It is important for individuals to be able to point out what they are feeling without any judgment attached. Sitting with our emotions helps us better understand what we are feeling, grounding yourself in the present moment is highly important. This worksheet provides questions that could help individuals re-center themselves with their culture and navigate through potential tensions they are facing with their cultural expectations/norms. This worksheet also provides different ways to practice mindfulness for personal practice. 

Mindfulness Practices:

1. 5 - 4 - 3 - 2 - 1 Method - This method helps you ground yourself in the present moment by naming five things you can see, four things you can feel, three things you can smell, two things you can hear, and lastly one thing you can taste. 

2. Box breathing (4 - 4 - 4 - 4) - This is a breathing exercise that can help you regulate and return to the current moment in a relaxed manner. What you do is inhale for four seconds, then hold for four seconds, exhale for four seconds, and again hold for four seconds. You can do this as many times as you like. 

3. Music relaxation - This method uses music to help your mind/body return to a peaceful state. When in stress or beginning to have an anxiety attack play a song that reminds you of home, culture, or serenity. This method works well when you feel unattached to your cultural identity. 

According to the American Psychological Association, mindfulness is defined as "awareness of one's internal states and surroundings." Practicing mindfulness has been proven time and time again to help people all over the world deal with stress and manage their emotions. Here, we have linked a few resources to help you learn about mindfulness and potentially practice it yourself. 

Native American story about practicing mindfulness: Yoga flow for trans bodies: 

https://youtu.be/vzKryaN44ss?si=XXibDCPbe7h7o2q6 https://youtu.be/R5EVv3YmVh8?si=ThW7tliAlxgR6HD5