We've just finished our sixth week of the school closure, with Gov. Baker's announcement just this week of the continued closure through the end of this school year in June. With his news, I experienced various different feelings this week: sadness, disappointment, frustration, resignation, among others. I'm sure I'm not alone. Here is a great discussion given by Julia Mozeika, the school psychologist for Abbot, Crisafulli and the Day Schools, talking about an "emotional rollercoaster" and how people may experience different emotions throughout the day. In the next episode (coming soon), she will give some additional strategies on how to calm these emotions.
So what can we do when you're on an emotional rollercoaster?
When you're riding those emotional waves, one of the best things to do is find a place where you can calm your feelings. A great way to find some calm is to create a Calm Corner in your house. A calm corner allows you or your child to calm down when they are in an emotional state. This article explains the ins and outs of calm corners: what they are, the benefits and how to set one up in your home.
Other calming strategies that can be included in your calm corner or on the go include:
- a fidget or squishy items, such as a stress ball, or even a sock or balloon filled with rice
- making a calming jar (instructions here)
- Look & find pages, I Spy or Where's Waldo books
- Listening to calming music or nature sounds
- Watching Zen Den videos, such as:
In addition, below is also a handy chart of various feeling faces that can be used to express how you feel when it's hard to find the words.
Kindness 101
Steve Hartman has continued to create new videos for his Kindness 101 class. Here are his latest episodes: Gratitude and Optimism.
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