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Sometimes, a day can feel really hectic. It can feel like tons of things are happening, out of your control. Maybe you had a frustrating conversation with a parent, or someone in your family, and you feel bad about the way it went.
Other times, it can happen at school, and something doesn't go well with a friend. Or you didn't get the grade you wanted, and now people are going to be mad or disappointed.
Sometimes, so many things happen at once, it's hard to untangle all the feelings you are feeling. You can just feel numb.....or exhausted.......or just overwhelmed. It can just be too much drama
sometimes.
Emotions never announce themselves...they sneak up on you......flooding you with chemicals that can sweep you up in a split second. They can make you want to scream or cry, or hit a wall, or just disappear. It's hard to describe how you feel sometimes.
WHAT ARE YOUR STRESSORS?
We looked at a list of things middle schoolers listed as stressful things that happen. Do you agree with any of these?
SCHOOL HOMEWORK SIBLINGS POPULARITY
SECRETS FRIENDSHIPS GOSSIP COMPETITION
CELEBRATIONS CRUSHES DRAMA BIG PROJECTS
ASKING SOMEONE OUT TALKING TO SOMEONE YOU LIKE
Wouldn't it be great if we could start to notice the emotional build up BEFORE it got to be a boiling, hot mess? Wouldn't it be wonderful if we had a barometer with a warning sensor?
IS THERE AN APP FOR THAT?
YES! There is an app for relaxation and decreasing your anxiety. It was published by BC Mental Health! It's called "MINDSHIFT" and you can download it from the Google App Store.
http://www.anxietybc.com/resources/mindshift-app
Struggling with anxiety? Tired of missing out? There are things you can do to stop anxiety and fear from controlling your life. MindShift is an app designed to help teens and young adults cope with anxiety. It can help you change how you think about anxiety. Rather than trying to avoid anxiety, you can make an important shift and face it.
MindShift will help you learn how to relax, develop more helpful ways of thinking, and identify active steps that will help you take charge of your anxiety. This app includes strategies to deal with everyday anxiety, as well as specific tools to tackle:
Test Anxiety
Perfectionism
Social Anxiety
Performance Anxiety
Worry
Panic
Conflict
Think of MindShift as your portable coach helping you face challenging situations and take charge of your life.
Recommended APPS (from Karen Blesius Rhodes):
My3App: m3app.org (an app to track your safety network)
SAM: Self help anxiety management
Calm: Meditation app
Simply Being: Guided meditation for relaxation and presence
Breathe2Relax Stress management using breathing tools
Relax & Rest Guided meditations
And here are some more wonderful apps for keeping yourself calm and relaxed, for your device!
This website Greatist.com is a site that anyone can access for free. There are a variety of apps, websites and online support forums to help people. Check these out!
ACT Coach: Based on Acceptance & Commitment Therapy (ACT) which aims to help people live with unpleasant thoughts, feelings & impulses without avoiding them or being controlled by them. This app was designed by the VA and is specific to veterans. An app called "PTSD Coach" is also available for veterans and was developed by the VA.
Breathe 2 Relax: Contains instructions and breathing exercises to walk people through stressful moments. The focus is on diaphragmatic breathing which has been documented to reduce the body's "fight or flight" response which is triggered during stress.
SAM: Self-Help for Anxiety Management. University of the West of England. Provides information on anxiety and guidance for putting self-help skills into practice.
And of course, the Lifeline's own, My 3 App. Originally created by California Mental Health Services Authority (CalMHSA) this app allows suicidal individuals to create a safety plan for when they have thoughts of suicide. [AO1]"
FOR YOUR PHONE OR DEVICE, GREAT, CALMING APPS INCLUDE:
HAPPIFY
Rest and Relax
Pacifica
Each Day
Afternoon Affirmations
Let us know about the calming apps you find and recommend, also!
It would be so reassuring if you had a calm, quiet place you could go to, until the big waves of emotion had a chance to calm back down. Even if you can't leave where you are, you can always feel calmer........
Mindfulness relaxation or "deep breathing" can really lower the feelings of anxiety or frustration......all it takes is a few minutes to focus on your breathing, and your body will actually, physically feel much calmer ......(ahhhh)..as you focus on that still, quiet place B-E-T-W-E-E-N each breath, you will find a space for peacefulness to come and rest there. And the cool thing is, you get better at it, the more you practice! That's why so many people call meditation a "practice ! If you'd like to try it, check out:
GUIDED MEDITATION TO RELEASE ANXIETY: 30 Minutes
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6vO1wPAmiMQ
GUIDED MEDITATION: HOT AIR BALLOON RIDE; 14 Mins
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vlv6Y1tq1sQ
GUIDED MEDITATION; BEDTIME RELAXATION: 53 Mins
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=k4oS680-Dnw
OR, IF YOU ONLY HAVE A MINUTE......
