Welcome to June! The days are longer and warmer, the school year ends, and summer begins. We live in a beautiful place and June is a perfect time to go out and explore – and some of you shared your adventures from May with your furry friends on the ESD 112 Pet Pic Padlet for National Pet Month. Keep the adorable pics coming!
Newsletter content written by Be:Well member Joy Lyons.
Live:Well – Emotional Wellness
This month we are focusing on emotional wellness and specifically on the practice of being mindful. According to the National Institutes of Health (NIH) emotional wellness is, “the ability to successfully handle life’s stresses and adapt to change and difficult times.” The NIH provides an Emotional Wellness Toolkit that provides six strategies for improving your emotional health, including building resilience, reducing stress, getting quality sleep, strengthening social connections, coping with loss, and being mindful.
The concept of mindfulness is simple. This ancient practice is about being completely aware of what’s happening in the present moment. We often spend more time thinking about what’s coming up in the future or dwelling on things in the past that we can’t change. Mindfulness means we are living in the moment without judgement. It means more noticing and less analyzing.
Studies suggest that mindfulness practices may help people manage stress, cope better with serious illness and reduce anxiety and depression. Many people who practice mindfulness report an increased ability to relax, a greater enthusiasm for life and improved self-esteem (NIH: Mindfulness for Your Health).
Tips on Being Mindful:
The concept of mindfulness is simple, but becoming a more mindful person requires commitment and practice. Here are some tips to get you started:
- Take some deep breaths. Breathe in through your nose to a count of 4, hold for 1 second and then exhale through the mouth to a count of 5. Repeat often.
- Enjoy a stroll. As you walk, notice your breath and the sights and sounds around you. As thoughts and worries enter your mind, note them but then return to the present.
- Practice mindful eating. Be aware of taste, textures and flavors in each bite, and listen to your body when you are hungry and full.
- Do a body scan. Bring your awareness to each part of your body and take note of how it feels. This can help you connect with your body.
Mindful Resources
Find mindfulness resources in your community, including yoga and meditation classes, mindfulness stress reduction programs, podcasts, and books. We’ve gathered some resources below, and you’re always invited to the Be:Well Brain Breaks (more detail below).
- Podcast The Happiness Lab with Dr. Laurie Santos
- Training BreatheforChange.com: Yoga, social-emotional learning, and mindfulness training for educators
- Book Real Self-Care: A Transformative Program for Redefining Wellness (Crystals, Cleanses, & Bubble Baths Not Included) by Pooja Lakshmin MD
- Social Media SeanOulashin ‘Keep Scrolling, Mindfully’ (fun fact – Sean is based in Portland, OR!)
Being Mindful at Work
If you want to embrace being more mindful at work, here are some ideas to get you started:
- Ask questions – listen to understand, not respond
- Turn off pop up notifications and push notifications
- Answer emails during dedicated periods of time, rather than constantly throughout the day as soon as it pops into your inbox
- Finish one task before you begin the next
- Try the exercise STOP:
Stop – Just take a momentary pause, no matter what you are doing.
Take a breath – Feel the sensation of your own breathing, which brings you back to the present moment.
Observe – Acknowledge what is happening, for good or bad, inside you or out. Just note it.
Proceed – Having briefly checked in with the present moment, continue with whatever it was you were doing.
“Between stimulus and response there is a space. In that space is our power to choose our response. In our response lies our growth and our freedom”- Viktor Frankl
Chalk the Walk Event
The Be:Well committee is hosting a Chalk the Walk event the week of June 12th-15th! Join us and take a mindful moment to spread joy, optimism, and inspiration through the magical powers of sidewalk chalk. Breathe, notice your feelings, and create some chalk art.
Chalk the Walk Kickoff Event: Monday, June 12th, 10:00am-11:00am
Chalk will be available at the reception desk after the kickoff event from Monday, June 12th – Thursday, June 15th
Let’s make the sidewalk in front of the ESD 112 beautiful for our end of year event on Friday, June 16!
Brain Breaks – New YouTube Channel!
For a weekly dose of mindfulness, join us every Friday at 12:00pm for the Be:Well Brain Break on Zoom hosted by Gahlya Auel, the ESD 112 Inclusionary Practices Coordinator. Gahlya leads participants in simple practices for 5-15 minutes to calm and refresh your brain. In this brief time together, you will learn and practice new strategies that can be utilized and implemented throughout your day so that you can be as comfortable and productive as possible. Keep an eye out in your email on Fridays for a reminder and a Zoom link.
Not able to join the Brain Break on Fridays at noon? No problem! Our amazing and talented Communications team has created a Be:Well YouTube Channel, where you can view recordings of Brain Breaks whenever it works best for you. There are several videos already on the channel, and we’ll be adding more as we continue. Check out the Brain Breaks playlist!
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