Be Well Butte Educators; Jan. 2021
A Monthly Wellness Newsletter for Butte County's Educators
Welcome
Self-Compassion
*Self-kindness—we are gentle and understanding with ourselves rather than harshly critical and judgmental.
*Recognition of our common humanity—we feel connected with others in the experience of life rather than isolated and alienated by our suffering.
*Mindfulness—we hold our experience in balanced awareness, rather than ignoring our pain or exaggerating it.
The benefits of cultivating self-compassion are improved well-being, reduced psychological problems, increased happiness and a decrease in anxiety, depression and stress.
Be sure to check out the Greater Good Science Center for more information and related practices to try.
The Transformative Effects of Mindful Self-Compassion
January Action Calendar
Self Care Routines
Wary of Self-Compassion?
MATT TRIES
Each month Matt Reddam, BCOE School & Community Wellness Advisor, tries out a new wellness activity and reports back on his experience. This month, Matt tries the third thing - Mindfulness Coloring.
Someone once told me, "To stay well, you have to find your inner young self and play!" I have to say, it’s not always easy to find one’s younger self. Fortunately, I have two children who make the process of finding ways to play much easier. To try to draw out my younger self, I decided to try mindfulness coloring. Mindfulness coloring has become a niche market, with adult coloring books accounting for an almost 7% increase in adult nonfiction book sales in 2015 (Milliot, 2016). Unlike the coloring books of your childhood, mindfulness coloring books are often more abstract, require more dexterity, and contain calming illustrations with intricate patterns (Barrett, 2015). I employed my two children, Caleb and Liam, to join the process.
Each of us chose a picture that spoke to us to color. My 9-year-old Caleb decided he wanted to color a picture with me, so we chose a parrot. My older son Liam chose a medieval scene with buildings and castles. Given that we have all been trapped inside for the better part of 10 months, I was unsure how calm and focused we could all stay. I was pleasantly surprised! We were all able to focus on our coloring with little talk, and the talk we had was cooperative and calm. My youngest and I worked quietly on our Parrot, discussing colors and technique and my oldest loved to show off how many roofs he had to color. Overall we loved mindfulness coloring for not only calming, but it was a great thing for bonding and something that didn’t involve a screen!
Materials needed: Coloring book/sheets, colored pens, colored pencils, patience, and 30 minutes of quiet.
https://www.bestcoloringpagesforkids.com/mindfulness-coloring-pages.html
Do you have a wellness activity in mind that you would like Matt to try out and report back on? Let us know HERE!
Meditation with Tara Brach: Developing Self-Compassion
Tech Support
And they have a whole page dedicated to Meditation for Self-Compassion on their website. There's a great video from the founder about the benefits and how to practice self-compassion.
Get Your Sleep
Upcoming Wellness Opportunities
Optimistic Closing
Ideas for Future Newsletters?
Maryanne Taylor
Email: mtaylor@bcoe.org
Website: https://www.bcoe.org/Charter--District-Services/Coordinated-District-Support/index.html
Phone: (530)532-5740