Maintaining Motivation and Purpose

The best coping advice I can probably give is to recognize that THIS IS HARD. There is no ‘tried and true formula’, there is a lot of uncertainty, and everyone’s circumstances are different. Know that whatever you are doing, you are doing great, and whatever you are feeling is normal and okay right now. The tips in this newsletter are just that - tips that could be helpful - not another checklist of things you ‘should’ be doing. I’m offering several in hopes that one might resonate with your/your family’s situation. We’ve been at this for a few weeks now and it feels like each day comes with its own set of frantic juggling challenges but at the same time each week is about a year. We are out of our routines, experiencing loss, and uncertain as to when or how things might return to a semblance of normalcy. It can be difficult to maintain motivation and a sense of purpose in the midst of all this. Yet motivation and purpose are key - for accomplishing what we need to do, for keeping our sanity and sense of identify, and for allowing us to be present for those who need us. So here are a few tips for maintaining motivation and purpose during challenging times.

• Get Moving: Physical activity is more challenging in the absence of natural opportunities to get up and moving. However, it is important for our immune systems, our ability to feel physically well, and our mental health. Need convincing? Check out this short video on exercise and mental health https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3ZBXldCxZEA

While fitness centers are off-limits right now here are some free resources:

• • North Suburban YMCA has some great virtual classes including zumba, other dance, and kickboxing http://www.nsymca.org/youtube-virtual-wellness

  • Orange Theory is offering a new workout every day that can be done with items you already have in your home with a focus on interval training https://www.orangetheory.com/en-us/athome/

  • Lifetime Fitness has a variety of free online classes including yoga and meditation as well as family classes https://my.lifetime.life/lp/video-workouts.html

  • If weather and the space needed for social distancing permit, getting outside combines the physical and mental benefits of sunlight and fresh air with exercise. Walking, running, dog walking, and bike riding can all be good options.

• Set a Schedule/Routine: Many of us struggle without the structure embedded in our ‘typical’ lives of work, school, and standing leisure and social engagements. Without these things holding us accountable it can be easy to stay in bed, lounge in our pj’s watching Netflix, or spend too many hours online on social media or gaming. However, not having any type of routine often causes us to feel disoriented, more anxious or sad, and ultimately even less motivated. Establishing a routine that incorporates a balance of activities can be helpful in giving our days and weeks some rhythm and helping us feel a sense of purpose. For adolescents and young adults, this routine may not look exactly like the one they kept during the week while at school/work. However, it should be one that fits within the needs of the rest of the family, can be maintained most weekdays, and includes both productive and leisure activities. Some categories to consider including:

  • A morning routine to get up and going. Transition teachers have been sharing a daily morning check-in to help with this.

  • Working/Learning.

  • Independent Living

  • Connection to others: This could include designated times to connect as a family with a shared meal, board game, or conversation time. It can also include phone calls, cards, or virtual chats with extended family members. Students have access to Google Chat and Hangout that they can use for connecting to peers.

  • Health: including getting enough sleep, preparing and eating meals that include different food groups, exercise

  • Leisure: It’s important during this stressful time to have activities that truly feel ‘fun’. These will look different for everyone but should be something you look forward to doing and feel recharged after doing.

  • If you need help setting a specific schedule, the Transition team is available for ideas and consultation

• Find a Positive: All of us are experiencing loss right now, some of us to a more significant extent. We can expect to go through all the emotions that accompany grief. Know that this is a normal and in fact important process. At the same time, taking a few minutes daily to focus on a positive can put us in a more positive frame of mind that can help with motivation.

  • Gratitude journaling: Practicing gratitude regularly has been shown to increase positive emotions and improve well-being. The nice thing about this is that it doesn’t take long to do - just a few minutes each day to reflect on 3-5 things to be grateful for. This can be an especially powerful technique to use to get the day started or to wind down at night to help with sleep. This gratitude journal provides writing prompts for 7 days to begin to build the habit. https://www.therapistaid.com/worksheets/gratitude-journal-three-good-things.pdf

For additional prompts or a different format check out this gratitude jar activity https://www.therapistaid.com/worksheets/gratitude-jar.pdf

While some people like to have a written record of their gratitude statements, you do not need to write them down to experience the benefit. This is something that could also be done as a family where each person shares their gratitude statement(s) from the day.

• Affirmations: This was one of my favorite activities during a graduate school counseling class. On the final class day, each person in the class was given a container. The containers were passed around to each classmate, who wrote something they admired or appreciated about the person on a post-it and put it in that person’s container. We all left with 14 affirmation statements, which I still have and read on tough days (see picture). This is something that could be done as a family, where each family member writes 1-3 affirmation statements about every other member of the family. This could also be an awesome thing to include extended family members in - since statements could be shared via email or mail.

If you have questions or need help problem-solving a specific circumstance going on for you or your family please contact me at klapinski@lfschools.net or 224-217-3253

West Campus is much quieter without our Transition staff and students there, but that hasn't stopped the dedicated maintenance staff from installing our wonderful new kitchen appliances! ~Thank you Bob and Julian! We can't wait to whip up a special treat for you when we return!~

As we progress through our new remote learning schedule, students are completing remote learning assignments at home as well as continuing to work on their independent living skills. Students are also participating in online book clubs, virtual tours from around the world, career research and employment based activities, as well as virtual chats with classmates and staff. We are very proud of our students and their families for all of their hard work.

A few of our students provided us with their perspective regarding remote learning.

1. What has been the most challenging for you since we began social distancing?

Gillian: It has been really hard that I don’t get to actually go to the program and see everyone in person.

Quinn: The most challenging thing for me since we began social distancing is getting help from other people.

Charlie: The most challenging thing since we started social distancing was not being able to go anywhere like school.

2. What is something that surprised you about Remote Learning?

Gillian: The fact that some assignments from remote learning have been really fun surprised me.

Charles: That we were able to video chat.

Quinn: Something that surprised me about Remote Learning is days when Schoology isn’t working.

Charlie: I was most surprised on how much free time after i finish all my work.

3. What assignments have you enjoyed the most so far?

Gillian: I have enjoyed the drawing uplifting one of today’s assignments, the famous people connecting them to their disability or struggles from one of last week’s assignments & the painting or famous art and recreating it with objects from home from tomorrow’s assignments.

Charles: The community exploring assignments.

Quinn: The assignments that I enjoyed so far were the virtual tours of other countries.

Charlie: The assignments that i have enjoyed was book club and doing independent IEP [goal] work.

4. What do you look forward to the most when we return to West campus?

Gillian: Back to what I wrote in the first question I’m excited to see everyone in person when I get back to West campus.

Charles: Seeing everybody again.

Quinn: I’m looking forward to a welcome back party once we return to West Campus.

Charlie: I look forward to seeing everyone because it has been a while.

One of the perks of working from home has been spending more time with our families, including our pets!

We have also enjoyed getting to see each other's adorable pets through group chats and meetings.

We thought it would be fun and uplifting to feature the pets of our Transition Program here in our newsletter.

(Stay tuned for the next newsletter where we will feature more pets from both staff and students!)