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Simon Sinek: How to discover your "why" in difficult times | TED

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Handout 3_ 20 Simple and fun ways to practice mindfulness

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A big conversation to live by starting NEXT WEEK - every Thursday - from September 21.

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On Being with Krista Tippett | The On Being Project

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A new season of shows is now live for binging, joining beloved classics: Mary Oliver, John O'Donohue, Desmond Tutu, Thich Nhat Hanh, and so much more.

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12 Best Books for Your Positive Psychology Reading List | Live Happy

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Read these 12 top positive psychology books to get a near-complete understanding of this fascinating field.

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I am a continuation, like the rain is a continuation of the cloud.
Thich Nhat Hanh

Thich Nhat Hanh Memorial

Honoring our beloved teacher

In response to the war and growing humanitarian crisis in Ukraine, our international Plum Village community is releasing A Cloud Never Dies, a documentary about our teacher, Zen Master Thich Nhat Hanh (Thay).

Share your memories of hearing Thay's teachings, attending his retreats, or simply how his teachings and writings have impacted your life.

Life Story

Ordained as a monk aged 16 in Vietnam, Thich Nhat Hanh soon envisioned a kind of engaged Buddhism that could respond directly to the needs of society.

He was a prominent teacher and social activist in his home country before finding himself exiled for calling for peace.

In the West he played a key role in introducing mindfulness and created mindful communities (sanghas) around the world. His teachings have impacted politicians, business leaders, activists, teachers and countless others.
Learn about Thich Nhat Hanh's life story

Bestselling Author

Thich Nhat Hanh has published more than 100 books, including classics like The Miracle of Mindfulness and Peace is Every Step.
Explore his books
Making Buddhism Accessible

Through his simple yet profound teachings, mindfulness has reached a mainstream audience.

With the energy of mindfulness, any action in our daily life-including walking, eating, brushing our teeth, or doing the dishes-can become joyful, relaxed and meaningful. It's a revolutionary approach that brings peace, clarity and insight.
Discover Plum Village mindfulness practices
Global Spiritual Leader

He has applied Buddhist insights to every aspect of society, including education, business, technology, and the environmental crisis.
Discover his Teachings

Buddhist Scholar

Thich Nhat Hanh has offered modern translations of key Buddhist texts and spoken out on a range of global issues.

Are you a journalist or media organisation? Visit our Press Resources.

Calligraphy Master

Thich Nhat Hanh's simple and elegant calligraphies convey powerful teachings, and have been exhibited around the world.
View More Calligraphies

The present moment is filled with joy and happiness. If you are attentive, you will see it.
Thich Nhat Hanh

Health & Updates

On 11th November 2014, a month after his 89th birthday, Thich Nhat Hanh suffered a severe brain hemorrhage (stroke).

We thank you for continuing to send him energy of compassion and healing to support his recovery.

Recent News
More Updates

Experience his teachings

Thich Nhat Hanh's community is his continuation

Thich Nhat Hanh has offered mindfulness retreats around the world. His monastic and lay students keep his teachings alive and continue to offer life-changing retreats.

In response to the war and growing humanitarian crisis in Ukraine, our international Plum Village community is releasing A Cloud Never Dies, a documentary about our teacher, Zen Master Thich Nhat Hanh (Thay).

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Thich Nhat Hanh Memorial In response to the war and growing humanitarian crisis in Ukraine, our international Plum Village community is releasing A Cloud Never Dies, a documentary about our teacher, Zen Master Thich Nhat Hanh (Thay). Share your memories of hearing Thay's teachings, attending his retreats, or simply how his teachings and writings have impacted your life.

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Brené Brown: Create True Belonging and Heal the World with Lewis Howes

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Thank you for Watching this powerful video with Brene Brown! You can see Brene speak next at the ideas festival SummitLA 17, in downtown LA Nov. 3-6, on Braving the Wilderness and finding the Courage to Stand Alone New Interviews, and Inspirational videos will be posted every Monday and Wednesday!

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What is Teacher Self-Care and How to Practice It

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Discover what self-care is, why it’s important for teachers, and how to bring self-care activities in your daily life and in the classroom.

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In 1998, positive organizational psychology at work gained legitimacy when the father of the movement, Martin Seligman, chose it as the theme for his term as president of the American Psychological Association (Azar, 2011).

More than 20 years later, the principles of positive psychology have been creatively interwoven throughout the organizational sciences, including in the fields of healthcare, entrepreneurship, and human resources (Donaldson & Ko, 2010).

The consequence? Managers and organizational leaders are taking notice.

Looking to put a positive spin on your workplace? This ultimate guide combines research and resources into an actionable toolkit you can use to embed the principles of positive psychology in your office today.

Before you continue, we thought you might like to download our three Positive Psychology Exercises for free. These science-based exercises explore fundamental aspects of positive psychology, including strengths, values, and self-compassion, and will give you the tools to enhance the wellbeing of your clients, students, or employees.

Chapter 1 - Positive Psychology in the Workplace

Positive psychology at work

Positive psychology at work addresses a range of phenomena in the work context and work-home interface. In particular, research in this space falls under one of three labels (Donaldson & Ko, 2010):

Positive organizational psychology

Positive organizational behavior

Positive organizational scholarship

What these three perspectives share is an interest in the application of positive psychology to the work context to achieve desirable outcomes for individuals or organizations.

For an in-depth treatment of the differences between these perspectives, see What Is Positive Organizational Psychology?

3 Characteristics of a positive work environment

Creating an environment for employees to have positive experiences at work is a critical first step toward a thriving organization.

There are two lenses through which to consider a positive work environment: work design and work culture.

Work design refers to

"the content and organization of one's work tasks, activities, relationships, and responsibilities."

Parker, 2014, p. 662

Good work design that fosters positive experiences typically has three characteristics (Parker, Van den Broeck, & Holman, 2017):

1. Job autonomy, characterized by empowerment and self-leadership

2. Social support

3. A reasonable level of job demands relative to job resources

To learn more about these three work design factors in your context, look at the following reading and resources.

Job autonomy

Social support

Job demands and resources

3 Examples of a positive work culture

Positive work cultures entail

"positive member-supporting rites [i.e., rituals], symbols, practices, values, assumptions, and other elements that influence work experiences for every individual employee."

Wilderom, 2011, p. 79

Here are three examples showcasing organizations with positive work cultures (Patel, 2015):

1. The software company Adobe has done away with performance-tracking systems. Instead, it is assumed that employees are self-motivated to work creatively without micromanagement. Therefore, supervisors act as coaches to help employees set their own goals and determine how they should be assessed.

2. The apparel provider Zappos goes to great lengths to select employees whose individual values align with the 10 core values of the company by incentivizing employees to quit after their first week of training with a $2,000 payout if they decide the job isn't for them.

3. Warby Parker, a provider of prescription glasses, has a dedicated team committed to scheduling fun lunches, events, and programs into their company program, facilitating positive interactions and giving employees something to look forward to.

To learn more about the role and development of positive work cultures, take a look at the following reading.

What Is Positive Gossip? + 7 Examples
This article debunks the myth that all gossip is negative, exploring the positive functions of gossip to strengthen bonds, spread good news, and share burdens within an organization.

