Mrs. Walsh- Counsellor
A mindful walk is an excellent way to clear your mind of clutter and restore your sense of focus. It is also a great excuse to get out into nature. Several studies have shown that taking a break to look at or be in nature can have a rejuvenating effect on the brain, helping to free up your mind when you feel stuck and boosting levels of attention.1
Incorporate mindful walking into your daily life in as little as 5-10 minutes a day by using all of your senses — sight, hearing, smell, taste and touch — to bring awareness to your body and surroundings.
Here’s how to do it:
- As you walk, notice how your body feels.
- Pay attention to how your legs, feet and arms feel with each step you take.
- Feel the contact of your foot as it touches the ground, and the movement of your body as you move into your next step.
- If you become lost in thought as you continue to walk, use the next step as an opportunity to start over.
- Now using your sense of sight, look around and try to notice every detail.
- Using your sense of smell, notice any aromas or scents.
- Are you able to notice any tastes as you walk? Can you taste the air?
- Now using your sense of touch, notice the solidity of the earth beneath your feet.
- With openness and curiosity, notice any sensations, thoughts or feelings that arise, without lingering on anything in particular.
You could try this track while you're actually walking to guide you as well.
Pete the Cat and His Magic Sunglasses is a fun way to encourage optimism. After lots of adventures with the “cool, blue, magic sunglasses,” Wise Old Owl tells Pete: “‘Pete, you don’t need magic sunglasses to see things in a new way. Just remember to look for the good in every day.”
Pete learns: “TOO COOL! The birds are singing. The sky is bright. The sun is shining. We’re feeling alright!
Pete the Cat and His Magic Sunglasses by Kimberly and James Dean: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tJCG1Ls7a9c
Naming Gratitudes:
In this exercise, I encourage you to write 3 things you are grateful for at the end of each day. Practicing gratitude helps make you more grateful, which is a very good attribute. Grateful people are more energetic, less depressed and generally forgiving of others. This exercise plays an interesting trick on the brain. If you know that you will be writing 3 “gratitudes” each day, you spend that day looking for things to be grateful for, thus tricking your brain into believing that the world is full of positive things. This reinforces positive outlook and teaches optimism. I encourage all of you to share your gratitude with someone everyday! Share your gratitude with Ms. Walsh if you'd like! Her email is emw4906@fmcsd.ab.ca
Extensions if teachers wish to include them:
Discussion Questions:
- What do you do when you feel blue?
- What different feelings were in this book? What other feelings can you think of?
- Why do you think the blue glasses helped Pete?
- Why did Wise Old Owl tell Pete he didn't need the sunglasses?
- Have you ever tried to see the good in every day, like the Owl advised Pete? If you did, what happened?
- Is it okay to feel sad and mad and frustrated sometimes? Why or why not?
Journal Prompts:
- I feel sad when. . .
- Things that make me feel better include. . .
- If I had Pete's magic sunglasses, I would. . .
--
Erin Martens Walsh, M.C.
School Counsellor
St. Martha School
Fort McMurray Catholic Schools
