Embedded Files
"There are only two ways to live your life. One is as though nothing is a miracle. The other is as though everything is a miracle". -Albert Einstein
Emotional Wellness is an important part of self care that is often overlooked. There are many aspects to emotional wellness that you may have not considered as a part of this practice. Practicing emotional wellness includes:
Reflecting on your own personal values and how they affect your decision making
Regularly participating in centering activities such as meditation, prayer, chanting and mindfulness.
Learning to say “no” and prioritizing your own health, wellness, and relaxation without feelings of guilt
Setting boundaries and sticking to them
Practicing forgiveness (to both yourself and others) and self acceptance
Seeking therapy for unresolved issues or overwhelming feelings, or emotions that are hard to get past.
(Advancement Courses, n.d.)
Brain Tricks
Brain Tricks
Breathing Techniques
Often times when you are stressed, your body kicks into the "flight or fight" response. Deep breathing helps your body to signal the nervous system to calm down.
Apps that Promote Relaxation/ Breathing Techniques
"Brain Tricks"
There are some psychological "brain hacks" that can help your body when it is in an anxiety attack or disregulated. A few strategies you can try:
Tapping: Tapping in certain parts of the body can send signals to your body to relax
Sour candy: eating a very sour candy like "Toxic Waste" or "Warheads" can break you from focusing on the physical symptoms and shock you out of a full blown panic attack
5 finger touch relaxation: As you breathe deeply, touch your thumb to your forefinger. Then touch your thumb to your middle finger, then to your ring finger, and pinkie. Do that back and forth while deep breathing. Each finger can represent a different thought or idea to further relax your mind and ease anxiety.
5-4-3-2-1: This is a grounding technique that has you focus on your senses by finding 5 things you can see around you, 4 things you can touch, 3 things you can hear, 2 things you can smell, and 1 thing you can taste. (Cleveland Clinic, 2020.)
Reality Check: Check in with reality when you start to spiral by asking yourself three questions:
On a scale from 1-100, how likely is the thing I'm anxious about to happen?
Do I have good reasons to think things will go wrong?
Is there a chance I'm overly worried?
(Delzell, 2021.)
Muscle Relaxation
Muscle Relaxation
Progressive relaxation is the process in which you breathe in and tighten muscles, and as you breathe out you progressively relax a muscle group. Check out the different muscle groups and how you can tighten and relax each muscle groups here. Other similar techniques are honey and body scans.
In the honey technique, tighten your whole body. Close your eyes and visualize that a heavy liquid (like honey) is being poured over your body from your head slowly down to your toes. As the honey is poured, all of the tension also melts out of your muscles and out of your body. End the session by laying quietly on the ground breathing in and out.
In the body scan technique, tighten each muscle group. As you unclench as you breathe out, in your minds eye, visualize scanning your body beginning at the top of your head and working your way slowly towards the toes. Slowly relax each muscle group on an exhale, and as you scan, notice muscles that are tight and have a harder time relaxing as you unclench. Pay special attention on those areas until they relax.
Visualization & Guided Imagery
Visualization & Guided Imagery
Guided imagery works hand in hand with visualization. Having someone else guide you through imagining yourself if a calm and comforting situation can help keep you relaxed and focused on the activity.
Visualization can be used for a variety of different reasons: for motivation to reach a goal, to reduce anxiety when in a stressful situation, to relax your body, or to build confidence. Here are some ways that you can use visualization to help you achieve your goals:
Create a vision board. Include items that represent goals you would like to do, things you would like to have, characteristics of what you would like to be. Imagine yourself achieving those goals, and think about the steps that you will need to take in order to achieve those goals. Write the steps down and make smaller goals to achieve them. Return often to your vision board to envision the goals you have made for yourself coming true.
Create a "happy place". Imagine yourself in a boat on the ocean, or in a lush forest next to a babbling brook, or curled up on a comfy couch reading a book during a rainstorm, or sitting next to a beach and listening to the waves crashing. Everyone's "happy place" may be different. When feeling overwhelmed or stressed, envisioning your happy place while doing breathing exercises can give you a temporary mental escape to help calm your body and mind.
Remember a happy memory from your past. Maybe this was the day you got engaged, or a trip you took, or a day you spent reading in bed or hiking a gorgeous mountain. Whatever your happy memory, remember how you felt on that day. Remember the details of what happened. Remind yourself that everything, good and bad, is temporary. You will have good experiences again. You will have bad experiences and will live through them. That is what being alive is all about.
