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Reading Lists About Race and Social Justice

May Was Mental Health Month

Below are amazing resources to help us cope during this time.

https://casel.org/resources-covid/

This is a new journey for us, but we will get through this together!

You can reach me anytime at Lmacleod@watchungschools.us.

Lauryn MacLeod- School Counselor

I'm hoping you will find these resources helpful during this challenging time.

Chill Out In the Relaxation Room! The link is on the left...

Let’s meet this moment together.

Without a doubt, many of us are feeling anxious as we navigate the uncertainty of the coronavirus (COVID-19). Here are some tools to help take care of our minds and stay grounded.

Enjoy the meditations, sleep stories, music and more, all picked to support your mental and emotional wellness through this time.

We’re happy that you’re making time to steady your mind and prioritize self-care during these uniquely stressful times. Let’s breathe together. Sending big 💙your way.

Remember that social distancing is a collective action to keep each other safe. You are doing something great simply by staying home. Listen to the following loving kindness meditation to embody this compassionate choices.

Visualization:

Imagine yourself in a beautiful place that you love. Perhaps it’s your favorite place to watch the sunset, a stream, a lush forest, a secret beach, or a field of wildflowers. Invite all of your senses to imagine yourself there. Hear the evening crickets, feel the sand in between your toes, and smell the flowers. The power of the mind is that we can travel back in time to visit a good memory and experience the positive feelings in the present moment.

Relaxing Breath

Inhale slowly through the nose to the count of three. Place your attention on the expansion of your chest and the sound of your breath.
Pause at the top of your inhale for another two seconds. Rather than holding your breath think of it as resting your breath. (The idea of holding often causes us to tense up, and we want to try to relax before the exhale).
Now slowly exhale and let go of all of the air in your lungs for a count of six, keeping your jaw relaxed.
Keep going for a few more rounds.

Tips:

Experiment with different counts that feels nourishing for you. Go down by a count of 1 in each part if you’re feeling any stress or strain.
If it feels easy, you can try increasing each section by a count of one.
Bring a hint of a smile to your lips helps to relax your jaw.
Try Calm’s Breathe Bubble
5-4-3-2-1 Grounding Exercise
When you’re feeling anxious, pause and settle your mind by naming:
5 things you can see
4 things you can hear
3 things you can touch
2 things you can smell
1 thing you can taste

MEDITATION

Mental Health Moment: Rain Meditation

The meditation follows the acronym R.A.I.N. It's a 5 minute meditation to calm challenging feelings. When you're struggling with challenging feelings, feel stuck, or notice that you're being hard on yourself, try R.A.I.N.

R- Recognize what's going on. Acknowledging, in any given moment, the thoughts, feelings, situations, and behaviors that are affecting you.

A- Allow the experience to be there just as it is. Letting the thoughts, emotions, feelings, or sensations you have recognized simply be there, without trying to fix, change, solve, or avoid. Allowing creates a moment of pause to deepen attention.

I- Investigate with interest and care. Ask yourself what most wants attention? How am I experiencing this in my body? What am I believing?

N- Nurture with self-compassion. Intentionally nurture your inner life with self-care. To do this, try to identify what you most need and offer some gesture of active care that might address this need.

Directions for the RAIN meditation:

Find a comfortable seat on a chair or cushion. Sitting up straight, find a balance that allows you to feel at ease. Take a few deep breaths, relax your shoulders, your muscles throughout your body. Let go of all the tension in your body. Bring to mind a situation in your life that's currently challenging or difficult. Think about that situation and those feelings associated with it.

Starting with the R in RAIN, recognize what's going on. Notice the thoughts come up about the situation and the emotions you may be feeling. Notice how your body feels; light and energized, tight or anxious. Sometimes it can feel heavy and other times relaxed and at ease.

Next is Allow. Try to allow all of those thoughts, feelings, and sensations to just be as they are. Give yourself the space to be with those feelings without trying to change or suppress them. Feel whatever is coming up and just let it be as it is.

Now, Investigate your experience with a sense of kindness and ask yourself what is calling your attention most right now. How am I experiencing it in my body?

The last step is to practice Not identifying with these thoughts and feelings. If you observe your thoughts and feelings for any period of time you will see they are constantly coming and going and changing all the time, like the weather. Try to observe and experience whatever is going on without getting caught up in it.

Now let all of the thoughts, feelings and images dissolve and let your mind rest. When you are ready, bring your attention back to your seat and open your eyes.