Proof That Positive Work Cultures Are More Productive
This article from theHarvard Business Review explores the hidden costs of work cultures that push employees to work beyond their limits and concludes with four recommendations for cultivating a healthy and productive culture.

Positive psychology in business: 2 Practical theories

So how do you take practical steps toward developing a more positive workplace?

Here are two commonly taught and practical theories that apply positive psychology in business settings.

1. Growth mindset

Coined by positive psychologist Carol Dweck, the topic of a growth versus fixed mindset is a good starting point for initiating any change in an organization.

In her book, Dweck (2006) defines a fixed mindset as the belief that your qualities are "carved in stone," whereas a growth mindset is

"the belief that your basic qualities are things you can cultivate through your efforts."

Dweck, 2006, p. 6-7

For more reading and resources on cultivating a growth mindset, check out the following:

2. Appreciative inquiry in organizational development

When businesses make major changes to their culture, technology, or infrastructure, following a systematic change model can minimize disruption and help staff adjust as smoothly as possible.

One widely used approach stemming from positive psychology is appreciative inquiry, which involves

"[seeking] what is 'right' in an organization... [moving] toward what the organization is doing right and [providing] a frame for creating an imagined future that builds on and expands the joyful and life-giving realities as the metaphor and organizing principle of the organization."

Watkins and Cooperrider, 2000, p. 6

For more useful reading on appreciative inquiry, take a look at the following articles.

Chapter 2 - How to Apply Positive Psychology in the Workplace

Practical workplace applications of positive psychology

While culture and work design create the context for positive experiences at work, ultimately, individuals' micro-level behaviors will dictate employees' day-to-day experiences. This means leaders should invest in interventions that do more than pay lip service to positive psychology and can be felt by employees on the front line.

3 Interventions to implement at work

Here are three micro-level targets for intervention with recommended reading and resources you can use in your workplace.

1. Cultivate high-performing teams

According to Cook (2009), a high-performance team is characterized by:

A clearly defined and commonly shared purpose

Mutual trust and respect

High levels of communication

An ability to voice differences and appreciate conflict

Depending on what business you're in, high-performance teams may be the lifeblood of your organization, so it's important to nurture them.

Here is some further reading to help you do just that:

2. Encourage strength use

Several theories from organizational psychology predict that employees who are given opportunities to use their strengths will experience less strain and a greater sense of mastery (Bakker & van Woerkom, 2018).

Naturally, employees whose work aligns with their strengths perform more effectively, suggesting clear benefits of strengths use for a firm's bottom line (Miglianico, Dubreuil, Miquelon, Bakker, & Martin-Krumm, 2020).

For ideas to help you identify and better leverage strengths in your work context, look at the following articles:

3. Develop employee resilience

Resilience is

"a dynamic process encompassing positive adaptation within the context of significant adversity."

Luthar, Cicchetti, and Becker, 2000, p. 543

King, Newman, and Luthans (2016) note that with the rising speed of technological advancement, shifting policies, and competitive pressures, resilience is a necessity for all workforces.

Read the following articles to learn more:

Further, if you're a consultant or coach looking to train others in the art and science of resilience, be sure to check out our highly acclaimed Realizing Resilience Masterclass©.

This engaging, six-part course will teach you about the research and application of high-quality resilience training as it relates to teams, managers, or leaders and includes all the materials you need to deliver your training in face-to-face or virtual formats.

6 Activities for fostering a positive workplace

Above, we've looked at four key targets for intervention to develop a more positive workplace and directed you toward further reading.

Let's now look at some accompanying activities to help you take action in these areas:

High-performance teams

Strength use

Resilience

Chapter 3 - Benefits According to Research

48 Benefits according to research findings

So far, we've outlined several targets for intervention as well as tools you can use to integrate the principles of positive psychology in your workplace at the macro and micro levels.

Let's now consider the benefits of committing to these changes by looking at findings from research.

Years of research have drawn links between the different foci for intervention explored above and benefits for both individuals and organizations. The following table summarizes the benefits you might gain from targeting each of these areas.

Target for intervention (Citation)

Increased outcomes

Reduced outcomes

Job autonomy (Spector, 1986)

Job satisfaction, commitment, involvement, performance, motivation

Physical symptoms, emotional distress, role stress, absenteeism, turnover

Social support (Langford, Bowsher, Maloney, & Lillis, 1997)

Positive coping, resilience, positive emotions, a sense of stability, self-worth, psychological wellbeing

Depressive symptoms

High-performance teams (Castka, Bamber, Sharp, & Belohoubek, 2001; Ryba, 2020)

Performance, commitment, information sharing, trust, self-efficacy, continuous learning

Turnover

Strengths use (Miglianico et al., 2020)

Performance, job satisfaction, helping behaviors, creative problem-solving, adaptivity, positive emotions, engagement, wellbeing, commitment

Counterproductive work behaviors, absenteeism

Resilience (Hartmann, Weiss, Newman, & Hoegl, 2020)

Performance, organizational citizenship behaviors, job satisfaction, positive emotions, commitment, engagement, psychological contract, adaptivity

Burnout, depression, strain, biopsychosocial distress, cynicism

Note: Job demands and resources have been excluded because of the innumerable facets of work that are classified as demands and resources. See Bakker and Demerouti (2007) for a review.
For more reading exploring some of the most dominant outcomes above, check out the following articles:

Job satisfaction

Stress

Burnout

Chapter 4 - Improving Workplace Wellbeing

How to improve workplace wellbeing: A guide

From the summary above, you'll notice that applications of positive psychology at work can affect both subjective indicators of wellbeing and biophysical markers of health and stress.

Let's now explore these more closely with a focus on how to introduce workplace wellbeing interventions.

When introducing positive psychology interventions targeted at wellbeing, there are four key steps you should follow (Psychology Compass, n.d.):

1. Conduct a needs assessment
The solutions that work for one organization may not always work for another. Therefore, it is essential to gather and analyze data to understand the nature of a problem or need in your particular organization. That way, you can select the right intervention for the job.

2. Develop objectives for the intervention
Next, identify clear targets for the intervention (e.g., people, systems) and metrics to assess progress toward goal achievement. See our dedicated article ongoal-setting templates to help with this.

3. Develop strategies to accomplish the objectives
Work backward to generate ideas that will accomplish the desired objectives. It can be helpful to begin by generating as many ideas as possible without judging their financial feasibility or practicality. You can then revisit the list of options later to drill down based on factors like budget.

4. Implement and measure the initiative
Introduce the initiative and be sure to measure whether and to what extent it has been successful. This may involve using surveys, collecting verbal feedback, or assessing changes in objective metrics (e.g., sick leave requests, insurance claims). Be sure to revise the initiative if the data suggests room for improvement.

For more ideas you might wish to incorporate in your workplace wellbeing initiatives, check out the following articles on our blog:

3 Steps to enhance motivation at work

You can apply the same four steps described regarding wellbeing interventions to interventions targeted at motivation, too. The following are three additional steps to help you along the way.

1. Assess employees' sources of motivation

Dominant theories of motivation argue that people's reasons for engaging in activities, including work, vary on a spectrum from intrinsic to extrinsic motivation (Gagné et al., 2010).