Mindfulness
Mindfulness
Mindfulness is defined as "a moment-to-moment awareness of one's experience without judgement." (Davis & Hayes, 2012 ) This can be achieved through other relaxation strategies mentioned, like meditation, yoga, and tai chi. Mindfulness seems to be a fad right now, so what is so great about mindfulness when compared to other relaxation techniques? Mindfulness can help reduce depression and rumination, reduce stress, improve working memory, improve focus, create more cognitive flexibility, and better relational satisfaction. (Davis & Hayes, 2012)
You can turn just about anything into a mindfulness activity. The trick is to notice everything that you have in your environment, without judgement. This can be done while driving, eating, walking, gardening, or resting. Tune into your senses. What sensations do you feel as you do this activity? What do you feel? What do your clothes against your body feel like, or the thing you are sitting/laying on? What sounds can you hear? What do you smell? Notice these things in your environment, the textures and smells, the sounds and sights, and let them pass through your awareness without judgement. That's mindfulness!
Mindfulness can also be done in conjunction with other relaxation techniques such as yoga, meditation, or progressive body relaxation.
Mindfulness can help:
Lower stress
Reduce blood pressure
Decrease pain levels
Improve digestion
combat anxiety, depression and insomnia
help one quit smoking
(Advancement Courses, n.d.)
Mindfulness
&
Meditation Apps
Headspace Calm
The Mindfulness App
iBreathe Insight Timer Smiling Mind UCLA Mindful
Practicing Gratitude
Practicing Gratitude
A few gratitude journaling & meditation prompts:
Who is a person in my life? What do they do or how do they make my life better?
How would my life be different without this person or thing in my life? What would I be missing out on?
Think back on a time when you did not have something and how it affected you, like when your power went out, your car broke down, you didn't have enough money, etc.
Write a letter to someone who has impacted your life. Think outside your every day interactions to others who you are grateful for like doctors, pastors, therapist, mailman, sanitary worker, or government official.
Practicing Gratitude
Practicing gratitude has many benefits. It can lower stress, change your perspective on what is important to you and not take the things that you have in your life for granted, it can help you become more self aware , and it can help you look back on things you are grateful for on difficult days.
One study in Australia found that school leaders who used gratitude journaling were able to balance the good and the bad more evenly, find value in school based relationships, find more appreciative problem solving, experience more positive emotions, which in turn made them happier leaders. (Waters & Stokes, 2015.)
You can practice gratitude in a variety of ways. You may go for a gratitude walk and think of all of the things you are grateful for as you walk. You may take a few minutes at your desk to do some deep breathing as you consider the things you are grateful for. You may journal or just jot down notes. As you continue to develop your gratitude, a few things to consider:
Be as specific as possible
Go for depth over breadth. Think deeply about one person or thing that you are gratitude, and all of the aspects of that person or thing, rather than a variety of different things that you consider superficially.
Consider people you appreciate and are grateful for more than things.
Consider subtraction instead of addition. What would your life be like if this person/thing was not in it? It can help you not take these things for granted.
Consider good things as "gifts" and savor surprises.
(Greater Good In Action, n.d.)
Resources
Resources
Advancement Courses (n.d.) Self-care for teachers
Davis, Daphne M., and Jeffery A. Hayes. “What Are the Benefits of Mindfulness?” Monitor on Psychology, American Psychological Association, 2012, https://www.apa.org/monitor/2012/07-08/ce-corner.
Delzell, Emily. “How to Stop Feeling Anxious Right Now.” WebMD, WebMD, 30 Aug. 2021, https://www.webmd.com/mental-health/features/ways-to-reduce-anxiety.
"Five-Finger Relaxation Technique.” Five-Finger Relaxation Technique | Human Resources | Nebraska, https://hr.unl.edu/five-finger-relaxation-technique/.
Pogored. “Worry Much? 7 Tricks for Managing Anxiety.” Cleveland Clinic, Cleveland Clinic, 28 Oct. 2020, health.clevelandclinic.org/worry-much-7-tricks-for-managing-anxiety/.
Waters, L., & Stokes, H. (2015). Positive education for school leaders: Exploring the effects of emotion-gratitude and action-gratitude. The Australian Educational and Developmental Psychologist, 32, 1-22.
Page updated
Report abuse