daily.

Breaks from school can be fun for some students, however, there are those that do not enjoy the time away from school. For some school is the safe place with the adults that care. 

Let's take some time to give our students the skills to help them continue their mindfulness practices on their own. 

During this time at home I have started a yoga practice with many students. I discovered a great set of yoga videos on YouTube. Alo Yoga has a lot of yoga videos and many of them focused on helping children.

Here is one of the yoga practices to try, Be Brave.

The yoga for kids on Alo helps with movement and focusing on things such as being brave, being creative, and being flexible of mind and body. 

Here is a great calendar to share with students. There are great mindful ideas such as; healthy eating, playing outside, and taking 10 deep breaths. Mindfulness at home is not difficult and is not meant to be a challenge. Mindfulness can be fun and easy to accomplish. Encourage your students to find a way to be mindful daily. 

Mindfulness is important for us all. Don't forget to take some time over break to continue your own mindfulness practices. There are many simple ways to be mindful; eating, listening to music, looking at Christmas lights, wrapping gifts, preparing a meal, exercising, gratitude list, kindness acts for others, and many, many more. 

SAD, Holidays, and Stay-at-home Gratitude

 How is your day going so far? Mine....well...my two-year-old just offered me a bite of her cinnamon roll. The bite that was in her mouth. She then took the half of cinnamon roll I planned to eat. Good thing she is adorable. She is always on my list of daily gratitude. 

I hope that you are making an effort to start your day with a gratitude. When I meet with students I always start the day with a Goal & Gratitude. 

Having a positive plan and a positive outlook on the day can help us to be happier and more successful. 

This time of year it is easy to get stuck in grumpy and sad moods. It is cold, cloudy, and dark. With the limited amount of daylight and sunlight during the day it is not uncommon to experience symptoms of Seasonal Affective Disorder (SAD).

Fellow Michiganders we are #7 on the Farmers Almanac's list of  the cloudiest states in the US. According to their records Michigan experiences only about 170 days with sun a year. Of those days with sun, only about 65-75 days will be clear and sunny. OUCH! That's depressing....really. It is a SAD depression. 

I recently started a blog for our families to follow. Mindfulness at Home This week I focused on the topic of SAD and how our families can help their students.

I have touched on this subject previously but felt it worth a reflection. Right now is a difficult time for many. We have a limited amount of sunlight and it is cold, keeping us inside and not experiencing fresh air. Added to this we are working from home/learning from home. We have limited to no contact (in person) with others outside of our immediate family. Also, it's the holiday season. Holidays can be fun, exciting, and beautiful for many; but not for all. For some of our students there is a limited amount of food in the home, no decorations, and no cheer. Some students don't celebrate and perhaps feel left out of the holiday conversation. 

Using mindfulness skills of our own we can sit with our own feelings and take inventory. We can check in with ourselves. 

I start every day asking students for one goal and one gratitude. I end every day asking them; "How did you help today?" and "what did you today that mattered?". These questions help the students look beyond what they did not accomplish and what frustrated them. These questions get them to look beyond themselves and see the whole day and others.

A great mindfulness practice of extended gratitude toward others, letting them know they are your gratitude can help boost mood. Studies have shown that one act of kindness for another person and one gratitude visit, can boost your mood for months at a time. 

Imagine making it through these cold, sunless winter months with a positive outlook and uplifted mood!

I encourage you to take time before the two week break to sit and write out your gratitude, extend gratitude to one other person, and engage in one random act of kindness.

Then share this mindfulness with your students. Help them find ways, from home, to expend gratitude and kindness. 

-Teach them to send a friend or staff an email.

-Help them set up a google meet to extend gratitude.

-Give them ideas to help around the house. -this week I have had students share that they have been helping clean the house as their daily "how I helped".

-Get creative! Send students a winter greeting card with a picture inside for them to color and give away.

It doesn't take more than a few positive words to help boost another person. Well doing research for this post I watched a video that stated that on an average day we often experience more negative emotions than positive emotions. 

Take time today to help yourself and your students change the number of negative to positive emotions. Send someone some cheer. Start your day with cheer.

I am grateful to all who take the time to read this blog. Thank you!

What Matters & Self-Care

 

Did anyone get a BINGO?

Self-care shouldn't be a chore, a task to check off, or something you feel guilty about engaging in. At my last Social Emotional Learning Townhall meeting we talked about how important self-care is for us all. The only thing I disagreed with during the meeting was making self-care a homework task. The idea, which I understand, was to make it "homework" so you don't guilty about taking the time to complete self-care, because it has been an assigned task. I, however, see it differently. It should not be a homework assignment you feel like you have to do so you don't fail someone else's expectations. It should be a gift to yourself to ensure you are well equipped to help others at your peek ability and performance. It's the thought about not being able to pour water into a cup for others if your cup is empty itself. You must have a full cup in order to share with others, and in the end not be empty again.

This next graphic shows the many types of self-care. If you are unable to engage in one type, try another. 

This week I have been enjoying listening to a podcast with Susan David, a psychologist who works in the field of Emotional Agility. She talks about separating ourselves from our emotions and correctly labeling the emotions. Her example is, instead of saying "I am stressed" first utilize separation. The idea that we are a feeling means that we cannot escape the feeling and the feeling controls us. Then we need to correctly label the feeling. You are not stressed; you Notice that you Feeling depleted. Now the last step is to find the need that needs to be filled, this is the reason behind the feeling. You feel depleted because you need time to recharge. You need time to engage in self-care.

Mindfulness helps us take time to sort out what we notice we feel and what the need is behind that feeling.

The question Dr. David posed as a good daily check in is, "What did I do today that matters?" She suggests that this eliminates the the nagging feelings that we did not accomplish enough. Focus each day on what you have done that matters. This will help you with emotional self-care. 

This week when I meet with students I have started each day asking for a Goal & a Gratitude. I love helping them start their days with a focus and positivity. 

I have also started to end the day asking them, "How did you help today?" and "What did you do today that mattered?" I want to get them thinking about being helpful and focused on doing one thing that matters to someone else. Research has shown that when ask our students to focus on these topics they will feel better about their day and thus begin to do well in all aspects of their lives. 

The more we attend to our social emotional needs, the more we can help our students attend to theirs. The more we help our students attend to their social emotional needs, the more our students succeed. 