The key to strengthening employees' motivation typically involves finding ways to increase intrinsic sources of motivation.

Take a look at the following articles to learn more:

2. Train employees to job craft

Job crafting is

"the physical and cognitive changes individuals make in the task or relational boundaries of their work."

Wrzesniewski and Dutton, 2001, p. 179

Check out the following for more job-crafting resources:

3. Create a shared vision

Often discussed in the context of transformational leadership, communicating a shared vision is critical to motivating groups to achieve goals. A good shared vision will be based on the values of an organization that are shared by employees.

For instance, a stationery company may espouse the value of creativity and see their products as giving their customers the tools to seamlessly transfer their brilliant ideas to paper. The employees of this organization should ideally feel strongly about this vision, too, and see their role as one that involves helping customers realize their creativity so they can do great things.

In short, staff will be more motivated if they feel like they are doing more than simply selling pens and paper.

For more reading on motivating via a shared vision, check out the following reading:

A look at purpose and meaning in the workplace

It's commonly said that we will spend a third of our lives at work throughout a lifetime.
That time should count for something.
The science of making our working lives count is explored through the lens of work meaningfulness, which is

"work experienced as particularly significant and holding positive meaning for individuals."

Rosso, Dekas, and Wrzesniewski, 2010, p. 95

Examples of meaningful work include that which a person perceives has a positive impact on the community, reduces human suffering, or facilitates self-actualization. Further, people engaged in meaningful work will often feel that what they do is synergetic with the way they live the rest of their lives, while having the potential to contribute to a better world (Steger, 2016).

Meaningful work is the notion that each of us has a purpose or calling. In the organizational psychology literature, a person's calling is

"a consuming, meaningful passion people experience toward a domain."

Dobrow and Tosti-Kharas, 2011, p. 1003

It's clear from the research that working in fields that foster meaning and align with what we perceive to be our greater purpose has myriad benefits for individual and organizational outcomes, including life satisfaction, general health, and job performance (Allan, Batz-Barbarich, Sterling, & Tay, 2019).

To learn more about strengthening meaningfulness in your work context, consider the following reading and resources:

Chapter 5 - A Take-Home Message

We've just taken a bird's-eye look at over 15 concepts, methods, and frameworks commonly used in the field of positive work psychology.

There are many, many more.

As noted in chapter 4, what will be of most value to you will depend on the needs of your organization and employees. The best way to get clear on these needs is to start asking questions and gathering data.

Throughout this post, we've pointed you to a range of assessment tools, further reading, and interventions you can use to begin this four-step change process.

Further, you can leverage the findings presented throughout this article to help you make a strong business case for investing in positive change, illustrating how the benefits of a change may flow on to improve your bottom line.

And let's not forget the human side of all this, too.

With our careers dominating much of our time and forming a central part of our identities, the consequences of a working life fraught with struggle are too great to ignore. Leaders, therefore, have a responsibility to create an environment where their employees can thrive, leverage their strengths, and contribute to something greater than themselves.

We hope this guide has given you the tools you need to create this reality for your staff today.

We hope you enjoyed reading this article. Don't forget to download our three Positive Psychology Exercises for free.

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Applying Positive Psychology at Work: Your Ultimate Guide

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In 1998, positive organizational psychology at work gained legitimacy when the father of the movement, Martin Seligman, chose it as the theme for his term as president of the American Psychological Association (Azar, 2011). More than 20 years later, the principles of positive psychology have been creatively interwoven throughout the organizational sciences, including in the fields of healthcare, entrepreneurship, and human resources (Donaldson & Ko, 2010).

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The coronavirus (COVID-19) outbreak is changing life for all of us. You may feel anxious, stressed, worried, sad, bored, depressed, lonely or frustrated in these circumstances.

You're not alone.

There are strategies for managing stress such as:

Be mindful of your intake of information from news sources about the virus, and consider taking breaks from it.

Maintain social contact with supportive relationships like friends, family or others, by phone, text, or internet.

Treat your body kindly: eat healthy foods, avoid excessive alcohol, and exercise as you are able.

Call your health care provider if your anxiety interferes with your daily activities.

Learn about additional strategies to manage your stress for health.

Hotlines if you need to talk to someone

If you are feeling overwhelmed with sadness, depression, or anxiety, or feel like you want to harm yourself or others, you can call the National Suicide Prevention Hotline at 800-273-8255.

There are additional resources available if you are in crisis:

Find behavioral and mental health services

If you have Medi-Cal and are in need of mental health services, call the number on your health plan membership card, or call your local county mental health line. For help finding what services are covered, call the Medi-Cal Managed Care and Mental Health Office of the Ombudsman at 888-452-8609 Monday through Friday from 8am - 5pm.

If you have a health plan through your employer or purchase your own health insurance, and are in need of mental health services, call the number on your health plan membership card.

If you feel like you are coping with your stress by drinking or taking drugs, there is help available from the substance use disorder programs in your county or call the national treatment locator at 800-662-HELP.

Call the California's Aging and Adult Information local service line at 800-510-2020 for help finding information and assistance in your area.

If you feel unsafe

Partner abuse is never okay and there are people standing by to help, especially during this health crisis. If you can, call the National Domestic Violence Hotline at 800-799-SAFE or text LOVEIS to 22522 for 24/7 help in English or Spanish. If you can't call, visit TheHotline.org to learn how to create a safety plan or get immediate help with the 24/7 "Chat Now" feature.

Call or text the Victims of Crime Resource Center at 800-VICTIMS line for information on victim services programs in California.

Visit the California Victims Compensation Board website to find information on county victim service providers in California.

There are additional resources available:

Helping others

Protecting children from abuse and neglect

Community members play an important role in protecting children from abuse and neglect. If you are worried about the health or safety of a child, call the local CPS hotline for the county where the child lives or find a local child abuse youth victim service provider.

You can call or text the Childhelp National Child Abuse Hotline 24/7 at 800-4-A-CHILD to speak with a professional crisis counselor who can provide assistance in over 170 languages.

You may also be able to help children and youth who have been abused or neglected by stepping up to serve as a foster caregiver. Please contact your local county's Social Service or Human Service department, or call the toll-free line at 800-KIDS-4-US.

Family support

If you are concerned about a family in need of food or assistance, or you need resources yourself, call 211, contact your local non-profit Family Resource Center, or apply for public benefits, which may include health care, cash aid, and food and nutrition assistance, through your county's Social Services or Health and Human Services department.

You can call the California Parent & Youth Helpline at 855-427-2736 Monday - Sunday from 8:00am - 8:00pm to get emotional support from a trained Parent Advocate.

NAMI California has resources for family members supporting loved ones with mental health conditions. You can call their HelpLine at 800-950-NAMI to get information, resource referrals and support from 7:00am - 3:00pm or email info@namica.org.

Caregivers can find resources at the Department of Aging website , including guidelines to protect the health and safety of both you and your loved one from COVID-19.

County Adult Protective Services

Adult Protective Services: Call 833-401-0832 24/7 for concerns about adult abuse, neglect, or exploitation.

