Feel and Be Kind

 At the beginning of the month, on the parent blog, I shared The 90 Second Rule. I want to take some time to share this with you as well. I want to remind us all that feelings are not good or bad. Mindfulness helps us understand and accept that we can experience a feeling without judgement. The 90 Second Rule helps us understand that if we allow a feeling to exist, we experience the feeling fully, and then let it go, we can heal and be healthy.

Neuroscientist continue to explore and examine the human brain to better understand behaviors and emotions. In recent studies scientists have discovered that the biological components to an emotion only have a life of 90 seconds. After 90 seconds the chemicals associated with your emotions dissipate. It is stated that if you feel that you continue to experience an emotion past this time it is not truly the emotions but rather rumination. You are retelling the story and reliving the emotion, it does not actually exist anymore.

If we take some time to think about this scientific discovery we can begin to see how we handle our emotions in a different light. We can utilize the skills of mindfulness to sit with our feelings, accept the feeling, understand the feeling, and then let it go.

This concept is a challenge for some. As humans we love to story tell. We hold on to a story to feel better about our part and feel justified in the way we feel towards others for their part. The stories belong to us and we don't want to let them go, because who would be without our stories? Neuroscience would suggest we would be healthier; both mentality and physically. 

This week try a 90 second mediation when you notice a feeling beginning to arise. Allow that feeling to exist, sit with the feeling, do not try to direct the feeling yet simply observe the feeling, and then once you have allowed this 90 second process to take place; as Elsa would say, let it go.

Challenge yourself this week to teach this to your students. Talk with them about emotions, feeling emotions, not being ashamed of a feeling but rather learn to understand the feeling and where it is coming from. 

This mindfulness is also a great opportunity to build relationships in class. 

If you notice students struggling with each other ask them to sit with the feeling they have for 90 seconds. Then ask the students to share out after they have taken this time to feel and understand their emotion.

Maybe you have noticed a feeling you have toward a student, a time of day, an activity, a co-worker...maybe you could use time this week to sit with that emotion for 90 seconds. Take that time to fully feel it, experience it, and understand it.

This week in my parent blog I shared with them a link to Professor Jamil Zaki's website War For Kindness. On his website Professor Zaki has a section with a 5 day challenge for kindness and empathy. As we begin to explore emotions and allow them to exist for 90 seconds we can also learn to open a new space for kindness and empathy. If we no longer are allowing an old emotion to ruminate we open space to invite in kindness. 

Professor Zaki challenges us to explore kindness and empathy in five ways. I challenge you to watch the videos and give empathy a change. Kindness and Empathy Challenge

New research suggests children who regularly see and experience empathy in their environment become more empathetic and kinder. 

I encourage us all to try this challenge and find a kindness mindfulness for ourselves and our students. 

Try Kindness this week. 

Share Kindness this week.

Be Kindness for yourself and others.