Week Three 6/8/20

Wellbeing Thursday

Well, what a week. Most of us never thought we'd ever live under a curfew. Even the word, state of disaster can be very scary for many of us.

It is at these times, that Gratitude and Empathy are so important, which we have covered in the last two weeks. For many of our community however, it may be hard to find these at the moment, particularly families who have suffered job losses. Our thoughts and prayers are with you, and it certainly is normal to experience the hurt that these times bring.

For our students, we need to focus on any positives we can find. We need to lead them to an understanding that the wheel will turn, as far as it seems away these days.

It has often been shown that wealth and happiness do not go hand in hand. The basis for Hugh's work at the resilience project is his work with kids in areas of poverty overseas who were just so happy. Difficult times cause grief. But they can make us focus on the small things. Be grateful for the little things in our life.

This weeks focus in mindfulness. The Resilience Project define mindfulness as: 'Our ability to be calm and present at any given moment. We practice this through slowing down and concentrating on one thing at a time. This could be our breathing, completing a colouring sheet or noticing the noises we can hear.'

Former Sale Bishop, Christopher Prowse, always referred to the language of God is silence. Being able to take moments of silence can be hard. But maybe this pandemic has provided us some more of this time. It can be hard, trying to entertain the kids, provide food and keep the house clean, but teaching our students to take some quiet time can really help. It doesn't have to be meditative, although there is a lot of positive research about the benefits of this for students. It can be just taking some time without noise, doing a quiet activity. We still are allowed to go for that quiet walk. We can colour. We can put our favourite tunes on, and listen, but keep it quieter than normal. Below is the TRP website with more information about Mindfulness.

The link is: theresilienceproject.com.au/at-home/learning/mindfulness/

We are not putting a set activity, because mindfulness is about finding what makes you at peace. Activities ideas can be found under each grade level tab.

Please remember to take it easy. Below are suggested activities not a requirement. Choose the one that makes you feel most happy, and is also achievable without causing the adults in your house any stress!