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Resources for emotional support and well-being

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24-hour Suicide Prevention Lifeline: 800-273-8255 or text 838255 24-hour Domestic Violence Hotline: 800-799-7233 or click Chat Now Call 911 if you or the person you are helping is in immediate danger. The coronavirus (COVID-19) outbreak is changing life for all of us. You may feel anxious, stressed, worried, sad, bored, depressed, lonely or frustrated in [...]

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Louise Hay - Official Website of Author Louise Hay

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Hello Dear Friend, this is a special place to share Louise's journey, affirmations, and encourage you to create joy in your life. All is well! ♥ Louise Hay

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Jerry Tello - Recovering Your Sacredness | Bioneers

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Our editors independently research, test, and recommend the best products, and articles are reviewed by healthcare professionals for medical accuracy. You can learn more about our review process here. We may receive commissions on purchases made from our chosen links.

Coloring books might bring to mind memories of childhood, but coloring as an adult can also relieve feelings of anxiety and depression, especially if used in conjunction with a consistent self-care routine.

Whether you need to combat boredom, ease feelings of restlessness, or need some quiet time to yourself, a coloring book is a great alternative to technology and social media. Additionally, they can be useful for your nighttime routine -as the use of electronics before bed may cause disruptions in sleep and may increase the risk of insomnia.

Whether a coloring book includes detailed images or snarky humor, it can offer you a simple, fun, and inexpensive way to practice some mindfulness.

Here are the best adult coloring books on the market, according to a licensed mental health counselor.

What to Look for in a Coloring Book for Adults

Promotes Relaxation

An adult coloring book should promote creativity and relaxation while decreasing stress. It's important to find a book that fits your personality type, skill level, design preference, and one that doesn't strain your eyesight.

Skill Level

If a book is too complex or advanced, coloring in the pages may be more frustrating than relaxing. Likewise, if a book is too simple it might become boring to someone with more advanced skills.

Detailed designs require patience and focus-you may need to complete them in a few sittings. Simple images can often be completed in a single sitting and might be better if you're trying to complete a shorter mindfulness session.

Quality Paper

While colored pencils are a safe tool to use for coloring since they don't bleed through, some people prefer markers, crayons, and even watercolor paints to achieve a different look. If you want to use crayons, the designs should be large enough so that you can still stay within the lines.

If an image is printed on high-quality paper, you may be able to use watercolors or markers. Also, check to see if the designs are printed on single-sided paper or double-sided paper. Single-sided options may prevent bleeding.

Why Trust Verywell Mind?

As a Licensed Mental Health Counselor with over 15 years of experience working with clients to improve mental and emotional health, Mary K Tatum understands the importance of finding quality resources and techniques that work for each person. Not everyone will have the same kind of healing or self-care journey, therefore, having lots of options to choose from is vitally important in creating a lifestyle that combats mental illness and promotes health and wellbeing.

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The 11 Best Adult Coloring Books of 2022, According to an Expert

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Our editors independently research, test, and recommend the best products, and articles are reviewed by healthcare professionals for medical accuracy. You can learn more about our review process here. We may receive commissions on purchases made from our chosen links.

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Download These 3 Positive Psychology Exercises (PDF, normally $27) For Free This Week

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​The Mental Health Services Division (MHSD) administers a number of mental health programs for Children and Youth, Adults and Older Adults.
Individuals seeking non-crisis, general Mental Health Services or information should contact their County Mental Health Department or visit the Individuals page.
or those interested in becoming Mental Health providers will find information at the Providers & Partners page.

Programs and Services

Program Resources

Publications

For Information Technology support, please contact 1 (800) 579-0874 or e-mail HelpDesk@dhcs.ca.gov for support.

Contact us:

Department of Health Care Services Office of the Ombudsman

Hours of Operation: Monday through Friday, 8 a.m. to 5 p.m.​ PST (excluding holidays)
By Phone: 1-888-452-8609

By e-mail: MMCDOmbudsmanOffice@dhcs.ca.gov ​

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​The Mental Health Services Division (MHSD) administers a number of mental health programs for Children and Youth, Adults and Older Adults. Individuals seeking non-crisis, general Mental Health Services or information should contact their County Mental Health Department or visit the Individuals page.

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A shaman and visionary-not a poet in any ordinary sense-María Sabina lived out her life in the Oaxacan mountain village of Huautla de Jiménez, and yet her words, always sung or spoken, have carried far and wide, a principal instance and a powerful reminder of how poetry can arise in a context far removed from literature as such. Seeking cures through language-with the help of Psilocybe mushrooms, said to be the source of language itself-she was, as Henry Munn describes her, "a genius [who] emerges from the soil of the communal, religious-therapeutic folk poetry of a native Mexican campesino people." She may also have been, in the words of the Mexican poet Homero Aridjis, "the greatest visionary poet in twentieth-century Latin America."

These selections include a generous presentation from Sabina's recorded chants and a complete English translation of her oral autobiography, her vida, as written and arranged in her native language by her fellow Mazatec Alvaro Estrada. Accompanying essays and poems include an introduction to "The Life of María Sabina" by Estrada, an early description of a nighttime "mushroom velada" by the ethnomycologist R. Gordon Wasson, an essay by Henry Munn relating the language of Sabina's chants to those of other Mazatec shamans, and more.

An internationally known poet and one of the world's leading anthologists, Jerome Rothenberg has written over seventy books of poetry and criticism, and has edited nine groundbreaking anthologies of experimental and traditional poetry, including Technicians of the Sacred (California, 1985). He is Professor Emeritus of visual arts and literature at the University of California, San Diego.

Editor's Preface

THE LIFE
Written with Álvaro Estrada
The Chants
The Folkways Chant
From The 1970 Session: Three Excerpts
From The Mushroom Velada: Three Excerpts

COMMENTARIES & DERIVATIONS
Introduction to The Life of María Sabina
Álvaro Estrada
From Teo-Nanácatl: The Mushroom Agape
The Uniqueness of María Sabina
Henry Munn
María Sabina in Mexico City
Homero Aridjis
From Fast Speaking Woman
Anne Waldman
Fast Speaking Woman & the Dakini Principle
Anne Waldman
The Little Saint of Huautla
Jerome Rothenberg
The Poet Speaks, the Mountain Sings . . .
Juan Gregorio Regino
The Song Begins
Juan Gregorio Regino

Selected Bibliography
Source Notes and Acknowledgments

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A shaman and visionary--not a poet in any ordinary sense--María Sabina lived out her life in the Oaxacan mountain village of Huautla de Jiménez, and yet her words, always sung or spoken, have carried far and wide, a principal instance and a powerful reminder of how poetry can arise in a context far removed from literature as such.

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Anxiety is our body's way of saying, "Hey, I'm experiencing too much stress all at once." This happens to the best of us. But when that feeling of being "always on alert" becomes background noise that doesn't go away, that's when it's time to seek help. Mindfulness and meditation for anxiety is a growing field that can help you navigate the many ways that anxiety can affect your life. This guide is not meant to serve as a diagnosing tool or a treatment path-it's simply a collection of research and practices you can turn to as you begin to help right your ship.