If you would like more insight on your own emotional agility, here is Dr. David's quiz; Emotional Agility Quiz The questions in this quiz really made me stop and think about how I process my emotions and move forward. It was a helpful reflection. Now I am looking forward to the report that will be emailed to me. I am hoping to gain more insight on myself, which will allow me to continue my mindful emotional growth.

                                            So I ask you, "What did you do today that mattered?"

Mindfulness from Home

 In preparation for this post I have taken time to explore a lot of resources such as; apps, podcasts, and online resources.  As we wrap up before Thanksgiving and prepare for a week of online learning I wanted to make sure I could fully support, even from my home to yours. I want to take this time to share some resources which will support you personally and help you support your students.

To start I wanted to share a mindfulness from the Inner Explorer newsletter. 

Gratitude Mindfulness

Gratitude mindfulness is an amazing way to start and end your day. It is a great practice to teach your students as well. 

During uncertain times it is more important than ever that we find a place of calm for ourselves, our families, and our students. I encourage you to find 5-10 minutes a day to spend time in quiet and practice some deep breathing. I am not a morning person, no one in my house (except Leila at times) likes mornings. Since mornings are the quietest time in my house I make sure to get up a little early and spend time in peace and quiet. I practice mindful senses. I start by enjoying the quiet and being grateful for not hearing the many sounds that normally fill my home. I move on to smell. I open the coffee and take in a great big deep breath as I smell the glorious smell. Once the coffee is made I take time to slowly sip and enjoy the flavor. This time of year I use my cup to warm my hands as I use the sense of touch to embrace the warmth. I love to sit at the dinning room table and look out the window into the back yard. Over the weekend we were able to see a buck walk out back. 

Sense mindfulness is easy and calming. This mindfulness has become such a part of my morning that it isn't a chore to check off my to-do list, but rather my simple joy that I do just for me. It is my morning self-care. 

I will also utilize this time to work on my gratitude list. I like to take time to be grateful for people in my life. This often leads to Metta (loving-kindness) mindfulness.  As I think about those I am grateful for I will send them loving-kind wishes for the day.

Once you start a mindfulness practice routine it easily becomes a normal part of your daily life, without effort. 

An App I like to use is called Waking Up. This app by Sam Harris is (I think) $99 a year.... however, in an interview last year he shared that he wants it to accessible and if you sign up for the trial and email him that you enjoyed the trial by cannot pay for the app, he will pay for the app for you. I have enjoyed a free year of this app! It pays to listen to podcasts! 

On the topic of Podcasts, there are a couple that have provided me with resources, information, and general entertainment over the years.

Experts on Experts with Dax Shepard. This podcast is how I found out about my Yale course, Sam Harris's trick to getting his app for free, and a wealth of information I have used in my blog and personal life.

The Happiness Lab with Dr. Laurie Santos. The professor from my Yale course has a podcast to help us all with happiness and well-being. These are short episodes I will often put on while grocery shopping, doing dishes, or working around the house (while Leila naps). 

I have tried various other apps over the years too. Mylife, Headspace, Insight Timer, and Calm. Last year Calm gave educators a free subscription. The basic version is free but there are parts beyond that need pay. Recently they have started a series of fairy tales and other stories turned into mindfulness and mediation. I have explored them myself and with students. I have enjoyed, Rumpelstiltskin Learns to Meditate, The Wicked Witch Discovers Mindfulness, and The Big Bad Wolf Learns Anger Management. There is a new one that I am excited to listen to soon, Thomas and the North Star.

As we spend some time at home, staying safe, let's make sure that we continue to attend to our mindfulness and mental health. Mindful.org has shared some short and long meditations for us to utilize.

Mindfulness During the Stay at Home Time

This next resource I really like. It shares ideas for mindfulness, a lot that I love to use, but it also talks about the language to use. It suggests talking with students about their "mindful bodies". Using the same language every time helps build routine and consistency. For many of our students they lack routine and consistency in their home lives. With COVID we all are missing routine and consistency when it comes to work and "play". Mindfulness is a gift we can give our students and ourselves. A gift of clam and consistency. A gift of peace and routine. A gift of focus and kindness.

Positive Psychology Resource

I encourage you to use mindfulness daily in your classrooms and encourage your students to come to my Google Classrooms for mindfulness at home. I post weekly, right now, but will post more as we move into our full virtual learning weeks. My page is also utilized by our social workers and Ms. Viergutz has started to post a book club. We have daily check in/check out meetings. 

My Metta Loving-Kindness Mindfulness today is for all who read this. May you find a time and place of calm today. May you take a few minutes for yourself and enjoy the joys of the world around you. 

Gratitude, Savoring, and Gratitude Visits

 

Writing these blogs while working at home on Wednesdays gives me a whole new perspective on what I share. Working from home can be a blessing and a challenge. I get to spend more time with Leila...but that time isn't always peaceful. Today is meltdown after meltdown. I work from home on Wednesday to help support my two older hybrid children. This means that I am often asked questions on 8th grade work and 4th grade work. I love being able to help and support them, but I often find myself typing and and answering questions at the same time....hoping that I am giving them the right answers and typing here the right things (and not switching them around). 

It isn't always easy to practice my gratitude amidst the chaos and stress.  Then comes a moment like the one where Leila sits with me for my 6-8 grade morning meeting and a student (you may never expect to do so) plays peek-a-boo with Leila. I found a moment to be grateful. Connection. Even through a screen. As much of a struggle as virtual learning can be, I have looked for and taken note of the positive moments.

This school year a middle school student, who showed a lot of attitude at school last year, has shown compassion, connection, and a desire to participate via Google Meets and my Google Classroom. 

I am grateful for a platform which allows students to express themselves in new and positive ways. I am grateful I can be a part of that journey with them and observe their growth and compassion.

As we continue in our month of gratitude I wanted to take some time to review a mindfulness that we have previously learned together. Gratitude lists/journals, Savoring and a Gratitude Visit.

Studies have shown that if we take time to be grateful each day we boost our mental health. The studies have shown that the positive effect is not short term, but can help us for months at a time.

The gratitude practice is simply starting or ending your day making a list of 3-5 things you are grateful for that day. 

The next part is learning to Savor. Savoring a gratitude is a way to continue to increase positive mental health. Practicing savoring is taking a moment to look at your gratitude list and picking out one item to focus on that day. Next you put details to this gratitude. What does it look like? What does it smell like? What does it taste like? How did you feel doing the activity? How did you feel being with that person? Close your eyes, take a deep breath in and put in as many details as you can.

