Week Four
Week Four
Congratulations! You have made it to the fourth and final week of activities, and you should be proud of the progress you have made. The first 3 weeks have given you a great foundation that you can bring with you on your journey back to field! This week of the workbook will give you a look into the world of mindfulness and how you can incorporate this into your everyday life, we will dive into the importance of science as well as the importance of sharing this knowledge, and lastly you will be able to learn a few tricks to improve your learning through certain activities and practice schedules.
Day 1: Meditation/mindfulness
Quote:
"If you want to conquer the anxiety of life, live in the moment, live in the breath." - Amit Ray
Lesson:
Today, we will be going over what mindfulness is and how you can incorporate this idea into your everyday life.
Mindfulness can be described as being present in the moment you are in, and not worrying about what has happened, or what may happen. Being in the present moment can help take your mind away from things you can't control like what has happened in the past, and what may happen in the future, which is a key aspect of recovering from an injury.
Mindfulness doesn't require an extensive amount of time; it just takes a little bit each day.
Activity: Take 2-3 minutes out of the day to do box breathing.
4 second inhale, 4 second hold, 4 second exhale.
repeat this for 2-3 minutes.
Affirmation: I am fully present in each moment of the day, and I embrace where I am at in my journey to recovery.
Day 2: "Science should be shared"
Quote:
"In learning you will teach, and in teaching you will learn." - Phil Collins
Lesson:
Today, we will be discussing the importance of science and how sharing the knowledge you learn can help drastically.
A great term that everyone should know about is adaptive malleability. Adaptive malleability, also known as neuroplasticity, is defined as the ability to adapt or change in response to newly arising circumstances or challenges. You have the power to move forward from this challenge. With adaptive malleability, “you can control our personal narratives and make good despite bad situations. When we do so, we are healthier and happier."
Foods that can help improve memory after a concussion:
Blueberries - high in antioxidants
Nuts - high in antioxidants and healthy fats
Olive oil - can increase your production of BDNF (crucial part of brain cell growth)
Fatty fish - high in Omega-3 fatty acid
Click here to learn more about what to eat and not eat - https://www.flintrehab.com/foods-that-heal-the-brain-after-concussion/.
Activity:
Find 2-3 people that are close to you (family or friends) and share with them one thing you have learned about science and its relation to memory. This could be something you learned from our website, or anything science related that you think is important for everyone to know.
Give as much information as possible and ask the person what they think of the fact you tell them.
Affirmation:
I have expanded my knowledge through sharing science, and I feel confident in my ability to do more of this in the future.
Day 3: Improve your learning
Quote:
"The beautiful thing about learning is that no one can take it away from you." - BB King
Lesson:
Today, we will be going over a certain practice schedule that has been shown to help your memory improve.
Distributive practice - “Better learning occurs when learning episodes are spread out in time than when they occur in close succession, but those learning episodes could involve restudying material, retrieving information from memory, or practicing skills (Dunlosky et al., 2013).”
This is typically used in an athletic setting when creating a practice schedule for athletes, however it can be a useful tool when going through academic work as well.
Activity:
Use distributive practice to remember what distributive practice is.
Might not take very long but it will help you with your activity for tomorrow.
Try memorizing the definition of distributive practice, take a few hours break to take your mind off of things, then revisit the definition and see how well you retained it.
Affirmation:
My learning is starting to grow, and I feel more confident in my ability to understand what is being taught.
Lesson:
Today, we will be going over why handwriting is more effective than typing and how this can help with your memorization.
“Reading a scrawled character seems to activate the neurological instructions for penning it, the mere act of reading the letter replays it anew in our mind (Keim, 2013).”
Looking at a screen has also shown to increase concussion symptoms, so being able to handwrite during your practice will also help ease your symptoms and keep you on track to recovery.
Activity:
Practice distributive practice with handwriting.
Practice handwriting things you would like to remember by using a distributed practice schedule. It is up to you on what you want to practice, whether it is for school or athletics.
Rather than cramming everything you want to remember in one sitting, spread it out and do a little bit of work every other day. It is not a race!
Example schedule: Practice on Monday, Wednesday, Friday, and Sunday for an hour a day. Take Tuesday, Thursday and Saturday off or practice if you are feeling up for it.
Affirmation:
I have invested a lot of time into my recovery, and I am physically and mentally ready to get back into school and sports!
Dunlosky, J., Rawson, A., Marsh, E.J., Nathan, M.J., & Willingham, D.T. (2013). Improving student learning with effective learning techniques. Psychological Science in the Public Interest, 14, 4 – 58.
Keim, B. (2013). The Science of handwriting. Scientific American Mind, 24, 54 – 59. DOI: 10.1038/scientificamericanmind0913-54.
Kleinknecht, E. (2022). PowerPoint Week 13.