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Mindfulness

"Mindfulness is paying attention in a particular way: on purpose, in the present moment, and non-judgmentally."  - Jon Kabat Zinn  (Mindfulness Based Stress Reduction)

MINDFULNESS

Mindfulness learning and practice continues at Northwood.

June 5: Kind and Caring
This week, consider how you can use mindfulness and heartfulness to show kindness and caring.  If things are going well as you play, take a moment to send kind or grateful thoughts to the kids in your class.  If you find yourself in a conflict with other kids, notice how you are feeling.  Are you angry?  Frustrated?  Sad?  Take some mindful breaths and think about whether you want to act on those feelings.  How could you handle the situation without being mean or causing more conflict?  Could you take more deep breaths?  Walk away?  Ignore it and keep playing?  Ask an adult for help?  Being mindful of how we feel allows us to make choices about
how we act.

June 12: Breathing
This week is an exciting week. It is the last week of the school year.  You may be feeling excited for summer, sad to leave your friends, nervous about next year, impatient for the week to be over, or many other emotions.  This week, try to be mindful of your feelings.  What do you feel in your body?  How will you label the emotions you are having?  What will you choose to do in reaction to those emotions.  Returning to mindful breathing can help us become more aware of our feelings.  It can help us slow down our reactions and give us the time to choose how we want to act.  Take some time each day to engage in mindful breathing and to notice and be present with your feelings.

Our focus character trait for June is Honesty. Honesty means telling the truth. Demonstrating honesty means you tell the truth, even if it is a truth that acknowledges you made a mistake or a bad choice. When we are honest, we tell the truth about things that make us happy or proud, and we also tell the truth about things that might make us feel embarrassed or challenged. When we are honest, our friends and family develop trust in us, and this helps us build strong friendships. This month, focus on telling the truth.  If you don’t know how to do something, admit it.  There are people who will help you to learn. If you make a mistake or hurt someone's feelings, be honest about it. This is a great first step to solving a problem.