The final part to our gratitude review is a Gratitude Visit. Much like savoring, gratitude visits help us continue to add a boost to our mental health. This gratitude helps boost your mental health as well as the mental health of the person you extend gratitude toward.

A gratitude visit is once a week picking a person and letting them know that you are grateful for them. You can write a short note, a nice letter, draw a picture, or pick out a greeting card. Create the gratitude gift and then deliver it to the person. Taking the time to see someone and express to them your gratitude helps support your positive mental health and their positive mental health. 

Imagine practicing a gratitude list, savoring, and taking time for a gratitude visit and all it can do for your mental health (for months!). 

My challenge is that you try this for yourself the rest of the month of November. 

I would also love to see you sharing this with the students at school and taking five minutes every morning to talk about gratitude. 

Growing Gratitude and Kindness

November is our month of Gratitude. Along with gratitude, on November 13th we have World Kindness Day. Then, of course, on the 26th (fourth Thursday) we have Thanksgiving. The month of November is filled with opportunities to take time to reflect on our kindness and gratitude/thankfulness. 

Last week I took some time to post about loving-kindness mindfulness. I want to continue this week with more loving-kindness or Metta.

There is a great resource on YouTube that can help you work on loving-kindness mediations. The YouTube channel is called FableFy. FableFy has a playlist called Mindfulness Bootcamp. It is a series of 21 mindful meditations that are as short as less than 2 minutes and go up to less than 8 minutes. They are great for all ages and can be easily utilized in the classroom. 

Day 8 of the mindfulness bootcamp is on kindness. FableFy Kindness

This practice is less than 2 minutes and talks about taking a deep breath and being kind to yourself, your friends, and helping others you see in need. This is very similar to our loving-kindness practices from last week.

Today as we sit with great anxiety, waiting to hear the final word on the election, we all need some loving-kindness mindfulness. 

Our students need loving-kindness daily. Remember that over the last few weeks I have shared personal struggles, in hopes that it helps you to think about the invisible battles your students and co-workers are encountering. 

After you explore Fablefy and their Mindfulness Bootcamp take some time to continue to explore this resource. FableFy also has a playlist called 21 days of Compassion and Gratitude. Perfect for November!

Last week in my three Google Classrooms I introduced the students to Fablefy Compassion and Gratitude. The students enjoyed the posts and expressed how calm and happy they felt after engaging in the practice. These practices run from just over 3 minutes to just under 10 minutes. Again, another great way to work on mindfulness for yourself and your students. 

Give the first compassion and gratitude a try Fablefy Compassion and Gratitude. This is a great one to teach children to be kind to themselves inside and out. This is a kindness a lot of our students need to learn. I spoke with a second grader yesterday who was calling himself "stupid" and other names. I asked him if he often hears this from others. He shared that at home his mother often calls him swear words and other mean names. 

Addressing the Social Emotional Learning of  students is a proven way to boots grades. Let's make sure we help grow the whole child.

Our school utilizes another amazing and easy to use resource called Inner Explorer. Please use this with your students. It is CASEL approved, this means that it is great for helping our students with social emotional learning. 

Inner Explorer has several ways to begin exploring being kind to yourself and others, along with gratitude.

There are practices called:

Start with the Heart

Acceptance

Loved Ones/Self

Acts of Kindness

Gratitude

Kindness/Meanness

There are several to explore. Inner Explorer is broken down by grade levels but feel free to explore them all. I find that the high school level also is great for middle school. I have first grade teachers that prefer Grade1-4 level verses the Pre K-1 level. Explore them on your own first and find what you feel is the best fit for your group of students.

Inner Explorer can also connect to home. The Tune In sections allows you to invite parents to sign up for daily emails. When we connect home and school together we support the whole child even when they are not in our school building. 

Our students need support to cover them at school and at home. We need support to cover us at school and at home. Please take time to engage in your own mindful practices. There are great YouTube videos, amazing Apps, and plenty of books to support your personal mindful growth. 

Kindness Tree and Mindfulness

 Friends, I am so excited to share with you this week's mindfulness. My favorite mindfulness is called Metta, or Loving Kindness.

 World Kindness Day is just around the corner, November 13. (Let's make Friday the 13th kind...not scary!)

I encourage you to take some time to look between my office and Sandy's office. I have created a Kindness Tree. The idea is that you and your students take a leaf from the tree and GIVE it to someone else. Share the kindness. 

The idea of sharing kindness connects to our mindfulness this week. Metta or Loving Kindness mindfulness is a form of meditation that sends positive wishes to ourselves and others.

The best way to start this kind of mindfulness is to teach our students to send loving kindness to themselves. Ask your students to close their eyes (if comfortable) and take a deep breathe in. As they breath in ask them to bring to mind a wish for themselves. 

EX: Today I wish for myself a day filled with calm. Today I wish for myself a productive and focused day.

Encourage them to hold this thought in their heads as they hold their breath. Then as they breathe out they release the wish, sending it to themselves.

I encourage you to do this the first day you introduce this mindfulness. Next is introducing loving kindness for those we love and care for.

This is a good to send a loving kind thought to those we love. Again, asking your students to close their eyes (always if they are comfortable, or have them look down and find one focus point). As they breathe in they can pick the person they want to send kindness too. Then as they hold their breath they can think of the kind wish they want to send. Lastly, they will release their breath and send the wish out to the person they picked.

The next step to learning Metta Mindfulness is the most challenging...for us all. I encourage YOU to take time to practice this step BEFORE you ask your students to practice.

The final step in Metta is sending loving kindness to those that challenge us, those we do not get along with, those that bother us, those we may not like, and those we do not want to send kindness too. 

This can be a challenge....BUT.... once you do it, it feels freeing. I love this practice for this very reason. 

As I mentioned last week, over the summer we ran into some housing road blocks. We had some family land being given to us...and then taken back due to a conflict in ideas. We had one family member placing demands on another and we were caught in the middle. The family member who placed the demands has been very cold and distant with us since this all came about. Deep down I want to be cold and distant. Deep down I want to give them a piece of my mind. 

This summer at the same time the housing issues arose, I was taking my Science of Well-Being class. One week our homework was to meditate. I tried a few meditations...and felt so unfocused. Then I found Metta on the app called Waking Up. It was what I needed at the moment. It was difficult. It was freeing.

