DEEP BREATHING TECHNIQUES-RESILIENCE AND LEARNING
- Belly breathing - taking three deep breaths in through your nose and exhaling through your mouth - be sure to place your hand on your belly to really feel the breath coming in and going out
- Heart and belly breathing - put hand on heart, hand on belly, try breathing into just belly, just heart, and into both; monitor which feels best; switch hands and see if there's a difference
- Breaths of Different Shapes:
- Star breath - technically, this gives an example more geared to use with kids but it just as easily can be used for us as adults!
- Box Breathing or Square Breathing
- Using analogies to add imagery to your deep breathing practice such as pretending like you are inhaling the smell of a bowl of soup or cup of hot chocolate and then exhaling to blow on it and cool it off
ASSESS YOUR OWN HABITS
What are some ways that a person can engage in healthy, self-care habits? This Self-Care Assessment Worksheet provides a list of self-care strategies and serves as a guide for improving your self-care.
GRATITUDE SELF-JOURNALING BY STACEY CRAIG RIBERDY
This is writing dedicated to helping you evoke, experience and express feelings of gratitude. When feelings of gratitude are cultivated through practice, we have a tendency over time to feel less anxious, sad and lonely, and to feel more secure, calm and connected. Try these brief journaling ideas to begin your own gratitude practice:
- Near bed time, take a few minutes and write down 3 good things that happened during the day AND what your role was in bringing each thing about. Do this daily for at least a week. Research from Martin Seligman found that, for as long as this practice continues, it can be as effective as Prozac! [23, 24]
- You can also create a powerful book-end ritual with just 10 minutes a day: Write down 3 things you are thankful for in the morning and the 3 good things at night. This gets the day started off on a positive note and ends with empowering reflection.
- Yet another variation is to do this aloud with a loved one-spouse, child, friend, etc.-as a ritual at breakfast or dinner or bedtime. You can also do this as a ritual with students at the end of the school day.
- For more about Seligman's work, see these articles: