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Steven Hickman, Psy.D., executive director of the Center for Mindful Self-Compassion, offers this timely perspective on managing our new virtual reality.

I've been teaching mindfulness and compassion for about twenty years now, and I believe I thrive when I'm sitting with a group of people open to exploring this transformative practice. Friends and family have known me to "come alive" when I am teaching and I feel a familiar surge of excitement and animation when I have those opportunities. But the other day, a colleague invited me to co-teach a short compassion session online with her. I deeply appreciated the invitation but immediately declined because I just haven't felt like a teacher since this virus invaded our lives. I've worked my tail off in other ways, but something had me holding back from teaching. I knew in my bones that I couldn't do this, but that made me curious.

I've spent hours in Zoom meetings of various sorts the past couple weeks, connected with dear friends in China, Australia, England, Israel, Spain, Singapore, Canada, Switzerland and Croatia (to name just a few). I have felt joy arising to see the faces and hear the voices of people whose faces and voices I first encountered when we were breathing the same air, standing in the same physical space, each (in Dan Siegel's term) "feeling felt" by the other. And so it was nice to be with them electronically in this age of social distancing and sheltering in place.

And that was it, it was nice.

I've been so busy lately that I thought perhaps I was just fatigued. But the more it happens, the more I realize that I end up feeling both connected but disconnected to these dear people. And I have heard multiple accounts of therapists doing tele-therapy and sharing how exhausted they feel after several sessions online.

Zoom Exhaustion Is Real

There is a different quality to our attention when we are online. We are hyper-focused on the few available visual cues that we normally gather from a full range of available body language. Or perhaps, we are totally distracted and checking email while we are supposed to be conversing or listening intently to a colleague's detailed presentation. If we are with several people online at the same time, we are simultaneously processing visual cues from all of those people (and perhaps a handful of their pets and children too!) in a way we never have to do around a conference table. It is a stimulus-rich environment, but just like rich desserts, sometimes too rich is just too much.

If we are with several people online at the same time, we are simultaneously processing visual cues from all of those people in a way we never have to do around a conference table.

And when we start to be over-stimulated by extraneous data that we haven't had to process in the physical world, each new data point pushes us just a little bit farther away from the human-to-human connection that we all crave and appreciate. Italian management professor Gianpiero Petriglieri recently tweeted "It's easier being in each other's presence, or in each other's absence, than in the constant presence of each other's absence." So beautifully and eloquently perceptive!

The constant presence of my colleagues' absence may have been underlying my disinclination to do what I love on this platform that has become a lifeline for so many of us. And so, the question arises for me: Is there some way to ease the burden of this "disconnected connection" and allow me to foster a better balance of connection between us?

Six Ways to Manage Zoom so we Can Find Balance and Connection

Here's what I am going to try starting today (and suggest you consider) when my new reality resumes anew and I find myself on various calls with all manner of people looking to connect in various ways:

Take a few moments before clicking "Start" to settle and ground your attention. Take a few breaths, feel your body on the chair, notice whatever is present in your mind and allow yourself to arrive fully to the moment at hand. If you're feeling unsettled or preoccupied, you might place your hand on your heart in a supportive and comforting way as if to say "I'm here for you. It's ok to feel how you feel at this moment."

Take the time to truly greet whoever is in the room with your full attention-offer your attention to each face that appears (if the group is not too big). Give yourself a moment for each person to make an impression on you, and "take in the good" as Rick Hanson would say. Give yourself an opportunity to feel what it feels like to be in the presence of another.

Choose "speaker view." In Zoom, one can choose Speaker View or Gallery View, and I think I prefer Speaker View so that the one person who is speaking has more of my attention and the others are more peripheral. This seems to be more like sitting around a conference table where we are aware of everyone there but we direct our attention primarily to whoever is speaking. Tracking an array of 24 (or more) faces on the screen can be a challenge!

Resist the urge to multitask. I sheepishly have to admit that I am a multi-tasker on Zoom many times and have been known to read and fire off several emails while also sitting in a meeting. This has got to stop. Not because I need to hyper-focus on just what is happening in the meeting, but because I can't be putting additional effort into attending to anything else. If anything, I need to let go of a bit of "efforting" and let my attention rest more lightly and lovingly on what (and who) is before me. I can periodically ease up my focus and look out the window behind my screen, or at the knick-knacks on the shelves in my office, or just soften my gaze to take in the array of faces on my screen (to see without looking) without having to analyze or scrutinize any of them.

Try to take measured breaks between sessions. As a clinical psychologist, when I used to do psychotherapy, I was fairly good at enforcing a 50-minute hour. That gave me ten minutes to write notes, run to the restroom, get a drink of water and generally settle and decompress. Quite often my Zoom meetings run back to back and I find that sometimes my Zoom room becomes a kind of random encounter anteroom where people from various aspects of my personal and professional life bump into each other for a few moments on their way in and out of a meeting with me. Fun as these moments are sometimes, I need to take better care of my precious attention and energy, and take a refreshing pause. Why not give that a try yourself?

And finally, remind yourself periodically that this is a new place between presence and absence that we will have to learn how to accommodate as we go forward into the uncertain future. It is both better than absence (imagine life in a pandemic without FaceTime, Zoom, Skype and the rest) and not quite as resonant as presence (do we know if mirror neurons still function over the internet like they do in person?). Let's see if we can simultaneously refrain from high expectations without dismissing the clear benefits of online communication.

And let's not forget those benefits. We can have important meetings while only dressed appropriately from the waist up. Our beloved pets can be perched lovingly in our laps while we review our colleague's budget projections. If we are the host of the meeting we can "accidentally" mute or remove a colleague in a way that would never be socially appropriate in person. We can even feign a poor connection if the meeting is getting so deadly dull that we are in danger of nodding off and striking our heads on our keyboards.

But on a serious note, let's not dismiss this amazing technology, but instead learn to find a way to assimilate it into a full spectrum of interpersonal experiences that our new lives include. Let's be present to absence, without becoming absent to presence. It won't be easy, but it will be worth it to develop this new capacity.

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Zoom Exhaustion is Real. Here Are Six Ways to Find Balance and Stay Connected

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Steven Hickman, Psy.D., executive director of the Center for Mindful Self-Compassion, offers this timely perspective on managing our new virtual reality. I've been teaching mindfulness and compassion for about twenty years now, and I believe I thrive when I'm sitting with a group of people open to exploring this transformative practice.

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Self-Care Resources for Educators and Other Helping Professionals — Mindful Teachers

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Tips, links, reflections, and mindfulness practices to help you cope with the common challenges faced by educators and other helping professionals.

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Supporting Learning and Well-Being During the Coronavirus Crisis

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Supporting Learning and Well-Being During the Coronavirus Crisis

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We send our heartfelt support to you and your loved ones-including your students-during this extraordinary moment in time.

It's no surprise that teachers across the globe are rising to the occasion and educating their students, whether connecting online, sharing activity packets, recording read-alouds, or inventing other creative teaching methods-while taking care of their own loved ones and trying to stay healthy.

Because that's what teachers do-and we acknowledge you with gratitude and awe.

In support of your efforts, we have compiled Greater Good in Education practices and other resources that offer ways to address student and adult anxiety in this time of uncertainty, and that cultivate our human connection through kindness, compassion, and other prosocial qualities. If there is something you need or that you think will benefit others, please do not hesitate to reach out to us.

As educators we know that classrooms in the future may look back at this time and wonder what it was like to live through this. May the memories brought forward be filled with those moments where we took care of each other-and may those moments become not just memories, but our new reality.

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Supporting Learning and Well-Being During the Coronavirus Crisis | Greater Good In Education

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We send our heartfelt support to you and your loved ones-including your students-during this extraordinary moment in time. It's no surprise that teachers across the globe are rising to the occasion and educating their students, whether connecting online, sharing activity packets, recording read-alouds, or inventing other creative teaching methods-while taking care of their own loved ones and trying to stay healthy.

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Care for the Caregiver: Tips for Families and Educators 

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Care for the Caregiver: Tips for Families and Educators 

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Parent Supports and Guidance for At Home Learning 

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Parent Supports and Guidance for At Home Learning 

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(from Candice)

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The Headspace app is offering meditations/ relaxation activities for free right now.

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The Headspace app is offering meditations/ relaxation activities for free right now.

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There are a lot of unknowns in the world right now. But one thing is certain - Headspace is here for you. To help you, we're offering some meditations you can listen to anytime.

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The Calm App is offering free guided meditations/ relaxation activities etc. for free right now. 

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The Calm App is offering free guided meditations/ relaxation activities etc. for free right now. 

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Let's look after ourselves, and each other. - Calm Blog

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As days of isolation turn into weeks, many of us are feeling increasingly uprooted from our normal lives. In a world on lockdown, it isn't just our routines that are being disrupted, but our relationships too. Thankfully, distance doesn't have to mean disconnection.

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211 has an extensive list of community services from utilities to mental health and substance abuse. Families can also text their zip code to 898211.

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2-1-1 NorCal | Get Connected. Get Answers.

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All Parents Have Questions. Help Me Grow Has Answers.

Help Me Grow Shasta helps you understand your child's... Learn more...

Learn How to Prevent & Treat Diabetes

Diabetes affects how your body turns food into energy. Learn more...

Get Connected!

2-1-1 connects people to free and low cost services in Shasta County. Learn more...

Youth Services

Help and services for Shasta County youth.

Disaster Response

When a disaster strikes, find resources on 2-1-1...

Transportation

Find transportation services in Shasta County.

Text your zip code to 898211

Call 2-1-1 to connect with a call specialist for personalized service any time, day or night. (Callers from out of county or TTY users may dial 855-211-7822.)

Choose a Category below to browse resources

Keyword Search

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All Parents Have Questions. Help Me Grow Has Answers. Help Me Grow Shasta helps you understand your child's... Learn more... Learn How to Prevent & Treat Diabetes Diabetes affects how your body turns food into energy. Learn more... Get Connected! 2-1-1 connects people to free and low cost services in Shasta County.

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Resources - Shasta County Cares for Kids

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SEL and Trauma Informed Practices for Online Learning

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SEL and Trauma Informed Practices for Online Learning

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(from Candice)

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The CDE has developed new web pages with information regarding mental health resources, including links for students to get direct access to mental health professionals.

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Crisis Lines

Teen & Youth Help Hotline Teenage Advice, Crisis & Depression Helpline
Do you need help working something out? Do you want to talk to someone who understands, like another teen? We're here to help!

The National Suicide Prevention Lifeline 1-800-273-8255
The 24-hour, toll-free, confidential suicide prevention hotline is available to anyone in suicidal crisis or emotional distress. It provides Spanish-speaking counselors, as well as options for deaf and hard of hearing individuals.

Línea de Vida Nacional de Prevención del Suicidio ofrece servicios gratuitos en español para alguien que está en crisis o necesita ayuda llame al 1-888-628-9454

Options for Deaf and Hard of Hearing 1-800-985-5990 or text TalkWithUs to 66746

The Crisis Text Line
The Crisis Text Line is the only 24/7, nationwide crisis-intervention text-message hotline. The Crisis Text Line can be reached by texting HOME to 741-741.

The Veterans Crisis Line
The 24-hour, toll-free, confidential hotline provides phone, webchat, and text options available to military veterans in crisis and their families and friends. It provides options for deaf and hard of hearing individuals.
Call the Veterans Crisis Line at 1-800-273-8255 and Press 1 or text to 838255.

The Trevor Project
The nationwide organization provides a 24-hour phone hotline, as well as limited-hour webchat and text options, for lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender and questioning youth.

The Trevor Lifeline is a national 24-hour, toll free confidential suicide hotline for LGBTQ youth. Call 1-866-488-7386 24/7

Confidential online instant messaging with a Trevor Counselor 24/7

Confidential text messaging with a Trevor Counselor 24/7 Text START to 678678

TrevorText can be reached by texting TREVOR to 1-202-304-1200 (available M-F from 3PM to 10PM ET).

The Trans Lifeline 1-877-565-8860
The Trans Lifeline is a trans-led organization that connects trans people to the community, support, and resources they need to survive and thrive. It provides crisis intervention hotlines, staffed by transgender individuals, for trans and questioning callers.

Additional Resources

For Mental Health Providers

For Providing Virtual Mental Health Services

For Families

For Youth

GritX is an online platform that provides high levels of mental health care, so youth and young adults can thrive, connect, and find resilience and share their own stories, in their own way. The activities help participants get through, get back to, or maintain different emotions.

Last Reviewed: Friday, March 11, 2022

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Teen & Youth Help Hotline Teenage Advice, Crisis & Depression Helpline Do you need help working something out? Do you want to talk to someone who understands, like another teen? We're here to help! The National Suicide Prevention Lifeline 1-800-273-8255 The 24-hour, toll-free, confidential suicide prevention hotline is available to anyone in suicidal crisis or emotional distress.

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Coping with Stress During Infectious Disease Outbreaks

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Coping with Stress During Infectious Disease Outbreaks

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Welcome to our supplemental Social Emotional Learning Activities page!

As you will see below, many of the supplemental SEL activities and lesson plans include characters from our game-based, social emotional learning interventions. And when you use the online programs with your students, these activities will reinforce the learning that occurs during game play.

These supplemental resources - lessons, activities, and worksheets - are in the following SELskill areas: Communication, Cooperation, Emotion Regulation, Empathy, Impulse Control, and Social Initiation.