I took time to really practice, to follow the steps, and to let go and send positive wishes. 

The family member continues to be cold and distant. I continue to take a deep breath and send loving kindness. I feel at peace. 

A few weeks ago during one of my 3-5 google meets we practiced Metta. The students shared that it was not easy but that it felt good to send positive wishes to others.

What if every morning you took time to send a positive wish to every student you work with? You would begin feeling a sense of peace toward those students. This would show in how you interact with the students, especially your most challenging. 

What if you taught your students to send loving kindness every morning? The more you practice the more you will see the students soften toward each other.

As you teach your students Metta Mindfulness, I encourage you to take a field trip to the kindness tree.

Remember November is Gratitude month...If you receive a leaf say, Thanks!

Thank you for taking the time to read and practice mindfulness with me! You're doing great!

The Mindful Way to Start a Day

 I have started this week's blog a few times now...and each time I was interrupted. I wanted to share about mindfulness and the brain. I wanted to talk about some students I've been working with this week and review how mindfulness helped one and how mindfulness could have helped the other. Each interruption this morning has frustrated me. I needed to step back and take some deep breaths. My dear friend in 4th grade has sent me a few more of her mindfulness videos. Leila and I just took five minutes to watch one and breathe deep. Leila did a great job. My 4th grade friend did an excellent job. And I now feel calm and more focused. I have also decided to change this week's blog.

This week I am going to get a little personal with you to share about my reasons for mindfulness. I hope that it helps you to see both sides of me. 

At school I try my best to always practice the peace I find from mindfulness. I don't simple tell students to practice, I practice with them. I show them and then we practice together. 

At home, this past month, I have needed my mindfulness. If I could give a reason to practice mindfulness, it would my month of October.

The end of September hit my family with some challenges we are facing in October. 

Our sweet cat (not our bad cat...) has cancer and we have to figure out what is best for her and if we have to say goodbye (she is only 10 and seriously the best cat).

Our daycare has closed down due to the owner's husband having cancer. That C word, again! We were told it would be for the month of October so we quickly enlisted grandmothers for all the days we could and with great compassion my wonderful dean and principal let me change up schedule to ensure my sweet Leila is cared for daily. Now as we near the end of October I have concerns. What if they can't reopen in November? What if...? So now I reluctantly have called daycare after daycare in the hopes one will have an opening. 

My 9-year-old step-daughter was recently diagnosed with a seizure disorder, most likely Sunflower Syndrome. When we were at the beach late August a stranger noticed Madison's tic and shared that she has seen that before in children with this syndrome. Today Madison has her EEG and tomorrow will meet with the Neurologist. I have been in Madison's life since she was 3, she lives primarily with my husband (her dad) and me. I carry the medical insurance. I do all of the appointment scheduling....but today when I called regarding the e-checkin system I was told I couldn't have any information. I am not a "parent". In between Google Meets I am calling my husband to have him check his email (while he also tries to work) and I then do what I can from his email, and pass information between him and Madison's mom to ensure it's all set up and ready for this evening.

Over the summer our plans to build a home fell through. That is a long and complicated family drama story, but it's relevant to know as background. My husband is understandably upset with his father and step-mother. Then came August and my husbands (new...of less than 3 years) step-father asked if we would like to purchase his home. We jumped at the opportunity. Everything was going well until October. No joke, October has been a challenge and has presented the biggest need for mindfulness. Due to Covid, the company we were working with .... after weeks of paper work... informed us that there were BIG restrictions for us. With Covid, if you are 1099 (self-employed), this company has very strict and RIDICULOUS requirements. Now we are back to square one with the loan. Thankfully, my husband's step-dad is letting us renovate while the loan is processed. But that in itself is another stress that requires mindfulness.

If you are still will me, thank you for listening. I share all of this for nothing more than to give you a picture of the importance of mindfulness.  How could I possible process all of this, get up and work, and ensure family is cared for, if I don't slow down and take a good deep breath? I mean it. 100% mean that remembering to focus on the here and now, taking deep breaths, meditating, and prioritizing sleep (this one is HARD...my dear husband wants to talk about everything listed above while getting ready for bed, I have to be firm and say no, so I can sleep). 

Mindfulness must become a priority for us, for our students, for every day. If you take 10 minutes every morning to practice mindfulness, you could be help a student learn to process what is going on for them at home. 

We have students dealing with cancer in their homes. We have students dealing with hungry. We have students dealing with abuse. We have students dealing with loneliness. We have students dealing with isolation. We have students dealing with Covid fear. 

What if the 10 minutes a day you give them for mindfulness could help change their lives? 

 

Mindfulness Through the Ages

 Mindfulness is for ALL ages and all stages of life.

With infants its the adults mindfulness that matters. Your calm will be essential to ensure that you can handle the highs and lows of parenting.

Changing our brains to help others

As you move into toddlerhood mindfulness will help with tantrums and moods. I previously shared that I will often pick up Leila and hold her and take exaggerated deep breaths and this has shown to shorten meltdowns.

We are now working on mindfulness for Leila, per her request. Last week Leila found one of the mindfulness books I had home to read to students for my google classroom. She asked to read it and did such a wonderful job taking deep breaths. Since reading the book, when I say deep breath, Leila knows what I mean and takes a good deep breath.

Leila and My Magic Breath

The more we practice mindfulness the more our little ones see it and want to join in.

As we move into childhood we can continue to teach deep breathing and begin to build the concepts of mindfulness. We can share that mindfulness is; paying attention on purpose (without judgement and with curiosity) . This will help our younger students learn to listen to their bodies and moods and as they become aware they will do it in a positive way. They will learn to accept their feelings and show them in a way that does not harm themselves or others.

A Michigan Elementary School and Mindfulness 

Imagine a student that explodes. Imagine a student you have to have carried out of your class. Imagine a student that spends hours a day screaming. Imagine them screaming "give me what I want and this will stop." What if this student began to practice mindfulness and then turned around and chose to teach mindfulness skills to others? We have one such students. Those of us who have been on the journey with this young lady know the great distance this young girl has come. For those that are not as familiar, as you watch the video take a minute to think about a students who is difficult and presents challenges. What if that student could one day become like this young lady?

Jessa's Mindfulness

The older our students get the more their brains are changing. The brain is more generalized in childhood, ready to absorbed all the knowledge it can. As the brain grows into pre-teen and teen years it become more specific to interests. The changes can create challenges in how students learn. At this time mindfulness is crucial in order to help the youth learn to focus on a subject their brain may be signaling they are no longer as interested in as they previously had been. Mindfulness is a great opportunity to train the brain and emotions to work together instead in opposition.