How Mindfulness Helps Anxiety

Mindfulness is the basic human ability to be fully present, aware of where we are and what we're doing, and not overly reactive or overwhelmed by what's going on around us.

Leading expert Jon Kabat-Zinn describes it as "awareness that arises through paying attention, on purpose, in the present moment, non-judgmentally," adding: "in the service of self-understanding and wisdom."

When you become aware of the present moment, you gain access to resources you may not have realized were with you all along-a stillness at your core. An awareness of what you need and don't need in your life that's with you all the time. You may not be able to change your situation, but mindfulness practice offers the space to change your response to your situation.

Mindfulness-Based Stress Reduction (MBSR), founded by Kabat-Zinn, the gold-standard for research-backed mindfulness. Developed over 40 years ago, MBSR is an 8-week program, including supported teachings, mindfulness practices, and movement practices that help people work with the stresses of everyday life. MBSR practices allow you to bring kind awareness and acknowledgment to any stressed or anxious feelings in your body and mind and simply allow them to be. A 1992 study in the American Journal of Psychiatry found that MBSR can effectively reduce symptoms of anxiety and panic even in those with generalized anxiety disorder, panic disorder, or panic disorder with agoraphobia.

According to other research, when you can create space between yourself and what you're experiencing, your anxiety can soften. But if you get too used to that low rumble of stress always being there, it can gradually grow, creating a stress "habit" that is detrimental to your health and well-being. Consequently, when we get caught up in patterns of reactivity, we create more distress in our lives. This is why it's so important to discern clearly the difference between reacting with unawareness and responding with mindfulness.

Mindfulness Works, But Not for Everyone

Mindfulness is an adjunct to, not a replacement for, treatment. Sometimes, when people have difficult or extensive histories of trauma or abuse, meditation practice may put them in touch with those memories and emotions, which can sometimes feel overwhelming, particularly at first. For this reason, if you have a history like this it's wise to be working with a therapist while exploring the practice of mindfulness.

Meditation does seem to improve mental health-but it's not necessarily more effective than other steps you can take. Early research suggested that mindfulness meditation had a dramatic impact on our mental health. But as the number of studies has grown, so has scientific skepticism about these initial claims.

For example, a 2014 meta-analysis published in JAMA Internal Medicine examined 47 randomized controlled trials of mindfulness meditation programs, which included a total of 3,515 participants. They found that meditation programs resulted only in small to moderate reductions in anxiety and depression.

"In essence, practicing mindfulness is a process of learning to trust and stay with feelings of discomfort rather than trying to escape from or analyze them," says Bob Stahl, Ph.D., Mindfulness-Based Stress Reduction (MBSR) teacher, founder of multiple MBSR programs, and co-author of multiple books on MBSR. "This often leads to a remarkable shift; time and again your feelings will show you everything you need to know about them-and something you need to know for your own well-being."

Pause: Connect with your breath

How Mindfulness Calms Anxious Feelings

1. Mindfulness helps you learn to stay with difficult feelings without analyzing, suppressing, or encouraging them. When you allow yourself to feel and acknowledge your worries, irritations, painful memories, and other difficult thoughts and emotions, this often helps them dissipate.

2. Mindfulness allows you to safely explore the underlying causes of your stress and worry. By going with what's happening rather than expending energy fighting or turning away from it, you create the opportunity to gain insight into what's driving your concerns.

3. Mindfulness helps you create space around your worries so they don't consume you. When you begin to understand the underlying causes of your apprehension, freedom and a sense of spaciousness naturally emerge.

Calm Anxiety in Three Steps:

1. Open your attention to the present moment. The invitation is to bring attention to our experience in a wider and more open manner that isn't really involved with selecting or choosing or evaluating, but simply holding-becoming a container for thoughts, feelings or sensations in the body that are present and seeing if we can watch them from one moment to the next.

2. Focus on the breath. Let go of that widescreen and bring a focus that's much more concentrated and centered on breathing in one region of your body-the breath of the belly, or the chest, or the nostrils, or anywhere that the breath makes itself known, and keep that more concentrated focus.

3. Bring your attention to your body. Become aware of sensations in the body as a whole, sitting with the whole body, the whole breath, once again we move back to a wider and spacious container of attention for our experience.

The Science of Mindfulness for Anxiety

In 1992, Zindel Segal, John Teasdale, and Mark Williams collaborated to create an 8-week program modeled on Mindfulness-Based Stress Reduction (MBSR). Jon Kabat-Zinn-who developed MBSR-had some initial misgivings about the program, fearing the curriculum might insufficiently emphasize how important it is for instructors to have a deep personal relationship with mindfulness practice. Once he got to know the founders better, he became a champion for the program. In 2002, the three published Mindfulness-Based Cognitive Therapy for Depression: A New Approach to Preventing Relapse, now a landmark book.

MBCT's credibility rests firmly on ongoing research. Two randomized clinical trials (published in 2000 and 2008 in The Journal of Consulting and Clinical Psychology) laid the foundation, indicating MBCT reduces rates of depression relapse by 50% among patients who suffer from recurrent depression. Recent findings published in in 2015 revealed that combining a tapering off of medication with MBCT is as effective as an ongoing maintenance dosage of medication. Further studies have found that MBCT is a potentially effective intervention for mood and anxiety disorders.

Should I Choose MBSR or MBCT?

According to the Centre for Mindfulness Studies, mindful awareness is the foundation of MBSR and MBCT. In both 8-week programs, participants are guided through a series of practices that encourage paying attention to experiences, thoughts, emotions, and sensations in the body. Explore the differences between MBSR and MBCT before you decide which program to follow.

The Key Differences Between MBSR and MBCT

Mindfulness-Based Stress Reduction:

Designed for everyone (particularly people who deal with chronic stress)

Explores how mindfulness can help with stress, and the stress of living with a chronic illness

Uses mindfulness practices to highlight different ways to respond to suffering

Works to change your relationship to suffering by encouraging you to turn toward pain

Emphasizes being present with what is

Recommended for general psychological health and stress management and as an intervention for symptoms of anxiety

Mindfulness-Based Cognitive Therapy:

Designed to prevent depressive relapse

Explores how mindfulness can help you stay well while dealing with depression or anxiety

Uses mindfulness practices to offer insight on negative mind states associated with depression and anxiety

Works to change your relationship to suffering by recognizing patterns in thought and emotion

Emphasizes your choice in how to respond to negative mind states

Recommended as an adjunctive treatment for unipolar depression and an intervention for symptoms of anxiety

How Mindfulness-Based Cognitive Therapy Helps with Anxiety

A skills-based approach, MBCT asks patients to inquire into, familiarize themselves with, and redirect the thought processes that are getting them into trouble (cognitive distortions, or what some people call "negative self-talk," or "stinkin' thinkin'"). It takes close attention and stick-to-itiveness to shift these ingrained thought processes. MBCT isn't about changing or fixing the content of our challenging thoughts, it's about becoming more intimately and consistently aware of these thoughts and patterns. The awareness itself reduces the grip of persistent and pernicious thought loops and storylines.

