Mindfulness for Self-Control

 Have you ever had a day derailed and you realize it has changed some of your plans for the week?

That was the start of the week for me. I had a student acting out in my office and being very unkind to myself and another staff. 

The same day when I picked up my daughter from school I learned that her preschool would be opening late for the next week and half due to a staff injury and staff illness. 

A calm typical Tuesday was thrown out and chaos and confusion were front and center.

These events can become stress that can completely break us down, or we can choose to put into use all of our mindfulness practice.

Mindfulness has been shown to help with self-control. In a published article out of the University of Toronto, researcher Rimma Teper states; "Converging evidence suggests that the present-moment awareness and nonjudgmental acceptance intrinsic to mindfulness enhances one's sensitivity to the affective cues that direct self-control processes."

Mindfulness can and will help you and your students gain a better ability to feel and display self-control in the face of stress and frustration.

Mindfulness helps us understand, observe, accept, and control our emotions. These are all key components of self-control. The ability to accept and then control ones emotions will help with being in control of ones actions.

A fun and great self-control mindfulness practice I like to engage in with students is Self-Control Bubbles.

I start by explaining the rules to the "game." I share that I will use the bubble wand and blow the bubbles. The student will sit with a calm body and watch the bubbles. The bubbles are not allowed to be touched, only watched. As the student learns to sit and watch the bubbles, you then allow them a turn to use the bubble wand. This is a great slow in and out breathing practice. I encourage the student to watch the bubbles, follow their path with their eyes, notice colors and the way the light reflects in them. This a nice calm mindful way to practice self-control. Students will want to pop the bubbles. Talk to them about watching them and following them. 

You can use this mindfulness lesson to talk about each of us having our own bubble. We respect each other's bubbles and we do not pop them with our bodies.

You can talk about taking in deep breaths, blowing the bubbles and thinking about a wish to send to someone or a problem to send away with the bubble.

Take some time this week to find a self-control mindfulness or come barrow some bubbles.