Teens share about mindfulness 

We can takes 5-10 minutes a day to provide a safe space for our students to learn and grow in mindfulness. I have heard it over and over that there just isn't time in the day. How much time do you spend redirecting students in a given day? What if instead you used 10 minutes at the start of the day to teach students self-regulation and mindfulness? Perhaps students later in the day can learn to redirect themselves.

At our school we have a wonderful and easy to use program. I have shared it previously but it worth sharing again. Please sign up for Inner Explorer. If you cannot find the link I have sent, email me and ask for a new link. I will happily support you with getting started. 

At the beginning of the school year I talked about the idea of mental contrasting and using WOOP. It takes 5 minutes a morning to set a daily goal. 

I am working to grow a mindfulness library. I have some books, cards, and can always point you to a good video. Feel free to come to my office and explore ideas for your students. Don't forget that I myself am a resource and will happily come to your class and help you start your day the mindful way. 

Our Actions Can Un-Make A Bully

To Sir, With Love

Dangerous Minds

Freedom Writers

These are a few movies which often inspire adults to be great and work hard to have a lasting positive impact on the lives of youth.

Today, as we continue to use October to place a focus on bullying and it's lasting negative impact on the lives of our students, I want to introduce to some different videos, to inspire you. 

When we think about talking with our students about bullying, it is important to address the facts, statistics, and provide education on what bullying is and what it is not. It is equally as important to provide our students with way to stop bullies, stop bullying, and be an upstander. I would also argue that it is just as import for us, as adults to start the anti-bullying process by providing our students with a positive and caring atmosphere. 

Our students are young and many from challenging backgrounds. Our students may not know how to show empathy because no one has ever shown them empathy. 

Dr. Becky Bailey has a wonderful YouTube channel called Conscious Discipline. Dr. Bailey talks about how to interact with various age group to help overcome some of the home factors which create behavior concerns for our students. On her channel we are also introduced to a man by the name of DJ Batiste. DJ Batiste talks about going from gang to graduation. DJ shares about the one teacher who made a difference by simply showing him how important he was to her.

Dr. Bailey talks about how bullies are made from before the time they are born and how this then creates a path for their lives which needs a lot of caring people to help change the path.

How To Make A Bully 

In the link above Dr. Bailey walks through all of the stages a child travels through to create/make a bully. If you want more information, broken down by the age groups, check out her YouTube channel. The videos have great information and ideas on how to help students. 

In this next link DJ Batiste shares some of his story, as does the teacher who helped him change the direction of his life. DJ was a challenging young man who was a bully, DJ could easily be a student you see everyday. Do you know the student that is looking to challenge your authority, make you uncomfortable, and make sure that all eyes are on them and not you? I'm sure a face and name can come easily to mind. How do you handle this student's behaviors? Do you fall into the challenge and allow a power struggle to ensue? This is what the student is hoping to have happen. This student is often the bully in school. Bullies are looking to control and have power. Watch this next video to gain inspiration on ways to give those students what they need (power and control) in a healthy and helpful way.

DJ Batiste story

My hope for us all is that we take time to find ways to encourage our students, be a positive force in their lives, and help create an atmosphere that doesn't allow bullying to begin.

Conscious Discipline

Using Mindfulness to Stop Bullying

 October is Bullying Awareness and Prevention Month. As a school we take this month to focus on teaching our students what bullying looks like, how to stop it, and how to prevent the bullying. 

How can we utilize mindfulness to promote an anti-bullying environment?

Bullying is often described as; an imbalance of power, where the bully feels powerless and wants to control their environment or a person in order to gain power. 

Mindfulness helps us be aware of our surrounds, feelings, and the present moment. Using mindfulness we can help teach our students to recognize, understand, and share feelings in a healthy way. Mindfulness encourages a deeper understanding of oneself. This can help the bullied as well as the bully. 

At school we encourage all teachers to utilize the program Inner Explorer. Mindful.org reports a study showing that schools who use the Inner Explorer program have seen a 50% reduction in bullying behaviors.

Check out the information present in the article and video.  Using Mindfulness to reduce Bullying

We have an incredible tool to use to help our students and ourselves. The studies around the use of the Inner Explorer program have also presented results showing that teachers have seen a 43% reduction in their perceived stress when they too practice the program.

1 out of 5 students report being bullied

42% of the bullying has been reported as occurring inside the classroom

School based programs help reduce bullying by 25% (and Inner Explorer studies have shown around a 50% reduction in bullying behaviors).

Bullying Statistics

Let's start off the month of October with a commitment to ourselves and our students. A commitment that we will help educate them on bullying and how to prevent it. We will also equip them with the ability to reduce stress, better identify feelings, and promote a positive learning environment for them. We can implement this commitment by providing a daily mindfulness opportunity utilizing the Inner Explorer program. 

Inner Explorer provides; 90 daily practices which are around 10 minutes, 10+ transition practices, 30+ sound practices, and testing mindfulness. The program provides printable journal pages to provide to students, information to send home to families, and is considered a "plug and play" program making it easy on teachers. 

From a personal view point, I enjoy exploring the program. I have taken time to test out all age levels of practices. Middle school don't be afraid to utilize the 8-12 grade age group practices. They are very practical for middle school. Last year I had students who would come to my office and ask for specific Inner Explorer practices such as: Shark Fin and Relaxation Train. I too enjoy the Relaxation Train.

At the beginning of the school year I emailed out the invitation to our school subscription of Inner Explorer. I encourage you to take some time to set up your account or log in again to your account from last year. Explore the program and test out some practices for yourself and then begin them with you students. October's challenge is to take time each day to practice with your students. 

Let's educate our students about bullying and equip them with skills to prevent bullying. Don't find yourself working downstream with bullying, lets work Upstream and create a school of Up-Standers and Bully Stoppers.  

Character Strengths lead to Strength of Character

1. Love

2. Spirituality

3. Gratitude

4. Honesty

5. Kindness

Positive Psychology is a growing focus in the realm of psychology. The idea is that you can utilize many psychological tools to positively impact your life and well-being. One of the foundations of positive psychology focuses on character strengths. After a lot of research it has been proposed that there are 24 signature strengths we all possess. Knowing your strengths can help you utilize your strengths to their fullest potential.  