Like MBSR, MBCT is an eight-week program consisting of weekly two-hour classes with a mid-course day-long session. It combines guided meditations with group discussions, various kinds of inquiry and reflection, and take-home exercises. "Repetition and reinforcement, coming back to the same places, again and again, are key to the program," says Zindel Segal, "and hopefully people continue that into daily life beyond the initial MBCT program, in both good times and bad."

Can Mindfulness Really Help Reduce Anxiety?

A small study conducted at the University of Waterloo suggests that just 10 minutes of mindfulness helps with ruminative thought patterns. In the study, 82 participants who experience anxiety were given a computer task to complete, but were regularly disrupted. They were then split into two groups: one group listened to a guided meditation for 10 minutes, while the other group listened to an audio book for 10 minutes. Participants were then sent back to the computer while the disruptions continued.

The meditators had greater success in staying focused, and, as a result, they performed better on the task. "That was surprising to me," says lead researcher and psychology PhD candidate Mengran Xu. " Mindfulness meditation promoted a switch of attention from their internal thoughts to the external environment. It helped them focus on what's happening right now, in the moment, and not to get trapped in their worries."

This study adds to the growing body of evidence that mindfulness could be a powerful ally for people who struggle with ruminating thoughts and internal focus common with anxiety and depression. But, Xu adds, just why it helps is still unknown. "If we know how, we can make it more effective."

He wants to find out. Xu and colleagues have already finished one forthcoming study where participants were instructed in mindfulness meditation, muscle relaxation, or listened to an audio book. Xu says his team wants to see "how each intervention would affect people's scope of attention, cognition, and problem solving in a hypothetical stressful situation. The aim is to examine if mindfulness practice expands people's perspective.

"Sometimes [stress] is inevitable, but it depends on how broad your perspective is. Both mindfulness meditation, and relaxation can help broaden how people think about things."

Guided Meditations for Anxiety

A Simple Meditation to Overcome Anxiety
Zindel Segal says bringing awareness to the sensations that accompany difficult experiences offers the possibility of learning to relate differently to such experiences in each moment.
People often stumble over the concept of acceptance as an approach for dealing with difficult emotions and mind states. In MBCT groups that I've led, this predictably comes up around the fourth or fifth session as participants say "How can I accept this pain?" or "I want to feel fewer of these difficult emotions, not more!" These reactions reflect an underlying calculation that even though trying to avoid or push away negative thoughts and feelings can be exhausting, the strategy has worked in the past, so... why risk using a different and unfamiliar strategy?

In these moments, rather than answer this question directly, I find it helpful to remind myself of three simple points:

1. Allowing negative emotions to exist in our lives-for the moment-does not mean that we've chosen not to take action. The concept of acceptance, as introduced in MBCT, is intended to describe the possibility of developing a different relationship to experience, one that is characterized by allowing an experience and letting it be. Allowing difficult feelings to be in awareness means registering their presence before making a choice about how to respond to them. It takes a real commitment and involves a deliberate movement of attention. Importantly, "allowing" is not the same as being resigned or passive or helpless.

2. Denying that a negative mindset is taking place is more risky for your mental health. The opposite of allowing is actually quite risky. Being unwilling to experience negative thoughts, feelings, or sensations is often the first link in a mental chain that can lead to automatic, habitual, and critical patterns of mind becoming re-established. You can see this when someone says "I'm stupid to think like this" or "I should be strong enough to cope with that." By contrast, shifting the basic stance toward experience, from one of "not wanting" to one of "opening," allows this chain reaction of habitual responses to be altered at the first link. Thus, "I should be strong enough" shifts to "Ah, fear is here" or "Judgment is present."

3. Acceptance helps you work through each unpleasant experience. The third is that the practices of MBCT offer concrete ways for cultivating a stance of "allowing and letting be" amid painful experiences. We often "know" intellectually that it might be helpful to be more loving, caring, and accepting toward ourselves and what we are feeling, but we have very little idea how to do it. These capacities are unlikely to be produced merely by an effort of will. Instead, they require working through the body with repeated practice over time to notice how things, like anxiety, may show up as tightness in the chest, or sadness as heaviness in the shoulders.

A 30-Minute Meditation for Anxiety and Stress
MBSR teacher Bob Stahl leads you through this meditation combining breath awareness, a body scan, and mindfulness of thoughts, so you can explore sources of stress and anxiety.
Give yourself about thirty minutes for this mindfulness practice. You can do this practice in a seated position, standing, or even lying down. Choose a position in which you can be comfortable and alert.

1. Take a moment to thank yourself for being here-for taking this time to be present, to go inside, into your own life.

2. Connect with your mind and body with a mindful check-in: Feeling any sensations, any holdings, any tightness in the body as well as feeling into your mood, feeling into your emotions, and just acknowledging whatever's being felt and letting be.

3. Now very gently, withdrawing the awareness from the mindful check-in, let's bring our attention to the breath: Being mindful of the breath in the abdomen, expanding on an inhalation and falling on an exhalation. Breathing in and breathing out with awareness.

4. Now gently withdrawing the awareness from breathing, we'll shift our focus to a body scan. Feeling into this body, into the world of sensations, thoughts, and emotions, and acknowledging whatever is being experienced. Whatever arises in the body, or perhaps at times even in the mind and emotions, acknowledging and letting be.

5. Breathe into your whole body. We may notice from time to time tensions, tightness, achiness, and if we can allow any of these areas to soften, by all means, let that happen. It's also important to know that if we are unable to soften, our practice informs us to let be. Let whatever sensations ripple and resonate wherever they need to go-the same applies even to our thoughts and emotions, letting them be.

6. Be kind to any anxious thoughts that arise with mindful inquiry. As we're feeling into this body and mind, we may at times continue to experience some anxious thoughts, worries, fears, and there are times when we can use the practice of mindfulness, of inquiry, of investigating to discover potentially the underlying causes of our fears. If it appears that even after practicing the body scan and mindful breathing that we're persisting with some anxious feelings, bringing attention to those feelings themselves now to acknowledge what's being felt, feeling into the fear.

7. Wade into your feelings with compassion and gentleness. Just as we sometimes put our toes into the water to acclimate to the water temperature slowly, part by part. We should very gently dip our toes into feeling fear, just acknowledging what's there, feeling into the fear with awareness-there's no need to try to analyze or figure things out, just feeling into the experience of feeling anxious, fearful, worried, and letting be. And whatever arises, equally acknowledging and letting it be, this is how we feel into the heart of fear. Just listening with such compassion. No need to push ourselves more than we can handle but just working with the edges, feeling into the anxiety and acknowledging. As we learn to be with things as they are, we may discover the underlying causes of our fear and pain.

8. And now gently withdrawing from the mindful inquiry practice, come back to the breath again. Breathe in and out, feeling in the abdomen the belly expanding on the inhalation and falling on the exhalation. Breathing in and breathing out, with awareness. Just staying present to each breath, in and out.

9. Take a moment to watch your thoughts. Just like we're watching the breath coming and going, we can even begin watching the very thoughts we think as though we're watching the clouds flying by in the sky, like sitting at the edge of a river just watching whatever is floating downstream. Beginning to observe the mind and even the thoughts of fear are nothing but passing mental phenomena, like clouds, observing any fearful, anxious thoughts as just mental events that come and go. Observing the mind, thoughts, noticing the ever-changing nature of thoughts, just coming and going. As we become aware of thoughts and the traps we find ourselves in, we can become free.

