Podcast about this activity and My thoughts on mindfulness- PodBean Link (too big to upload, so I guess this is my new platform for podcasting-
Below is My Post to start the blog- and a few responses. The conversation is on-going and I am checking periodically to answer any of their questions addressed to me.
Hello to everyone. I hope you are all doing alright. I know this is scary time. It is unprecedented for sure. Hopefully you are not obsessed with the news (I was, but had to turn off my electronics) it is hard to just stay focused on what we can control. We tend to obsess over what we can't control. We need to focus on what we can- ourselves.
I have been keeping up with my mindfulness routine and I thought it might be good for us as a class to keep up with mindfulness as well. More than ever, being isolated with distance learning, we need to stay connected and support one another. I will continue to do some mindfulness questions and send some videos so we can get some grades for this as well. They will be simple, quick mindfulness discussions.
I opened this up for you to be able to respond to one another. PLEASE be respectful and stay on topic. Your instinct will be to get silly- but don't. Just have a meaningful conversation about mindfulness and your strategies to stay patient and calm during this time. Everyone needs to hear from one another and just feel connected as a class. So let's keep it on topic, appropriate and purposeful. I will have discussions for science as well, separate in this same place.
Watch these videos and just- use the following q's as prompts to have discussions (again- NOT silly, keep them appropriate and purposeful.)
1- Why is it important to stay mindful during this time?
2- How can you calm yourself and stay focused when you get stressed?
3- What is the science behind mindfulness and well meditation? Do you ever take a moment to clear your head- not necessarily sit and meditate but just take a quiet moment so think and relax? (that's a type of meditation)
Headspace | Meditation | Changing Perspective
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=iN6g2mr0p3Q
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=iN6g2mr0p3Q
Here are a few of thew responses:
1: A reason to stay mindful during this crisis is to realize no matter how bad things are, everyone is going through the same thing. Stressing about things will not really accomplish anything.
2: You can do anything that basically distracts you from stress like reading a book, watching movie, play a game, talk with your family, and other things.
3: Meditation can relax mind and increase the "gray area" in the memory, learning, and emotional regulation, while reducing stress at the same time. I don't really meditate, but I do sometimes need to be alone and read a book. This helps me keep control more often.
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1) A lot of people are panicking, and it's important for us to stay calm. Of course we have to follow the guidelines, but drowning ourselves in fear is not going to stop something we can't completely control.
2) I usually listen to music, and I sometimes take some time away from screens to draw and play an instrument. I also try to distract myself from the news.
3) The amygdala decreases gray matter, and your body is more immune. A quiet place doesn't really help me relax, but instead playing music numbs my mind and everything else around me almost blurs out.
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1. It's important to stay mindful because this is an event out of our control so we might as well stay calm.
2. We can calm ourselves by taking a moment to sit and perhaps not think about anything at all. We can also read, listen to music, do things we enjoy, and hang out with friends (virtually or at the park).
3. According to neuroscience research, mindfulness practices (including meditation) dampen activity in our amygdala and increase the connections between the amygdala and prefrontal cortex. Both of these parts of the brain help us to be less reactive to stressors and to recover better from stress when we experience it.
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