The list I started with is the list of my top 5. According to positive psychology if I focus on utilizing these strengths daily, I will have better well-being.

What are your strengths?

https://www.viacharacter.org/

VIA Institute on Character offers an opportunity to take the free assessment. I encourage you to take about 10-15 minutes to take the survey and discover your top five.

This website also offers an opportunity for youth, age 10-17,  to take the assessment.  This would be a great mindfulness opportunity for your classes one morning. You can help your students discover their strengths. Once they understand their strengths, they too can begin to build on them and utilize them daily.

For younger students, after you have taken your assessment, you can share about how we all have strengths that help us. You could share with them your strengths, share with them the full list of strengths, and then ask them what they think they are best at and what strengths they have. 

It would be a benefit to you and your students to make a list of strengths belonging to the students. Then when you see them utilizing their top strengths you can point it out with praise. You could even utilize their list to help them build on lower strengths and encourage them when you see them working to do better at a bottom strength. Studies show that people respond well to praise for their strengths and are happier and more productive.

Wouldn’t it be amazing to see your students grow as people, be happier, and reach their fullest potential?

Wouldn’t be wonderful if you could see yourself grow, become happier, and reach your fullest potential?

I would love to be able to continue to utilize some of my stop strengths to help you. Utilizing my love, gratitude, and kindness; I still have treats in my office to share. I would love to see you, have a quick hello, share some chocolate, and wish you a great day! If you came by Monday for World Gratitude Day and picked out some gratitude, feel free to come by again and receive more kindness.

Let's have a vision for this year that focuses on building strengths in ourselves and others. During difficult times it is easy to focus on what we cannot do and where we lack. If we take time to find our strengths and the strengths of others we can build positivity and optimism.

World Gratitude Day and Our Gratitude

 Monday September 21 is World Gratitude Day!

What are you grateful for today? 

Last week we looked at some studies that show the many benefits of writing and expressing gratitude. 

As we continue to navigate hybrid and online learning we find an increased need to find things in which we are thankful for with this school year.

Are we thankful for smaller class sizes and a quieter building? Or are we wish for the sounds of students to remind us where we are and what we are doing?

Are we thankful for Wednesday's without in-person students? Or do we wish to have every student, everyday?

Are we thankful for the support of administration? Fellow teachers? Behavior team? Support staff? Parents?

Are thankful for the fact that we can provide free meals to all students? 

Are we thankful for technology, enabling us to connect with students we do not get to see in person?

I would encourage us all to take some time to think about the school related things we are grateful for this year. It may be a challenge, but I'm hoping it's a challenge we can all rise to and conquer. 

It might be easier for some to think about the personal things you are thankful for first. Remember our WOOP and mental contrasting? With WOOP we set a goal and think of positive outcomes before obstacles.

Let's practice this idea with gratitude. After reading this post, take some time to write out a few things you are grateful for in your personal life. I hope this one easy. If it is a challenge due to difficult times, let me help and share some ideas.

Family: Relationship, Parent. Grandparent, Children, Aunts and Uncles, Cousins, etc

Pets

Housing

Food

Clothes

Car/Transportation

Job (I hope we are all thankful for our job and enjoy working at Fortis, I know I am)

Holidays

Fall (I love this time of year, even if I have yet to watch a Big10 football game)

Technology (staying connected with friends and family is such an important part of mental health)

Hobbies (I am grateful for Trisha's hobby, I love being able to take my mask off and still have it on me!)

Coffee (or other hot drinks that warm you up... or other caffeinated drinks that get you moving) 

And Hopefully So Many More!

If we look back at last weeks post we also talked about reaching out to a person we are thankful for and letting them. This is so important. It feels wonderful to let others know how much you appreciate them. The other person also receives a boost in happiness when they learn someone sees what they do and is grateful for their efforts and caring. 

Last week I challenged us to make our gratitude list and then share with someone our gratitude. I again challenge us to complete this task. I would also encourage us to take some time Monday to have our students participate in World Gratitude Day. Take five minutes with your students and ask them to make a list of 5 things/people they are grateful for and then have them share gratitude with at least one other person. 

As an added gratitude bonus I would love to express to everyone my gratitude for what you do. On Monday swing by my office for a little gratitude. 

Mindful Well-Being

In my last post I shared the concept of Mental Contrasting and WOOP to get us started on a new mindful journey of well-being.

Well-Being is the idea that we focus on new or improved healthy life practices which will help us with a more mindful and positive life.

In her course, The Science of Well-Being, professor Dr. Laurie Santos shares that we often want the wrong things in life due to the misconceptions of our minds. Dr. Santos calls these misconceptions "annoying features" of our minds. Annoying features of the mind are what tell our students that they will only be happy if they have the best grade in class. Annoying features of the mind are what tell us that we will only be happy if our job is perfect. Dr. Santos states that working on healthy practices to improve well-being increases intrinsic motivation which will create better wanting and help us have a more mindful outlook. 

To help start our journey to better wanting, I want to share what Dr. Santos has labeled as "rewirements" or ways to change our brains way of thinking about life and our well-being. If you are interested she has an app called ReWi that will help you track your well-being progress.

Lets dive into the well-being that will help us and our students.

Well-Being 

*Gratitude & Gratitude Visits 

*Savoring (a focused gratitude)

*Kindness 

*Social Connection

*Exercise

*Sleep

*Mediation (Mindfulness)

*Utilizing Signatures Strengths

*Goals (WOOP)

As we embark on a this new school year I want to walk us through our well-being. Over the summer, when I took Dr. Santos's course we were required to weekly put into practice these rewirements. I would like to challenge you to also take one or two a week and set a goal to put these into practice.

An easy well-being rewirement to start implementing into your daily life is, gratitude. 

Gratitude has been studied over and over and it has been found to have a profound and lasting effect on well-being.

Emmons & McCullough 2010 found that those who take time to write out 5 things they are grateful for each had better well-being. These participants were able to see life as a whole better, view their upcoming week better, have fewer negative physical symptoms, and do more things which are better for their lives, such as exercising and hour more a day.

Seligman et. al. 2005 took gratitude to the next level and extended that gratitude toward others. If you included a person on your gratitude list, you were then asked to complete a gratitude visit. This visit could be in the form of a note, letter, card, or in person telling someone you are thankful for them. This study discovered that after one gratitude visit participants saw an increase in positive well-being for up to three months.

Grant & Gino 2010 found that a simple gratitude statement to someone at work increased work effort. Those who feel appreciated at work are more likely to work harder, do more work, and have an overall better outlook on work; even without an extrinsic reward (such as increased pay).

So what does this all mean for us and our students? It means that we can help our students feel better about coming to school and wearing a mask, working on online at home, maintaining social distancing, and increase their desire to work on at their studies. We can teach our students to daily write out five things they are grateful for and once a week complete a gratitude visit.

We ourselves can feel better about virtual teaching, wearing a mask, maintaining social distancing, and coming to school daily; by simply remembering our daily gratitude list. We can also increase our well-being by making sure to complete a weekly gratitude visit.

My challenge to us all is to take this next week and start a daily gratitude list. At the end of the week of gratitude look over your gratitude list and find one person for whom you can write a positive note, letter or card to and then give it to them. Also take time to thank someone for their effort and hard work.

The more we put in the effort to increase our well-being and be more grateful the easier it will be to introduce and encourage our students to do the same.

Have you taken time to WOOP?

 Happy 1st Week Back to School.

If any of you are like me, you are feeling a lot of feelings about being back in the building with our small groups of students. The halls have been eerily quiet, you smile at students but they can't see your mouth, and want to hug or high-five but all you can give is a solid elbow bump.

How do we help our students feel more at ease? How do we help ourselves feel more at ease?

Answer: Mindfulness and Well-Being!

This year I want to take time to do weekly posts on mindfulness and well-being. 

During our back to school PD I introduced everyone to some new ideas that I would love to incorporate into our mindful journey. One is the acronym WOOP

WOOP

WOOP is based in concept of Mental Contrasting with Implementation Intentions (MCII) to help achieve goals we set for ourselves. WOOP was coined by Gabriele Oettingen,PhD. 

WOOP stands for:

W: Think about your Wish

O: The best Outcome

O: Potential Obstacles

P: Your If/Then Plan

Dr. Oettingen in talk with Dr. Laurie Santos a professor at Yale, explains how to walk yourself and students through the WOOP process.

WOOP is not a long and complicated process. It only takes about 5-10 minutes a day. 

It is best to have a quiet and calm atmosphere, with limited to no interruptions. This isn't a time to be talking to and engaging with others. It is a time to reflect and explore for your own benefit. 

WOOP is just for you.

To start with, think about what is your most important wish. Dr. Oettingen suggests that you consider a time frame, asking when you want your wish, or how long will it take to obtain your wish. This will help you focus your wish to something that is readily obtainable. 

After thinking about the time frame you would like to accomplish your goal write out your goal, or Wish. "What do I want most?"- write down 3-4 words.

Our students may have a daily goal to be more focused, to complete a full assignment, to stay positive, to say only nice things, to be mindful, or to make a new friend.

Next we come to the first O. Dr. Oettingen notes that the order of the Os is very important when conducting metal contrasting. You need to have the positives set in your mind before you begin to explain the challenges to the goal accomplishment. 

Our first O is, Outcome. What might be the best outcome if the wish is fulfilled. 

This is a time for our students to explain the benefits of the goal or wish they set that day. Lets say they set the goal of making a new friend. A positive outcome might be that they will reduce loneliness, have someone to talk to at lunch and recess, find social support, and maybe even find someone who can support them academically. 

Ask the students to imagine the very best outcome and write out 3-4 words..

After they have explored the very best outcome the next step is to conduct the contrasting aspect of goal setting; exploring obstacles. 

When setting a goal it is import to prepare for any potential obstacles. Knowing what may stand in the way helps to overcome the obstacles. 

Asking the questions:

What stops me? What is it IN ME that stands in the way?

This is a time to dig deep and not make excesses. Ask: What is it that REALLY stands in the way? The inner obstacles.

This is a time to imagine the obstacles, experience them. Then write out 3-4 words to describe. 

The words might be; (our example of friend making) shyness, fear of rejections, might not say the right words, have no common interests, or different backgrounds.

The last step is The Plan.

What can you do to overcome the obstacles? Your If/Then Plan. Simple short statements.

If I feel too shy to talk to a new friends, then I will practice deep breathing and remind myself that it will be a lonely year if I do not try.

If I think we are too different and do not have similar backgrounds, then I will remind myself that it could be fun to explore a new culture or ethnicity.

Dr. Oettingen states that it is critical to follow the steps correctly and to make sure to complete the obstacle step. The obstacle step teaches you what you consider barriers. This then allows you to plan out how to overcome the obstacles. This creates the connections between obstacles and the future; between obstacles and behaviors to overcome them.

In 2013 Dr. Angela Duckworth spent time with 5th grade students focusing on Mental Contrasting (WOOP). Dr. Duckworth had the the students spend 5 minutes every morning writing out their WOOP in a journal. This process was found to help students in several ways. They had better school attendance, fewer negative behavior reports, and better grades.

I will be working on posters with the WOOP acronym. My hope is that you take time to start this process with your students and continue daily. I encourage you to take some time and WOOP for yourself. Dr. Oettingen has an app that may help you, WOOP. 

Below are the graphs from Dr. Duckworth's study. MCII is Mental Contrasting with Implementation Intentions or WOOP process.

 

Our Well-Being

This is a quote that I have loved for years and wanted to share.

I find that we can reflect and find great wisdom in this statement. We can also use this as an insight into how others might view their world. 

It is easy to find discomfort in the unknown or darkness. Many children will give up if they cannot see the end result. Mindfulness teaches us to accept our current state of being. 

Lets take this summer to think about how we can help our students, and ourselves, focus on the journey not the destination.

Yale psychology professor Laurie Santos talks about learning for the love of learning not the grade. Mindfulness can help our students find that love of learning. Right now, starting today, you can take Professor Santos's Yale course called The Science of Well-Being...online...for free! In a podcast she spoke on happiness, well-being, and mindfulness all playing a part in making mental and physical health better over time.

The journey, not the destination. 

I challenge you to find a mindfulness practice this summer. Whatever practice works for you. Gratitude lists. Yoga. Mediation. ... 

Create a practice.

Desire to do it for your own well-being. 

Once it becomes your habit and desire to do, I further challenge you to find a way to make it a daily practice you show or talk about with your students next year. 

I would love to see that we all share mindful in a strong and healthy way when we restart school in the fall. 

Thought I'd like to leave you with today...