10. And now gently coming back to the breath. Just be mindful, breathing in and breathing out. Now as we begin to end this meditation on working with anxiety let's take a moment to remember all those that are being challenged with these feelings, all those living with fear, worry-let us extend our well-wishes of healing, of peace, to all those living in fear. May we take these moments now to thank yourself for proactively turning into your fears and working with them. As we acclimate ourselves to our fears, may we not be so challenged by them. May all beings, wherever they are, may they be free from fear, and may all beings be at peace.

A 20-Minute Meditation for Anxious Emotions
A meditation from Bob Stahl involving deep investigation into the causes of anxious feelings so you can discover the story lines that trigger and drive your emotions.

1. Begin with a brief mindful check-in, taking a few minutes to acknowledge how you're currently feeling in your body and mind...being mindful of whatever is in your awareness and letting it all be. There's nothing that needs to be fixed, analyzed, or solved. Just allow your experience and let it be. Being present.

2. Now gently shift your attention to the breath, becoming mindful of breathing in and out. Bring awareness to wherever you feel the breath most prominently and distinctly, perhaps at your nose, in your chest, or in your belly, or perhaps somewhere else. There's no other place you need to go...nothing else you need to do...just being mindful of your breath flowing in and out. If your mind wanders away from the breath, just acknowledge wherever it went, then return to being mindful of breathing in and out.

3. Reflect on a specific experience of anxiety, perhaps something recent so you can remember it more clearly. It doesn't have to be an extreme experience of anxiety, perhaps something that you'd rate at 5 or 6 on a scale of 1 to 10. Recall the experience in detail, as vividly as you can, invoking some of that anxiety now, in the present moment.

4. As you imagine the experience and sense into it, be mindful of how the anxiety feels in your body and stay present with the sensations. Your only job right now is to feel and acknowledge whatever physical sensations you're experiencing in your body and let them be. There's no need to change them. Let the sensations run their course, just like a ripple on a lake is gradually assimilated into the entirety of the body of water.

5. Now feel into any emotions that emerge...anxiety, fear, sadness, anger, confusion...whatever you may feel. As with physical sensations, just acknowledge how these emotions feel and let them be. There's no need to analyze them or figure them out.

6. If strong emotions don't arise, this doesn't mean you aren't doing this meditation correctly. The practice is simply to acknowledge whatever is in your direct experience and let it be. Whatever comes up in the practice is the practice.

7. Bringing awareness to your anxiety may sometimes amplify your anxious feelings. This is normal, and the intensity will subside as you open to and acknowledge what you're experiencing and give it space to simply be.

8. Continue feeling into the anxiety, just allowing any feelings in the body and mind and letting them be, cultivating balance and the fortitude to be with things as they are. The very fact that you're acknowledging anxiety rather than turning away from it is healing.

9. As you continue to acknowledge your physical sensations and emotions, they may begin to reveal a host of memories, thoughts, feelings, and physical experiences that may have created limiting definitions of who you think you are. You may begin to see more clearly into how these old patterns of conditioning have driven your anxiety. This understanding can set you free-freer than you ever felt possible.

10. Now gradually transition back to the breath, breathing mindfully in and out... Next, slowly shift your awareness from your breath to sensing into your heart. Take some time to open into your heart with self-compassion, acknowledging your courage in engaging with your anxiety. In this way, your anxiety can become your teacher, helping you open your heart to greater wisdom, compassion, and ease within your being.

11. As you're ready to end this meditation, congratulate yourself for taking this time to meditate and heal yourself. Then gradually open your eyes and return to being present in the environment around you. May we all find the gateways into our hearts and be free.

A 17-Minute Meditation to Create Space Between You and Your Anxiety
Creating some space around the feelings of anxiety so we can explore the experience directly, without being carried away by it.

1. When you're ready, come into a comfortable seated position. Let's take some breaths here. Find your ground by feeling your feet on the floor beneath you. Feel your body touching the chair or cushion you're on. Really allow yourself to settle into this: Feel gravity, and release your weight toward gravity. Let's take a few deeper breaths now. If you are already feeling anxious, it can be helpful to really extend the exhale. Take a nice, long inhale, then very much emphasize the exhale.

2. Explore how you're feeling right now. If you're feeling anxious right now, it's a great opportunity to practice. But if not, bring to mind a time recently when you felt some kind of fear, anxiety, worry, or agitation. Recall the situation or conversation. Just remember that event, and as you do, you might start to notice anxious thoughts emerging in your mind. You might also start to notice some related sensations in your body.

3. Open your attention wide. Before we turn toward the anxiety more fully, let's first open our attention wide. Here's where we can use A.W.E. (And What Else?) Just notice. You may be feeling anxiety right now, but let's direct our attention away from that and actively explore our senses.

4. Open your eyes and look around. If your eyes are closed, I invite you to open them to look around the space you're in. Simply orient yourself. And now notice three things that you see in the space around you. They can be very neutral or even pleasant things-flowers, an image. Simply describe them to yourself in your mind: the colours, shapes, forms.

5. Turn your attention to the sounds around you. Once you've noticed three things visually and described them to yourself, turn your attention to hearing. Allow your attention to settle on the sounds around you. Listen for three different sounds; they can be near or far. Emphasize pleasant or neutral sounds. And, again, describe them to yourself: notice the vibration, the tone, how they arise and then pass.

6. Now, let's turn our attention to taste. This might be a little more challenging, but just notice: Can you detect any flavour in your mouth? Maybe something you ate before starting this practice? Toothpaste? Just notice what it's like to taste.

7. Now, turn your attention to your sense of smell. You might take in a deeper breath here. Just notice: Can you detect any scent in the space around you? Notice how they can shift and change with each breath.

8. And finally, let's move to the sense of touch. Beginning on the outer surface of our skin, feel the contact with the chair or the ground. If your hands are touching or resting against your body, just feel that sensation. It's very simple: What do you notice when you turn your attention toward your hands touching? Feel the contact of your clothes with your body. Feel the temperature of the air on your skin. What can you notice?

9. If you have the energy and some space now, turn your attention toward the felt sense of anxiety. If you feel the need for more space at any time, simply keep turning your attention outward: the sounds, the sights-wherever it feels calming and grounding for you to attend in your senses. When you do feel ready to explore, turn your attention to the felt sense: How do you notice anxiety? Where do you feel it in your body? Take a breath and notice where you feel it. Maybe it's in your belly? See if you can notice the details, too: Is it throbbing or tingling? What's the energy like? Within the sensation of anxiety, does it feel like there's a lot of movement? Does it shift and change as you pay attention to it?

10. Can you gently relax around the feeling of anxiety or fear? Think of the rest of your body holding this feeling with a lot of care. Pay close attention, explore, be curious: How does anxiety show up? How is it shifting? If at any point it becomes overwhelming or you get lost in thinking and find you're unable to stay with the sensations, simply go to And What Else: Notice the sights around you. Notice the sounds. Feel the ground.

