One of my most favourite memories recently is one of laughter. We were in a conference room, all eighty of us. I was presenting. All of us were laughing. I was laughing so hard it was difficult to breathe, much less talk. What a wonderful memory. Even writing about it accesses positive feelings and inside pictures that offer delight right now. Laughter is powerful. Laughter with (not at) can be a "game changer". ... and ... we know that socially, laughter:
Some recent research looks at the impact of laughter on the brain and body. Some highlights include how laughter:
- guffaw - hilarity - glee - grin - smile - chortle - giggle - chuckle - shriek - belly laugh - roar - howl As July and August approach I am considering how I will
Consider this "sentence frame" ... This summer I will invite laughter by ___________________. When we reward effort, not success, we begin to notice those students why try with little to show for their efforts. Students who struggle with social and emotional gains often make great efforts. We can notice their intentions, notice their efforts, and help build missing skills.
Learning how to calm can be fun! This newest addition to FREE resources at www.CTC1990.com arose out of numerous workshops. Teachers, parents, and counsellors explored underlying (and universal) mechanisms in calming. This dice game became a fun way of:
Dr. Bruce Perry has identified a number of ways that we can calm or energize. These broad mechanisms of regulation help shed insight into the many ways of calming (and energizing). Missing from this list (purposefully absent!) are biochemicals that help us calm (e.g., cup of tea, pharmaceuticals, etc.) Find out more about these strategies in the `Tips for Parents, Educators and Counsellors` found at the back of Instead I ... helping students to survive and thrive at school. Our newest "whiteboard video" was published today. "Just Noticing" takes the viewer through the process of "noticing" changes in the body connected to six basic emotions. Why so basic? Some children and youth (and adults) struggle with self-awareness, with insight, with understanding what they are feeling. These children and youth can benefit from explicit instruction in how to understand themselves. Here is one learning path that can help these child and youth make sense of (and manage) their inner world.
A 2013 Finnish study showed that an emotion (such as anger) is generally felt in the same area of the body for most people. (Check it out! http://www.aalto.fi/en/current/news/2013-12-31/_ or on Youtube ) "Just Noticing" reflects that research, while emphasizing the individual nature of core feelings. And "noticing" is very much a term connected to the "mindfulness" movement. Recent emphasis on the practice of "mindfulness" points to the importance of purposefully directing our attention. "Just Noticing" is the beginning of that practice for those who struggle with self-awareness. Enjoy the seeds of self awareness that you help plant. Enjoy, even more so, the fruit of those seeds as children and youth gain skills to self-regulate! |
Caring.
|