Words Matter

After beautiful holiday week I am ready to get back to work and share what I have been exploring this last week.

I actually had a whole other blog post typed out and ready to go. That blog focused on blame and helping our student learn new skills before expecting them to use the skills. It was good. But this one is better! (Maybe I'll pull it out at a later time)

Over the weekend I listened to a podcast with Hypnotherapist Tom Silver, it was interesting and made me really think about various aspects of my own personal life and work life. 

Before I go any further, no, I am not going to suggest we hypnotize our students to get them to do what we feel they should be doing.

Mr. Silver made some interesting points about training our brains. If we take a second to think about brain training than we realize that is exactly what we are doing with mindfulness. 

One of the ideas from Mr. Silver that really resonated with me was how we use our words. The words we use to train our brains, and the brains of those we are talking with, to respond in specific ways. For example, if someone were to ask us if the dinner they made was good and we respond "it's not half bad" we are training their brain to question what half was good and what half was bad.

Think about this with our students. Think about this in your personal life. How often do you respond in the negative? 

ex: How are you doing today?

.... how many of you answered in your head "not too bad"??? So then we train our brain and the brain of others to linger on the questions about what is bad, since your day isn't "too bad" the implication is that there is some bad.

ex: Thanks for the help.

... "no problem" .... so now we enter the question of "so you thought helping me might have been a problem?"  I know I am guilty of this one.

Mindfulness; taking time to breathe and slow down, helps us respond in positive ways. We can begin to train our brains and the brains of others to be positive. 

How great would it be to experience positive after positive after positive interactions? Having more positivity in our students begins with us being the positive force they train from.

While researching my mindfulness around May 4th, I found a lot of mindfulness that is taught to students using Star Wars. In fact, my kindergarten aged nephew is currently doing a remote learning Jedi Knight training (mindfulness class) through 4H. Yoda was not of the dark side trying to teach Luke to be a positive force. Yoda told us all "Do or Do Not, there is no Try" Either we are positive to teach our students to be positive, or we aren't. 

Our mindfulness practice for our students has to begin with us. 

I have found that as we enter what society refers to as "the terrible twos" Leila is having meltdowns and throwing fits. I know, from research and understanding that this stage is more about a young child not having all of the words to express feelings and wanting to do big things they are told not to do. This leads to tears, crying, and tantrums. I have been asked when I plan to start mindfulness with Leila. My answer; I already have.

It all starts with my own practice. Leila sees me doing yoga and joins in. Leila sees me laying on the floor, still and calm and she joins in. When she cries I tell her she can cry, that it's ok to be upset, teaching her that she can have feelings and accept them. Then I pick her up and take over exaggerated big deep breaths; I want her to feel my breathing. The other day I timed it. I let Leila sit and cry on her own and she cried for about 5 minutes... would have been more if I let it continue. I picked her up, held her very close and started breathing deep. She stopped crying in about 10 seconds, no kidding, I timed it. She could feel my breathing and her breathing started to sync-up and her body could not help but calm down.

We can't pick up our students and hold them close and let them feel our breathing, but we can show them the way with our actions and words.

Mindfulness is a way to train positivity and acceptance and be present and understand. The more we practice and present this to others, the more others will begin to reflect it back.

What mindset do we have regarding our students?

Life has changed in so many small ways during this pandemic. My 20 minute commute to work and  from work was a time in which I would turn on a Podcast and gain knowledge. Knowledge I often was able to use when I would map out my weekly blog.

Now, instead of waking up to an early morning alarm, I wake up around 6:00 AM to 7:00 AM to a toddler alarm. And my day is go-go-go with Mickey Mouse Clubhouse, pretending to be in a bear cave, making food, cleaning, using nap time to post on Google Classroom and meet with students on Google Meet, more playing -hopefully outside if it's nice, Brave, more cooking, more cleaning, bedtime routine, and finally relaxing. I don't find a lot of time to listen to my podcasts. My weekly escape to Meijer to pick up more fruit and vegetables is about the only time I get. I miss feeding my own learning.

This past weekend I have put a focus on my mindfulness and my own education. I have had the opportunity to list to a wonderful podcast.

Dax Shepard does a podcast called Experts on Experts and his April 16th episode is with Jessica Lahey.

One of the biggest and simplest take-away for me was  "we have to love the kids we have (in school), not the kids we wish we had."

Our students need to be seen as themselves. Our students need mindful teachers, support staff, adults, who are willing to accept them as they are and help grow at their age and stage in life.

It was amazing listening to Jessica Lahey. I encourage everyone to take some time to check out the podcast. Next on my list will be ordering and reading her book, The Gift of Failure.

My mindfulness challenge to you is to set aside even 5 minutes to be mindful. Sit and gain some focus and perspective. 

Remembering Why We Are Mindful

I wanted to start the week with some helpful information, from Mindful.org. Mindful.org gives us some good reasons meditation and mindfulness can benefit us.

1. Meditation almost certainly does sharpen your attention.
- this means that you can focus on your work better, you will find that you will know how to tune out distractions and be able to complete work in a more timely manner.

2. Long-term, consistent mediation does seem to increase resiliency to stress.
-right now is a different, difficult, and stressful time for us all, mindful mediation can help you calm those thoughts and feel less stressed

3. Mediation does appear to increase compassion. Is also makes our compassion more effective.
-remember mindful meditation helps us be aware of our feelings, accept our feelings, and process our feelings in a much more effective and beneficial way; doing so will help you connect with others and their feelings.

4. Meditation does seem to improve mental health.
-when we learn to calm our minds and still our bodies we can help our mental health

5. Mindfulness could have a positive impact on your relationships.
-again, when we learn to process our own feelings we connect better with the feelings of others, this increases compassion and empathy which strengthens relationships

6. Mindfulness seems to reduce many kinds of bias
- we learn to accept ourselves better, our present situation better, and then in turn we learn to let go of judgments and prejudices

7. Mediation does have an impact on physical health in a modest way
- we can help support our physical well-being but learning to slow our thoughts and bodies, accept our feelings and present moment, and reduce stress; stress harms the body, mindful mediation can work to help you heal that harm

I don't know about you but those all give me a renewed desire to make sure I complete my daily mindfulness.

What mindful activities have helped you during this time of staying home?
-I love to take time to slow down, sit still, listen to something calming, and take deep breaths
-When it is nice outside the sun and warmth brighten my mood

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