Random Act of Kindness Week

 

I would like to start of this year's Random Act of Kindness week with a Treat Yo Self day (days). Please take a moment to stop by my office this week and get a treat. I will have a variety. Come see what treat will treat you right!

Don't  forget, Mindfulness is a great way to Treat Yo Self. It can also be a Random Act of Kindness. Teach someone a new mindfulness this week as an act of kindness.

Mindful.org shares that mindfulness and kindness are similar. They both are good for our physical and emotional well-being. As educators and supports of young students we should remember that our students their need physical and emotional well-being addressed to ensure they are ready to learn. A student in pain, hungry, hurting, depressed, or distracted will not be able to focused enough to learn what you are teaching.

We all need self-care. Self-care is not selfish and should not be something that we schedule in once every few months. It should be a daily check-in on your thoughts, feelings, and emotions. Allow yourself the time and space to address your own well-being. This will better equip you to assist your students in addressing their own well-being.

Mindfulness is a self-care gift we can utilize daily. 

Mindful.org goes on to report that kindness can help reduce stress, anxiety, and depression. Studies have shown that when we do something kind for others we help elevate their mood. When we observe their mood boost our bodies react with an even greater mood boost. 

A great mindfulness to practice this week for yourself, for your students, and with your students is Metta Lovingkindness. 

Much like the Hot Chocolate Breathing Mindfulness, Metta Lovingkindness is a favorite of mine to practice. I find that this mindful meditation gives me a sense of peace and release when I practice.

For those new to this mindfulness let's take a minute to talk it through.

Metta Lovingkindness Mindful Meditation

You being with Well Wishes for Yourself.

"Today I wish myself well wish. I send myself a well wish to be bold, strong, and compassionate toward myself and others."

Then you send a Well Wish to someone you Care About

"Today I send well wishes to my children. May their day be filled with knowledge, friendship, and a little fun." 

Last you send a Well Wish to someone you Struggle With/ Don't Get Along/Don't Like

This one is hard. You will not want to do it. You'll go back to yourself and those you care about and skip this one. You will say that you will try it next time. But you will not. 

DO IT ANYWAY!

The peace that comes from this part is restorative, releasing, refreshing, and reaffirming that you can rise above.

"Today I send well wishes to the mother of my step-children. (Let me take a minute and let you know this is real for me. It is a challenge due to past history, but I do this for Me. And. It. Feels. Good!) I wish her a productive day filled with kindness from those around her. May she be successful and strong as a mother."

This mindfulness is a wonderful random act of kindness for yourself.

Take a moment this week to stand in your empty classroom and send a well wish to each of your students. Experience the benefit of how it will change your mood and attitude toward them.

Our brains are wired to see the negative and think the negative. This is a throw back from the days in which our brains needed to see out the potential danger and harm to survive. We need to train our brain to see the good, be the good, and do the good.