HUSD School Counselor Bulletin
Staff Edition for the Week of April 13-17
Keeping Balance the Best We Can.
This newsletter is filled with articles, tips, and videos to help you feel reinvigorated, replenished, and valued for all that you do. In times like these, it's easy to feel overwhelmed and despairing. To stay positive for your students, your families, yourself, we hope you'll take some time every day for self-care. Thank you to our staff for all that you do.
A Mindful Moment - A Guided Meditation
To participate in a 5 minute guided calming meditation, you can try this link:
A walk in the woods.
To take a virtual walk in the woods and listen to the sounds of nature, try using this link:
The surf tumbles in.
To watch the waves roll in and listen to the surf meeting the sand, try using this link:
Nature stuns.
To watch sunsets on the water and listen to the water and surrounding nature, try using this link:
Remember What is in Your Circle of Control
Anxiety, stress and frustration come when we try to control things that are outside of our circle of control. As we encounter the unprecedented issues of school closure, social distancing, home isolation, and face the pandemic crisis that COVID-19 has brought into our lives it is important to remember what we can control.
How to Make Stress Your Friend
We have been conditioned to believe that stress is bad for our health. When we are under stress, our heart can pound harder, our breathing can quicken, and our foreheads can begin to sweat. Health psychologist, Kelly McGonigal urges us to see stress as a positive and introduces us to an unsung mechanism for stress reduction: reaching out to others.
To View Kelly McGonigal's TED Talk on Making Stress Your Friend
Exercise Helps.
Maybe you're stuck indoors; maybe you have opportunities for outdoor recreation. Whichever it is, building in daily exercise is good for both overall health and mental health. Here's a list of top free workout apps.
You Can Use Cooking and Baking to Gain Control and Calm Anxiety
Research has shown that baking and cooking are excellent ways to reduce stress and anxiety and to gain control over situations that are outside of your sphere of influence. Cooking and baking require focus, attention to detail, and provide sensory input.
To learn about 7 Recipes that You Can Make When you are feeling anxious, click this link.
Use Journaling as a Way to Process Your Thoughts and Emotions
Keeping a journal of your thoughts, feelings and emotions can be a very constructive way to chronicle your experiences in the moment. They also give you the gift of time, as you can return to them and reflect and gain perspective.
To read more about how journaling can help you and to get some journaling ideas, follow this link.