 Calamity - an event causing great and often sudden damage or distress; a disaster.
Hey Teachers - leave your resources behind and teach using only technology. Do this from the comfort of your home. All you need is your computer. And guess what? Your family will be by your side. Figuratively AND literally! Hey Parents - your wish to work from home has come true! You not only get to do your own work, but your children can do their work beside you and you can help them along the way. No more wondering about what they’ve been up to in school. You get be their head teaching coach! Oh Heyyyy Kids - remember the “I don’t want to go to school…” feeling that you’ve had? Your wish has come true, too! AND you don’t have to do six hours of school work. Only 2-3 hours, k? All from your computer though. And we won’t harass you with how much you are on your phone - you can use technology to communicate with your friends anytime! Just no connecting in person though, ok? Lounge around all you want. Ask for snacks every hour. Oh and you can go outside whenever you want, but just stay in our yard. Wave to your friends and neighbors. No touching. And most importantly, wash your hands for 20 seconds. And definitely don’t touch your face. Wipe down everything you use regularly or have used in the past month. And keep at least 6 feet from one another if you do have to go out. And god forbid you have a loved one who is sick or dying, but if you do, you will have to say your goodbyes from a distance. This just scrapes the surface of the changes we are feeling around the world. Our rug of life as we know it has come out from under us. We now have slippery, but strong, wood floors beneath our feet. It looks different. It feels different. It’s certainly not as comfortable as the rug was, but it does offer a solid foundation to hold us up. How we move about on this floor beneath us will be different. But we can move about with careful confidence. We need to be more conscious, more intentional with our movements, as slipping can be easy. This analogy offers a reminder of how we can view the changes. Our world is shifting before our eyes. It will never be the same. It was unexpected for every single person. We are in this together. We have the choice to resist the change or to move with the change...with intentional care and precision. If your choice is the latter, here are some thoughts to consider this week. Every day, repeat the following three steps as needed. But no less than once a day. Clear - Breathe - Savor Clear the Plate: acknowledge any worry or anxiety that you are feeling. Write it down. Don’t judge it, just write. When you are done, read back over the list and label it. Yes that’s in your control or no it’s not in your control. Spend no more than five minutes on this. Then leave those stresses behind and continue on with your day, hopefully feeling a bit lighter. Breathe for an 8 Count: throughout the day, we have many things that may trigger an immediate reaction. Before responding to the stimulus (like spilled juice on the floor or an insensitive email from a co-worker), take a conscious deep breath. Then respond. Reflect on how your response is now compared to what it could have been without the breath. Savor the Experience: We have many experiences that are worth savoring throughout each day. However, we may not always be fully present to savor the experience. The more that we intentionally focus on savoring the positive experiences in life, the more our brain becomes attuned to it and the more joyful our life can actually become. Many of us have the gift of time with each other right now while social distancing. While keeping ourselves and our loved ones healthy, we can choose to embrace the time together. And be deeply thankful that we are in good health. Many people around the world don’t have the same choices as we do.
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 It’s 2020. Are you in as much disbelief as I am? For me, it’s that last little reminder that my 30s are beyond me and my 40s are full speed ahead. Ahh! My heart used to race when I thought about the age of forty and I’d quickly push the thought out of my head. But as I repeat “twenty-twenty” over in my head, two words keep ringing: clear vision. This is the year to welcome clarity. To welcome clear, 20/20 visions of what experience lies in front of you. Not what you think is there or what you wish was there, but what is truly, authentically there...no matter what age we may be.
Often - without intention - our thoughts hijack the present moment. They pass judgment on the situation or make unfair assumptions. Our emotions then begin to overshadow the present and our mind begins to race away from what lies in front of us; the presence. And before we know it, an entire story has been told that is completely different than what the experience was intended to be. As we move full speed ahead into this new year, this new decade, I welcome you to consider the mantra of “twenty-twenty.” I wonder what could happen to our relationships if we commit to starting with this clear vision communication with our children. For example, when they come to us with a concern, we apply the STOP method as adults (which works wonders for kids!). We... *Stop what we are doing and turn to our child *Take a breath - and breath in “twenty” and out “twenty” as our mantra *Observe what is happening. What emotions are they displaying? Who and what is around them? Does it match the words they are expressing? *Proceed without assumption or judgment of what they need, but proceed in response to what is authentically there Mindful communication can be challenging in our busy world. We are often trying to accomplish too much all at once that we miss out on the intended message or lesson that the presence brings. What could have been a 20/20 experience turns into a 40/88...or worse. However, it doesn't have to be this way. We have the power to change the experiential murkiness into precision. Is it easy? Of course not, but think about the ripple effect of such authentic communication and presence… Wishing you peace, prosperity and presence in 2020 - Happy New Year! XO Christy Lynn P.S. Want to learn more about Mindful Parenting? A new online course is going to be released this month (January 2020) to support the quest towards living with more presence, equanimity, compassion, emotional regulation and attention.  We are approaching a new school year. This often brings about new goals and dreams - for yourself and your students. What if you considered picking up a consistent mindfulness practice for yourself? Like REALLY doing it, not just here and there when you can? Consider this...
Mindfulness is a practice-just like learning a new instrument, picking up cooking, or trying out a new sport. It doesn't just happen. It takes time. It takes practice. It is always evolving. And you know what, it is not easy to do everyday. Let's say you just turned 40 (like myself) and you decided to set a goal to run a half marathon (I just may have done this). If I was to sign up to run 13.1 miles on a whim and tried to do it with little or no training, I would be in a lot of pain. And quite frankly, I'd feel like a miserable failure. This is such a parallel story to many people's first experiences with mindfulness and meditation. "Ugh...I tried it but I can't sit still for 5 minutes - and certainly not 20 like they recommend." I hear this at least three times a week. Okay, then don't. Don't do it for 20 minutes. Don't do even do it for 5 minutes. Try it for one minute. And then build up your endurance. Just like I can do with the half marathon training. I'm sure you wouldn't recommend running 12 miles on day one. I'm pretty sure I'd hear to start with a mile - and then two - back to one - up to three...and so on. Just like my heart and quads immersed in running, I need to give them time to build up. But with more practice and training, the stronger they become and the more enjoyable running is. The same goes with our brains. Our brains are plastic - that is, they can reorganize and form new connections with repetition and new learning. If we are more deliberate in what we choose to focus on, we can ultimately have more control over our response to experiences, impacting not only our own and happiness and well-being, but our relationships and the well-being of others. But in order to do this, start small. Start realistic. Start with sitting in peace for just a minute or two and slowly build up. Your brain will start to reap the benefits, as will your entire body. And remember, it's a practice. There will be some easy days and some tough ones. Just keep going. You've got this, Christy xo Wondering how the brain can actually change? Check out this 4 minute video from Professor Richard Davidson from the Center for Healthy Minds. |
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I'm obsessed. This is fabulous. LOVE that you are doing this. The new way of being a student forces us to think outside the box and approach how we teach more dynamically. ~Derek, Father of 2 and Elementary School Principal
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Just a girl with a dream to collectively build a healthy mind space for children, while creating a healthier mind space for ourselves. 
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Healthy Mind Space offers mindfulness coaching and workshops to professional educators, preschools & childcare centers, and families throughout the Rochester, NY area. By practicing mindfulness in our everyday lives, and through intentional interactions in our classrooms, I believe we can help kids develop a greater capacity for kindness, compassion, positivity, self-confidence and the opportunity to achieve their full potential. |
