WTF Mindfulness

WTF Mindfulness

Now that I have your attention. What is WTF Mindfulness? 

Let's take a minute to remember that mindfulness is pausing to accept, reflect, and process an emotion, without judgement. 

There may be times in which you just do not want to calm an emotion down. You like the mad and angry feeling. You feel justified and you would be glad to exact vengeance where it is needed. You do not want to calmly ask yourself why you feel this anger. You do not want to ask what the function of the emotion may be. That takes away from your ability to create an alter ego as a super hero.... or a supervillain.

Asking ourselves "what's the function" of an emotion allows us space to consider if the emotion will support our mental health or if it will harm our mental health. 

There are no wrong emotions. That being said, not all emotions are a benefit to our positive mental health. We need to allow an emotion space to exist while at the same time evaluating its function and our needs.

If we are angry the function might be to help us bring about change, address a conflict with a person, or seek personal growth.

Giving ourselves space to ask "what is the function" really is giving us time to seek out the origin of the emotion. 

The anger's function is to help us change a situation because we are not happy with a situation. We are not happy because we disagree with how things are being handled. 

We can track where and when the emotion started, what it's function is and then we give ourselves space to resolve the emotion. 

Embrace the function of the emotion. Begin to utilize this to your benefit.

If the function of your anger is to create change. Create it!

What are you feeling today? What have you been feeling lately? What might be the function of that emotion?

Take time to start asking yourself  WTF?  Then help your students explore this concept, but maybe don't start with WTF. 

Free Hugs

How's Your Hug Health? 

Check Those Hugs Again

Have you ever had something pop up again and again on social media, movies, books, or life? When something repeats in my life I start to notice and pay attention. Over the last couple of weeks I have had hugging and mental health pop up again and again in my social media feed. So here we are, exploring hugging together.

Hugs Help Mental Health!

Our students often crave attention. Some will seek it out in negative ways. We have the opportunity to provide small moments of positive attention which can build trust and health. We can give a quick hug.

There are times when we may not always feel like giving hugs to others. For those times there are a couple of mindfulness practices we can teach our students.

Butterfly Hug Mindfulness is a peaceful guided imagery mindfulness with a slight hug from you butterfly-hands.

Another great mindfulness that is about hugs is called Imaginary Hug. This is one I love to utilize with my kinder and first grade friends. 

This mindfulness is a great way to teach students (and adults) to take a mental break, imagine some place nice and calm and then to give yourself a hug.

Hugs help!

On the CDC's website it states that loneliness is associated with higher rates of; depression, anxiety, and suicide.

Loneliness does not always look like being alone. The Jack's Mannequin song Dark Blue has a line that asks, "have you every felt alone in a crowded room?" Take some time this week to look around your classroom and ask yourself, "who here might be feeling lonely?" Chances are you have one or two students who sit in your classroom full of people and still feel alone. Have you hugged them today? Have you given them space to engage in a mindfulness self hug?

In a National Library of Medicine article titled, Relationships between loneliness, psychiatric disorders and physical health. A review on he psychological aspects of loneliness. the following is stated about loneliness: "Loneliness is the absence of imperative social relations and lack of affection in current social relationships."

Loneliness is when we feel disconnected from others. Our relationships do not support positive mental and physical wellbeing. 

For some hugging may be the last thing you want to do during the season of cold and flu and of course covid. In a Psychology today article Lisa van Raalte, Ph D shares that hugs can actually help fight against the common cold. Hugging helps lower blood pressure, decrease levels of cortisol, boost levels of oxytocin, and create a sense of bonding with others. These factors all help build a strong and health immune system.

The Psychology Today article continues on to share that due to covid we have been deprived social contact. This has negatively impacted the mental health for many. Human contact is essential for healthy development and positive mental health.

In a short clip on hugging from the Cleveland Clinic, it is shared that if you are not a hugger, even a small touch of a hand can help boost mood and mental health.

Now that we have talked about the benefits of hugs, take some time to notice how many students seek a hug. I have students who make a point to hug me every morning. I have other students who seek a hug every time they see me. Have you noticed this too? How many hugs do you get each day? How many do you give? If you do not want to try a hug consider a fist bump, shoulder squeeze, or a light touch on the arm. You might be boosting someone's mental health.

 

Let Go Like A Tree

While my daughter may choose to see it as Elsa teaching to Let It Go, I prefer the idea of the trees teaching us this mindfulness.

The season of Autumn can teach us that there is beauty in change and letting go. The leaves on the trees turn brilliant and beautiful colors as they allow the passing of one season to the next. When looking up the above quote I found a variety of variations, some which even included the concept that Fall teaches us to let go of dead things. We may not like this imagery but it is an honest depiction of the transition from Summer to Fall as we prepare for Winter. 

We can learn from the trees and let go of what should be dead to us. We can do this with the help of mindfulness.

In my research this week I found a helpful article from the Centre for Clinical Interventions in Australia.

This article was about a mindfulness practice on letting go. In it we are reminded that mindfulness is designed to help us skillfully disengage from negative thinking and let it go. We can untangle our thoughts and feelings and let go of what does not serve our greater mental health.

The practice of letting go mindfulness helps us learn to notice our negative thoughts and feelings and with skill, let them go.

Sometimes our thought and feelings shout at us and demand our attention. Mindfulness can help you learn to notice and turn down those thoughts. Not turn them off. But turn them down and observe and learn.

Letting go mindfulness implies in the name that we in fact once held onto a feeling, thought, or emotion. It existed. 

When we learn to acknowledge what is going on inside of us we can learn to control how others see it playout on the outside.

Letting Go Mindfulness asks that we begin by asking ourselves the question; "what am I experiencing right now?" We take time to investigate, observe, and understand.

Take time to fully explore and feel.

Then begin to bring awareness to your breathing. And begin to say to yourself something as simple as "relax". 

As you calm an emotion remind yourself "whatever I am experiencing, it is OK, I can feel it, work through it, and I can be OK."

Gently remind yourself that you can let go of a problem, feeling, thought, or emotion. Remind yourself that letting go can and will serve your greater mental health. 

This last step is key. YOU MUST LET IT GO. 

If you look back in the blogs you will find one that talks about the chemical duration of an emotion. The duration is about 90 seconds. After that we are engaging in what is called Rumination. Your brain will ruminate on something that your body is chemically over and has let go. You must train your brain to let go too.

Practice a letting go mindfulness this weekend and be ready for a fresh start next week. Find one thing to let go. And, Let Go! 

What is Bullying?

 October is bullying awareness and prevention month.

This month we take time to talk with students about what is and isn't bullying. We share how to address bullying and ways to prevent it.

To help our students understand bullying, we need to first understand bullying. 

The words Bully and Bullying are extremely over used. We cannot call all behavior bullying. We cannot call mean students bullies. This belittles true bullying situations. It also sets up students to have the misperception on what is going on.

I strongly recommend taking less than 30 minutes and listen to the podcast I have linked below.

Raising Good Humans

The chart above is always posted in my office. When a student comes to report bullying I turn to this chart and help the student identify the situation. Most often the behavior truly fits in Mean or Conflict. 

As adults we need to watch our words. Words have power. Make sure we understand and properly use the word bully.

The flow chart below is a great way to guide the conversation regarding bullying.

Bullying is painful and we need to address it and take care of our students who are being bullied. If it isn't bullying we need to teach our students to handle and resolve conflict. Conflict and mean moments a part of growing up. We all encounter them. But we all will not encounter bullying. 

Let's take this month to really help our students understand what is and isn't bullying.