Check out this quick relaxation site called
http://www.donothingfor2minutes.com
but if you even touch the mouse, the keyboard, the 2 minutes resets and starts over! Soooo, do NOTHING!
WANT MORE HAPPINESS?
Check out this WONDERFUL website called " Happify" ......lots of ways to create a more happy you!
http://my.happify.com/public/science-of-happiness/
What is "Mindfulness" anyway?
This is the definition of mindfulness from www.franticworld.com
Mindfulness is a very simple form of meditation that was little known in the West until recently. A typical meditation consists of focusing your full attention on your breath as it flows in and out of your body. Focusing on each breath in this way allows you to observe your thoughts as they arise in your mind and, little by little, to let go of struggling with them. You come to realise that thoughts come and go of their own accord; that you are not your thoughts. You can watch as they appear in your mind, seemingly from thin air, and watch again as they disappear, like a soap bubble bursting. You come to the profound understanding that thoughts and feelings (including negative ones) are transient. They come and they go, and ultimately, you have a choice about whether to act on them or not. Teachers at West and North School are already using Mindfulness in their classrooms. You will see it show up at Crocker over the next school year!
Read more here:
http://franticworld.com/what-is-mindfulness/
......or here......
http://www.thehappinesstrap.com/mindfulness
And it's scientific!!!!!
Want to learn more about your own mind? Take the BRAIN TALENT PROFILE ONLINE and get instant feed back on the six top "apps" your brain likes to use!!! (It's 144 questions, so it will take some PERSEVERANCE, but it's so worth it.....just keep going!)
http://quest.6seconds.it/Quest/122c8ea4-af08-4b53-bb9f-f3c94e2353a4
Another great link from England..........
http://mindfulnessforstudents.co.uk/students/
And Crocker STUDENTS highly recommend:
The Quiet Place Project http://thequietplaceproject.com/
thequietplaceproject.com/thequietplace
(the Dawn Room may be blocked by Securely, try from home)
thequietplaceproject.com/thedawnroom/
THE QUIET PLACE "THOUGHTS ROOM" is wonderful!
http://thequietplaceproject.com/thethoughtsroom/?page=thethoughtsroom&lang=
7 Cups of Tea (live chat website with counselor/listeners)
http://www.7cupsoftea.com/
( apps available for download at the App store for androids/iphones)
Some super-helpful ideas to get you feeling calmer and more in control of your emotions:
1.) Journaling your feelings, writing down your thoughts and feelings is a way to get them out of your mind, and somewhere safe, where they can remain, until you're ready to look at them
2.) Listening to music........ check out the list of relaxing music clips at the end of this webpage. Or play your own music that helps you dance off the stress, or calm down and relax.
3.) YOGA! Stretching, walking around the block, dancing with your ear buds....all great ways to get your body to calm down and burn off that stress!
4.) Meditate.......it really works. Asking your body to slow down its breathing actually releases endorphins, chemicals your body makes to get you calm and relaxed!
5.) Aroma therapy. Believe it or not, there are flowers and herbs that create aromas that calm us down, and make us feel more secure. They include: lavender, mint, Rosemary, and
jasmine, and sage. They work on animals too, isn't that cool!
Learn more about it at the end of this webpage.
6.) Talking to someone you trust, who will just listen, and allow you to work out the issue.
7.) Calling a Hotline, a warm-line, or a Chat Room, like "OnYourMind.net" or the Adolescent Crisis Line at (650) 567-KIDS
8.) Visit the area in the Crocker library called "A Calm, Quiet Place", where relaxation tools, CD's, books, stress balls, stuffed animals, and other stress-buster tools are located. They can all be checked out! And there are some materials for stressed out parents and teachers, too!
A NEW KIND OF INTELLIGENCE! SOCIAL EMOTIONAL INTELLIGENCE, OR "SEI". SEL goals for students include:
- Self Awareness
- Self Management
- Social Awareness
- Relationship Skills
- Responsible Decision Making
Here are some experts on the subject and places to find more info!
