Let's Fall into Mindfulness

 This week marked the end of summer and beginning of fall. To honor the change of season I want to take some time to share some Fall Mindfulness Activities.

Mindful Autumn Walk

This time of year is perfect for a nice nature walk. We can throw on a hoodie, boots, and go. As we walk outside we can utilize our senses to explore the season. 

Start with sight. Look around. The leaves are changing from summer green to autumn yellows, oranges, and reds. As the leave change colors they slowly start to fall from the trees to the ground.

Next, as the leaves fall we walk on them and use our sense of hearing to hear them crunch. Perhaps we also walk across some acorns and hear their louder crunch. We can also hear the wind as it rustles through the trees as it knocks the leaves to the ground.

Then, we can use our sense of smell. The air has that crisp fall scent. Perhaps someone near by is baking apple pie or pumpkin pie. 

We can also utilize our sense of touch. We can collect leaves. Feel the difference between the newly fallen and the drier, cruncher leaves which have been on the ground longer. Perhaps we feel a corn stalk as we put in out as decoration. 

On your walk, if you happen to pass an orchard, take a moment to stop for an apple, cider, or donut. You can experience fall through your sense of taste.

Leaf Breathing

If during your nature walk you picked up and kept some leaves, you can now practice some breathing. 

Lay the leaf out flat and trace the sides slowly as you engage in deep in and out breaths. 

Pumpkin Sensing

Just as we utilized senses for our nature walk, you can now come inside and use your senses with a pumpkin.

Sight: Did you pick a traditional orange pumpkin? Or maybe you went for a white one this year? How big or small is the pumpkin? Is it tall, fat, or short.... Is it smooth or does it have some bumps you can see? Does it have a long or short stem?

Touch: As you explore sight, begin touching and feeling. How heavy or light is the it? Does it feel smooth or bumpy? How many ridges can you feel?

Smell: Does it smell? It might not unless you cut it open. If you choose to cut it open you also have a chance to feel, see, touch, smell, and taste the inside!

Hear: Tap or knock in the pumpkin, how does it sound?

Taste: If you don't want to try you raw pumpkin you can pick up pumpkin seeds, canned pumpkin, or maybe some pumpkin muffins. Have a little pumpkin treat. Have some fun!

Relationships with Self and Others

 This week information was released linking mental health concerns with social media. If you are anything like me this is something you have already noticed and expressed concern regarding. 

The Wall Street Journal had an article this week with the title "Facebook knows Instagram is Toxic to Teen Girls.." Don't be mislead and think it only applies to girls, the article states that the studies show boys are affected too.

23% of girls report that when they feel bad about themselves, Instagram has made them feel worse. 14% of boys also report this same feeling.

We unfortunately cannot simply tell our children to ignore social media. They will not and it is unrealistic to think that they will. That doesn't mean the situation is hopeless. We can equip our children and ourselves with emotional support and understanding.

Mindfulness is a great way to practice self-care, self-acceptance, and self-understanding. When we practice mindfulness we learn to accept the present moment as it is, without judgment. The study on Instagram and mental health presented us with the information that teens (and preteens) are stressed about finding the perfect picture, to show the perfect them. These girls and boys judge themselves based on how others look in photos posted.

Taking time to share a mindful moment with your student could help build resilience, self-love, and a sense that they do not have to be perfect and can accept each moment and themselves, as is. 

A great mindfulness is Metta Loving-Kindness. Sending well wishes toward ourselves (and others). Another  great mindful practice to address and combat this concern is, gratitude. Daily taking time to list at least three things we are grateful for can boost our mood, help us look for the good in each day, and create a deeper connection with those with whom we are grateful

After nearly a year and a half of students learning from a computer it can be a challenge to move away from a screen and build meaningful interpersonal relationships. Before our students can build relationships with others it is important for them to build relationships with themselves. Relationships which are healthy and positive. Mindfulness can and will help. 

If you feel your student is struggling with friendships, self-acceptance, or anything else which concerns you, please reach out.

Pamela McKenzie, Behavior Specialist, 55.pmckenzie@nhaschools.com

Why Mindfulness Important to Students.

 This morning when I googled "finding clam in the chaos" the first thing Google gave me was "Meditation."

The idea of meditation can feel too spiritual, too touchy-feely, too different. In stead of meditation some like to say, "centering thoughts" or " entering a calm space." 

Mindfulness is about finding that inner calm which will allow great attention to the present. As we start this new school year our hope is that each student will find the calm inner space to have the attention to learn.

Mindfulness is a way of self regulating emotions, the pleasant and unpleasant. If a student it too hyper they will not focus on a lesson. If a student is too tired they will struggle with focus and attention. When a feeling takes over the attention of the brain, the emotion center turns off the attention and memory centers of the brain.

As we start school our students learn about the brain and how it works. They learn that the Amygdala is their emotion center and it the part of the brain responsible for "fight, flight, freeze, or faint." They also learn that the memory part of the brain is the Hippocampus. When the Amygdala is firing, and a student is feeling a strong emotion, the Hippocampus is turned off. The brain will not activate the memory when emotions are in control. Students then learn that by taking deep breaths and practicing mindfulness they can wake up the Prefrontal Cortex. This part of the brain is responsible for wise choices. This part of the brain talks to the Hippocampus to help make wise choices and enact memory. When the Amygdala is activated the Prefrontal Cortex will not operate.

Mindfulness is key to helping all of us activate the parts of the brain which are needed for learning and memory.