These resources are age-appropriate for elementary and middle school students and are typically used in a classroom or a small group setting. And in most cases, if materials are required for the activity, they are items that you already have in your classroom or office.
Note: Please share this page on your school website so other educators may also benefit.
Social Emotional Learning at Home

Additional Resources for Social Emotional Learning

Our classroom management plan is a step-by-step guide and includes proven strategies, tips and printables for elementary school teachers, and it covers four key components for establishing a successful, well-managed classroom.

These free downloadable posters will decorate your classroom and be great teaching resources, reinforcing social and emotional skills in your classroom and reminding students to practice their skills like emotion regulation, impulse control, empathy, and more.

Social Emotional Learning Quotes

For each of the topics below, we have curated a list of quotes. You can incorporate these quotes in your social emotional learning lessons, add them to social media images, create classroom posters, or write one on your whiteboard each day.

Need Something More Engaging And Effective For A Few Students?

Simply request a FREE Centervention educator account and start using our online programs!

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95 Free Social Emotional Learning Activities

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95 free social emotional learning activities, worksheets, and lessons to help students in elementary and middle school. Most are no-prep and ready to go.

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(from Candice)

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(from Candice)

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(from Candice)

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How to Reduce the Stress of Homeschooling on Everyone

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How to Reduce the Stress of Homeschooling on Everyone

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(advice from a school psychologist)

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How to Reduce the Stress of Homeschooling on Everyone

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With nationwide school closures in effect, many parents are now monitoring homeschooling while at the same time trying to make a living in the midst of a terrible economic crisis. In this environment of broken routine and uncertainty, chances are your child is showing big feelings and challenging behaviors.

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Helping Children Cope With Changes Resulting From COVID-19

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Helping Children Cope With Changes Resulting From COVID-19

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Tips for Managing Stress From Shasta County

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Tips for Managing Stress From Shasta County

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Feelings of worry, irritability and low mood are normal during an infectious disease pandemic, like COVID-19. The added stress can affect people even when they are not in an area greatly impacted by the disease or have little to no risk of getting sick. In times like these, it is important to be aware of how stress is affecting you and your loved ones.

What can you do to deal with uncertainty?

The response to the COVID-19 is a fluid and evolving situation with many unknowns. It can be easy to become overwhelmed and feel the stress caused by uncertainty. Separating what is in your control from what is not is a healthy way to cope. You can:

Set boundaries with the amount of time you spend watching the news. Consider going to websites, such as the CDC, Coronavirus in California and ShastaReady.org, where you can get information on your own terms, instead of getting caught up in the constant news cycle.

Take breaks from social media and/or commit to using it only to stay in touch with friends or loved ones.

Redirect your energy to helping out others. Helping someone in their time of need benefits both the supporter and the helper. Find creative ways to connect and assist others while practicing social distancing.

Know who you can turn to and help you deal with the stress. If you are having difficulty getting in touch with your circle of support, you can call the California Peer-Run Warmline for emotional support (non-emergency) or the Disaster Distress Line to be connected with a trained crisis counselor. Both hotlines are free.

What can you do to cope with stress?

Everyone experiences stress differently and it affects our bodies, thoughts and emotions. Healthy ways to deal with stress include:

Keeping your daily routine even if it looks different for now. Focus on the simple things. Remember to eat, shower, sleep, play, etc.

Getting outside and into nature. This could be as simple as watching a sunset, walking the dog or going for a hike. All of these things are possible to do while practicing social distancing.

Remembering to bring yourself back into the present when you are stuck worrying about what could happen. Mindfulness tools, such as breathing, guided meditation or journaling about the things you are grateful for are all ways to think about the present moment.

What should you do if the stress becomes overwhelming?

If you are experiencing intense signs of stress for several days or even weeks, schedule an appointment with a mental health professional. You can get help by calling the Hill Country CARE Center or Shasta County Mental Health. If you or someone you know threatens to hurt themselves or others, talks or writes about death, dying or suicide, call 911 or use the Suicide Prevention Lifeline.

Local Resources

Remember to practice social distancing and call first before visiting a clinic.

Shasta County Mental Health Access: To access mental health services 24-hours a day, call (530) 225-5252 or (888) 385-5201 between the hours of 8 AM to 5 PM Monday through Friday.

Hill Country C.A.R.E. Center: Urgent outpatient mental health services 365 days a year. Drop in during clinic hours or call (530) 691-4446. Hours: Noon - 9 PM Monday through Friday and 11 AM - 9 PM on weekends.

Burney Health Center Outpatient and crisis mental health services for people living in eastern Shasta County. Call (530) 335-5457 between the hours of 7 AM - 7 PM Monday through Thursday and 7 AM - 5 PM on Fridays.

