Grounding Activity
Practicing mindfulness helps to ground us and put us in a place of well-being. Use these two breathing practices this week!
Box Breathing Video
Breathe Bubble Video
Find a colleague who makes you feel safe and try to briefly connect with them each day.
This might be a friend, your supervisor, or simply a colleague with a particularly grounding presence. When you feel upset or stressed, it's important to share your emotions with someone you trust.
Once a day, remind yourself to remain open to change.
As uncertainty about schooling continues, being open to change helps decrease frustration associated with ambiguity. Science shows regularly reminding ourselves that change is a good thing can actually retrain our brains to handle it better.
When you feel overwhelmed, focus on your breathing instead of reaching for your phone.
We often use our phones to distract us from challenging moments, but this often leaves us more stressed and more disconnected from what matters most. Allow yourself a moment to turn inward instead and focus on your breathing.
Take a one-minute stretch break whenever you can throughout the day.
Stand up, change positions, stretch - anything to get your blood flowing. Frequent movement fuels your body and mind.
Write down your experience of the events this year.
Resilience is linked to making sense of stressful or traumatic events. We write or we express our stories to transform the traumatic memory to narrative memory.
Show someone concern without offering advice.
We may feel the urge to fix, rescue, change, or talk our loved ones out of their feelings because it hurts us to see them in pain. Instead of "How can I solve their problem," ask, "How can I be there for them in this moment?"
Stay in contact with family and friends.
However busy you may be at work and even if you are spending long hours at work, find time to check in with someone who matters to you. Even a quick text can give you a sense of connection and support. Ask them how they are doing and don't hesitate to tell them how you are doing and feeling.
Use a "feeling thermometer" to check-in with yourself.
When we are feeling our best, we are in the green zone. When we are a little uncomfortable, we are in the yellow zone. When we are uncomfortable, we are in the orange zone. When we are extremely uncomfortable, we are in the red zone. Where are you right now?
Identify your top "stressor signals" that remind you that your battery is running low.
Learning how to listen to your own particular signals is an important way to guide your microbreaks throughout your day. Common signals include rapid heart rate, strong negative feelings, and difficulty thinking clearly. When you notice your signal, take a brief pause to reset so you can be your best.
Limit your access to daily media.
Every time we are exposed to information that is stressful, our brains are activated to self-protect and this can throw us into a fight, flight, or freeze response. Disconnecting offers us an opportunity to manage our mental resilience.
Implement consistent routines in the home.
Doing things at about the same time every day makes our lives feel normal and predictable and is a simple way to take care of ourselves and our families.
