Mindfulness
For Counselors
Think about the question "How are you doing?" How often do you ask that question of yourself, colleagues, students, children etc.? Think again about the question. Put it in the context of self. Do you "do"? or Consider changing the thought. Rather than asking how you do, ask how you be? One of the main ideas of mindfulness is to 'do' less and to 'be' more. Mindfulness is most importantly about living in the moment. Do you know how to live in the moment? The practice of mindfulness is an excellent tool to reduce stress and learn how to just 'be'.
You aren't alone
If you sometimes think that you are the only one who feels overwhelmed by the care you give others, think again. ASCA recorded this podcast of two counselors, their moment of compassion fatigue and how they have used mindfulness and positive self talk to be healthier in their jobs.
Mindfulness for Self
Below are some resources to help you learn and practice mindfulness.
The Calm School Initiative
Calm Premium costs $59.99 annually but educators can get this premium for free. Click on the image above to access the sign up page to receive your free educators account.
Mindful Meditation for Teachers
This YouTube channel is mindfulness just for teachers!
Aura
Mindfulness meets AI. 3-minute guided meditation session every day.
This is youtube playlist for the Austin Independent School District Mindfulness. Excellent resource for you to see what other schools have done.
Stop, Breathe & Think
Stop Breathe & Think is a website and app that provides guided meditations based on how you are feeling at that moment. There are a great number of FREE meditations starting at just a couple minutes long.
Smiling Mind
This free app offers mindfulness programs for teens focusing on transitioning to high school and an additional set of mindfulness practices for students as they plan for the future.
Headspace
Student and teacher friendly app. Headspace offers educators pro accounts for just $12 per year. Click the image above to get to the educators page. This is a savings of over . As an FYI, Headspace also offers discounted accounts to college students ($9.99 a year).
Insight Timer
This is a free mindfulness app with sooo many resources. Check it out by clicking the image.
Omvana
Available on IOS, Android and web, Omvana is free for users and features hundreds of mindfulness resources. This could be helpful for personal or classroom use.
Calm of NEPA is a locally run initiative in mindfulness that has developed a program for educators and classrooms. Classes are frequently run through NEIU 19. Their facebook page is the easiest way to stay abreast of their offerings.