Domestic Violence Hotline: 1-800-799-7233

Non Emergency Crisis Support: Hill Country Mobile Crisis Team (530) 238-7133

Shasta County Mental Health Access - (530) 225-5252 24-hours toll free (888) 385-5201 California Relay Service 7-1-1

Patient's Rights Advocate: (530) 225-5506 Shasta Regional Medical Center : (530) 244-5400

Mercy Medical Center: (530) 225-6000

Mayers Memorial Hospital (530) 336-5511

National Suicide Prevention Lifeline: 1 (800) 273-8255
More Shasta County mental health resources can be found by calling or online at 211norcal.org/shasta.
Other helpful resources:

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Feelings of worry, irritability and low mood are normal during an infectious disease pandemic, like COVID-19. The added stress can affect people even when they are not in an area greatly impacted by the disease or have little to no risk of getting sick.

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(from Candice)

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Psychological Tips for Children and Adolescents' Emotions

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Psychological Tips for Children and Adolescents' Emotions

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Shelter-In-Place Resources for Learning 

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Shelter-In-Place Resources for Learning 

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Shelter-in-Place Resources for Learning - Partnership for Children & Youth

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DISTANCE LEARNING Zoom is offering free unlimited use of its platform for schools , and sharing additional resources for educators . Scholastic Learn at Home : day-by-day projects based on exciting articles and stories, virtual field trips, reading and geography challenges, and more for Pr

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If you need to scan a document from home, here is a free app.

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Do you ever find yourself needing to scan important documents but don't have a scanner (it's 2019, the early 2000s are long gone)? Find yourself needing to scan a document at the last minute but can't get to a print shop? No one wants to spend money on an expensive scanner or at a print shop. Genius Scan, our App of the Week, is the document scanning app that meets all your document scanning needs.

Genius Scan digitizes and scans documents right from your phone, wherever you are. Worried about glares or shadows? The smart algorithms automatically detect documents and apply perspective correction so you can scan from any angle. After you scan your document, you can share through any app or even email it directly to whoever needs it. Privacy is always a concern; thankfully, Genius Scan only stores your documents on your device, so you are in complete control.

So what's the catch? There isn't one; Genius Scan is completely free and allows you to scan as much as you need, with no watermark. If you want to enhance your experience, you can pay a one-time fee of $7.99 for Genius Scan+, which offers additional features like enabling FaceID or passcode access. Along with text recognition capabilities, Genius Scan+ also allows you to export your documents to any cloud service (like DropBox or Google Drive).

Since its launch in 2010, Genius Scan has gained over 20 million users and scanned over 200 million documents. Genius Scan had a successful launch, ranking in top apps throughout the world and being selected as a "New and Noteworthy Business App" by Apple. Forbes featured Genius Scan as a top 5 app that makes business life easier and by TechRadar as one of the best document scanning apps.

Download Genius Scan today to start scanning documents.

But enough about other people's apps.
LET'S TALK ABOUT YOURS

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Genius Scan: The Free Scanner App for Documents

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Do you ever find yourself needing to scan important documents but don't have a scanner (it's 2019, the early 2000s are long gone)? Find yourself needing to scan a document at the last minute but can't get to a print shop? No one wants to spend money on an expensive scanner or at a print shop.

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This workbook is filled with activities for families. In it, you will find ways to create a safe space to calm down, explore and identify their feelings, and family activity plans.

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This workbook offers resources for coping skills while also offering ways to get a conversation started regarding.

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Strategies for Cultivating Motivation in a Virtual Learning Setting

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Strategies for Cultivating Motivation in a Virtual Learning Setting

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National Alliance on Mental Illness (NAMI)

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National Alliance on Mental Illness (NAMI)

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NAMI has put together a guide to answer questions about the intersection of COVID-19, and people affected by mental illness, their caregivers and loved ones. In it, you will find FAQs on a variety of topics from managing anxiety and social isolation to accessing health care and medications.

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© 2019-2020 All Rights Reserved.

SCUSD prohibits discrimination, harassment, intimidation, and bullying based on actual or perceived ancestry, age, color, disability, gender, gender identity, gender expression, nationality, race or ethnicity, religion, sex, sexual orientation, parental, family or marital status, or association with a person or a group with one or more of these actual or perceived characteristics.

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Social-Emotional Learning at Home - Sacramento City Unified School District

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© 2019-2020 All Rights Reserved. SCUSD prohibits discrimination, harassment, intimidation, and bullying based on actual or perceived ancestry, age, color, disability, gender, gender identity, gender expression, nationality, race or ethnicity, religion, sex, sexual orientation, parental, family or marital status, or association with a person or a group with one or more of these actual or perceived characteristics.