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?"