Building Resilience
TUSD Mental Health Services Newsletter, 1:2
Gratitude
That spontaneous affirmation of goodness and warmth we generate from within!
This time of year we typically think about our appreciation for family and relationships. However, we have been confronted with a new set of stressors that don’t seem to stop. This stress can make it difficult to identify the things we are grateful for. In this issue of Building Resilience, we want to discuss why gratitude is so important, especially during difficult times. Additionally, we will review some gratitude exercises that can serve as coping skills during the toughest challenges.
How does gratitude help?
Every time a person expresses or receives gratitude, dopamine releases in the brain. Dopamine, a neurotransmitter, is produced in two areas of the brain: the substantia nigra and the ventral tegmental. The former has to do with movement and speech, the latter with reward (Carter, 2009). When a person expresses or receives gratitude, dopamine releases, thus making a connection between the behavior and feeling good. The more a person practices gratitude, the more often dopamine releases. Making us feel better.
Being thankful is an intentional practice or coping strategy, helpful in reducing symptoms of stress, anxiety, and depression. It can be as easy as naming things we are fortunate to have, but it can be difficult when we feel overwhelmed with so much going on in our lives. The following are strategies that can help us identify what you are grateful for.
Mandalas of Gratitude
Shawn Achor
Shawn Achor is a champion for rethinking not only how we view success, but our path to success. His Harvard research has highlighted the importance of practicing gratitude, even during challenging times. The connection between practicing gratitude and increase levels of happiness has never been clearer.
After spending twelve years at Harvard University, Shawn Achor has become one of the world’s leading experts on the connection between happiness and success. His research on mindset made the cover of Harvard Business Review, his TED talk is one of the most popular of all time with over 13 million views. Shawn is the author of New York Times best-selling books The Happiness Advantage (2010) and Big Potential (2018). He has now lectured in more than 50 countries speaking to CEOs in China, doctors in Dubai, schoolchildren in South Africa, and farmers in Zimbabwe.
The following are short videos from his research on gratitude, and a Gratitude Journal for you and your family's gratitude practices:
Turning Pessimism into Optimism
Taking Action Through Journaling
In this clip, the speaker talks about how journaling and gratitude have the greatest impact. Click on the picture to watch the videos.
Gratitude Journal Download
"We all need to practice gratitude because the world needs our empathy"
-Tracey Carson, LMFT
Family Resources
Parent Survey Results
Coping Skills
What are coping skills? Coping skills are strategies and techniques that help reduce negative responses to an emotion that a person is feeling. Identifying and discussing coping strategies will help children and adults manage their feelings when strong emotions arise. Coping skills are essential in helping children and adults communicate their feelings effectively.
Learning to identify emotions is an important first step. Common emotions that people feel are happy, mad, sad, fear, and disgust. When children and adults learn how to communicate their feelings, they are less likely to have negative emotional reactions. They learn how to identify the emotion and respond to their feeling in a healthy manner. There are a few video links below that help both children and adults identify their feelings in various situations. Please take a few minutes to watch the videos with your child. See how many emotions you can identify correctly together. After the videos, ask your child when was the last time he or she felt any or all of these emotions? Conclude the discussion with your child by asking what coping skills did they use when they felt these emotions?
Anxiety in Children
Additional Resources
OC Health Care Agency-Triple-P Program
Support your child’s emotional wellbeing (and improve yours, too!)
We all face challenges sometimes—and recent events have added extra stress into family life. But positive parenting skills and strategies can make a huge difference to your child’s development and wellbeing. And that can have a far-reaching impact on their life, and yours.
The Triple P – Positive Parenting Program is one of the world’s best. Having already helped 4 million children and their families, Triple P gives you proven parenting strategies that will help you develop your child’s talents and life-skills—so they can be happy, confident and successful. In the meantime, your home life will be better too: with rules followed, relationships stronger, and parents who are much less stressed!
Support for Parents of Young Children and Teens
Apoyo para Padres de Ninos Pequenos y Adolescentes
Western Youth Services
CALENDAR OF EVENTS
Notable Mental Health Days in November
National Family Caregivers Month
Military Family Month
National Gratitude Month
International Stress Awareness Day (Nov. 4)
Veteran’s Day (Nov. 11)
International Survivors of Suicide Day (Nov. 23)
Thanksgiving Day (Nov. 26)
National Family Health History Day (Nov. 28)
Family & Community Partnership (FCP) Network: Cyberbullying and Digital Drama: Keeping Kids Safe, Happy, and Healthy in the Digital Age
Register now at:
https://ocde.k12oms.org/1267-195091Tuesday, Nov 17, 2020, 10:00 AM
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Family & Community Partnership (FCP) Network: Connecting School-Family-Community for Student Success
Friday, Dec 11, 2020, 09:00 AM
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Building Resilience is brought to you by the TUSD Mental Health Services Team
The Mental Health Services (MHS) team is made up of clinically trained therapists. Our MHS team has grown significantly over the past six years to meet the mental health needs of general education students. We provide individual and group counseling to TUSD's general education students. Additionally, we facilitate workshops, offer consultation, and collaborate with local community agencies. Students are referred for therapeutic services by their principal and school counselor.
As a team, we aim to be recognized as an entity of support to general education students affected by social-emotional hindrances which prevent them from achieving their educational goals. Moreover, the Mental Health Services Team seeks to project a broad psychoeducational impact by normalizing mental health services throughout the district.
If you have any questions regarding the MHS team or the Building Resilience Newsletter, send us a message.