- A Still, Quiet Place website with Amy Saltzman
She has a CD about Mindfulness, listed in the Resource list
- 6 Seconds with Anabel Jensen www.6seconds.org
- Cindy Sibley, MFT
- Sunita Lokuge
- Lorea Martinez
- SMARTLY U www.smartlyU.com
- CA SEL www.casel.org
- Institute for SEL www.instituteforsel.org
SPIRIT ROCK IS A MEDITATION CENTER IN SANTA CLARA COUNTY
Their new series for teens (high schoolers) begins October 2015. See details below:
https://www.spiritrock.org/calendarDetails?EventID=4084
OTHER INSPIRING RESOURCES!!! CD's, Books, Websites, ideas !
7 WAYS TO TURN YOUR DAY AROUND!
WORDS MATTER! Positive Self-Talk is a very powerful tool to cultivate for life, and it reaps tremendous rewards in terms of self-esteem, and even affects your immune system!. Speak to yourself like you would talk to your best friend. Patience, tolerance, and cheering yourself on....... Never, ever, put yourself down. Just praise, kindness, and respect. It will pay off in a very short time. Kindness and respect always does!
Read on below to learn about Dr. Emoto's famous Water Study. See what happened to simple water molecules when they were spoken to kindly every day.
Please watch this video of the famous Masaru Emoto experiment
and you can learn even more, here.....
If humans are more than 70% water, what's happening to the molecules inside us when we are spoken to kindly? Or unkindly?
Read a book from the SEL library at Crocker and write a review! Earn prizes and help others with your book recommendations!
What did you think of this book? Or this one?
Worried about tests and grades? Did you know that there was an entire website dedicated to the topic of test anxiety? Yep, it's a fast growing problem among young people like you. And there are ways to help keep yourself calm while studying and taking tests. Check this out:
http://kidshealth.org/teen/school_jobs/school/test_anxiety.html
Trouble sleeping? Is your mind too busy to relax and get sleepy? Worried about something? You can use meditation to relax at night also!
Try this link for an hour of tranquil music:
- 1 hour of relaxing music
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VzrHvwWjXEs&list=RDVzrHvwWjXEs#t=2779
Try this link for ASMR, whispering story tellling, "Wander On, Charlotte":
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=czs683xWvp8
Here's another link to ASMR, 12 minute how to make a mini Zen garden:
www.stillquietplace.com To purchase a copy of Dr. Amy Saltzman's CD, "A Still, Quiet Place"
The “Still Quiet Place” is a special place inside of you that you can visit anytime. It is especially helpful to visit if you are feeling angry, sad, afraid, or upset. Let’s go there now….Take a slow deep breath. Close your eyes and feel a warm easy smile in your body…. Do you feel it? (If not no worries) Your Still Quiet Place is always inside of you and with practice you can learn to find it just by taking some slow easy breaths. www.stillquietplace.com
BULLYING......WHAT NOT TO DO!
'Seems like a lot of people are singing and speaking out about bullying lately. Bullying is a terrible thing to do to anyone. If you witness bullying, be brave and stand up for kindness and respect. It's the right thing to do.
Here's a touching audition on Britain's Got Talent, from a young guy who used to be bullied. Great way to turn that around and persevere!
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mMxVPmVIVf4
MORE INFORMATION ABOUT AROMA- THERAPY AND THE SCENTS THAT MAKE US CALM
Aromatherapy uses essential oils to relax, balance and rejuvenate body, mind and spirit. It is both an art and a science. Aromatherapists artfully blend essential oils to produce new aromas.
Aromatherapy can improve quality of life on a physical, emotional and spiritual level. The idea is to find the scents that evoke positive feelings and emotions; and then to introduce those scents into our everyday lives to enhance well-being.
As you inhale an essential oil for the first time, think of the emotions that come to mind.
Good Introductory Oils
Good Introductory Oils
* Lavender: Balancing, soothing, clarifying, normalizing
* Eucalyptus: Purifying, invigorating, balancing, cooling
* Peppermint: Revitalizing, refreshing, energizing, cooling
* Rosemary: Clarifying, warming, invigorating
* Ylang Ylang: Romantic, sweet
* Sweet Orange: Cheering, refreshing, uplifting
* Bergamot: Uplifting, normalizing, confidence building
* Lemon: Energizing, uplifting, refreshing, strengthening
* Geranium: Uplifting, balancing, relaxing, normalizing
* Patchouli: Romantic, uplifting, soothing
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