11. If you are able to pay attention to this sense of anxiety, simply noticing it, let's drop in a question. Staying with the felt sense of this fear, anxiety, worry, or agitation, just ask: What do you need? What do you want me to know? What are you trying to offer me? Just see what answers, images, words arise here. We're asking ourselves here: What do I need?

12. As we close out the meditation, see if you can commit to doing something to address that need you've identified. Alternatively, simply remember the information that has arisen for you during this practice. And now, if you're ready, take a few deeper breaths. Soften your body slightly. Feel the seat under you, the ground under you.

A 20-Minute Meditation for Working with Anxiety
An awareness practice to establish calm in body and mind, so you can explore your worries and meet emotions that arise with kindness.

1. To begin, sit in a way that is relaxed, and take a moment to adjust your posture on your seat to one that's more comfortable. Feel your body in contact with the surface beneath you.

2. Allow yourself to experience whatever is present right now. Whatever bodily feelings, mood, emotions, mind states, and thoughts are present. You might take a few deeper breaths to invite the body and the mind to relax and settle. Take a nice, full, deep in-breath, relaxing, releasing, and letting go on the out-breath. Breathe in, and fill the chest and the lungs with the in-breath. Release and let go on the out-breath.

3. As you breathe in, you might invite in a quality of calm. You could repeat the word calm silently to yourself as you breathe in, and then again as you breathe out. Breathe in, calm the body, breathe out, calm the mind.

4. When you're ready, let the breath settle into its natural rhythm, allowing it to be just as it is. Breathe in, breathe out.

5. You might invite a smile to the corners of your eyes and the corners of your mouth; a smile sends a message to our brain and to our nervous system that we're safe and don't have to be hyper-vigilant. Smiling invites us to relax, and be at ease.

6. While sitting in a way that is relaxed and alert, you might bring to your mind a situation that is a source of anxiety or stress for you. It might be a work situation, family, health, finances, or it might be a combination of factors. Allow yourself to take in all the feelings, sensations, and emotions, and the overall sense of this situation, in the body and in the mind. Choose not to follow scenarios in your mind about what might happen or things that might go badly, and simply observe your thoughts and let them go. Be open to whatever bodily sensations are present with kindness and acceptance. There might be contraction, heat, tightness, tingling, or pulsing. Whatever is present, say yes to what you're feeling. Be open to these feelings and let them come and go. Bring a kind awareness to whatever emotions are present, and allow yourself to feel them fully; they might be fear, worry, anxiety, or sadness, to name a few. Let these feelings be as big as they want to be, and say yes to all that you're feeling. Let your awareness and kind attention hold whatever is present, whatever is arising for you in the body, heart, and mind. Bring interest to the changing flow of experience, letting everything stay for a period of time, and then pass on their own time. Meet it all with kindness, acceptance, and interest.

7. If anxious thoughts arise like, "This will never go away" or, "I'll never be able to do everything I have to do," meet these thoughts with kindness and care. Without identifying with them or treating them as true, let the thoughts come and go. Continue to open to your experience in this way, meeting your experience with kindness and care. If it's challenging, acknowledge that it is difficult. You could put a hand on your heart and wish yourself well, if this is helpful.

8. Think to yourself, "May I be happy and may I live with ease." Take a deep in-breath, letting go on the out-breath. Hold your experience with kindness and with care.

9. Bring awareness to any emotion that may be present, perhaps underneath the feelings. Maybe there's fear that the sadness, grief, or worry will continue. See if you can say yes to the emotion. Meet your emotions with kindness and care, and notice how they, too shift and change if you can open to them.

10. If a sensation or an emotion gives rise to an urge or an impulse to do something negative, like eat something unhealthy, take a drink, or take a drug, see if you can stay with that energy. See that this, too comes and stays for a while, and then passes. If it's helpful you could imagine it as like a wave coming along. Maybe there's a strong energy, and the wave crests. But if you stay with it with awareness and with kindness, perhaps those feelings pass for a while, and then there's calm. Be open to the thoughts or narratives that come up in your mind; they might be "This is too much," or "I need to do something to deal with this pain or difficult feeling," and invite yourself to stay with the direct experience.

11. If the pain, discomfort, difficult emotion, or difficult feeling seems like it's too intense, see if you can bring your awareness to another part of your experience. Perhaps an area of your body that feels more neutral, such as your hands, or your feet, or your seat, or something in your life that you're happy about or grateful for. Let your awareness rest on a more pleasant or neutral experience for a time. When you feel ready, let your attention move back to the bodily feelings, and be open again to your experience, riding whatever waves arise.

12. Stay as close to your direct experience as you can, and bring a kind awareness to the thoughts and stories that surround the pain, stress, or difficult emotion. Choose not to identify with the thoughts but just acknowledge them as thoughts. Let them come and go in their own time with kindness.

13. Sit quietly for a couple of minutes, and be open to the changing flow of experience, recognizing how mindfulness can help us open up to and untangle ourselves from painful thoughts, stress, worry, anxiety, and the patterns of behavior that tend to go with those feelings, emotions, and mental states.

Breathing Exercises for Anxiety

Mindful breathing is part of the foundation of Mindfulness Based Stress Reduction. It involves diaphragmatic or abdominal breathing, also known as belly breathing, which is very helpful in calming the body because it's the way that you naturally breathe when asleep or relaxed.

How to Practice Mindful Breathing

It might be helpful to start off practicing mindful breathing for five minutes once a day and build it up from there. Maybe you'll find that you can add a second or even a third 5-minute session, practicing mindful breathing at different times of your day. You can get additional benefit if you gradually extend your mindful breathing to 10, 15, 20, or even 30 minutes at least once a day. Let this be a part of your practice of mindfulness that you look forward to doing, a special time for you to center yourself and "return home" to your being. Feel free to use an alarm clock or timer; you can download free meditation timers from the Insight Meditation Center that feature a pleasant sound.

Like other meditations, mindful breathing can be incorporated into your daily activities too. As far as where to practice informally, just about anywhere works. Take a few minutes at home, at work, at the doctor's office, at the bus stop, or even while waiting in line to bring a little mindful breathing into your life. You can also make it a habit to take a few mindful breaths right after you wake up, when you take a morning break, at lunchtime, in the afternoon, at night, or right before you go to sleep. Once you've practiced mindful breathing at these times, you can experiment with using it when you're feeling some angst, to help you calm the rush of panic in your body.

The reason diaphragmatic or abdominal breathing is an "anti-panic/anxiety" breath is it helps regulate irregular breathing patterns fairly quickly. Often when you feel panicked, your breathing will become rapid, irregular, and shallow. You'll tend to breathe mostly in your chest and neck. When you shift to diaphragmatic breathing, this will help regulate the breath so you can begin to feel more balanced and relaxed.

Explore your breath:

Take a moment right now to be mindful of your breath. Gently place your hands on your belly.

Breathe normally and naturally. When you breathe in, simply be aware that you're breathing in; when you breathe out, be aware that you're breathing out.

Feel your belly rise and fall with your breath. Now take two more mindful breaths and then continue reading.

A 5-Minute Breathing Meditation

Find a quiet place where you can be undisturbed. Turn off your phone and any other devices that might take you away from this special time that you're giving yourself. Assume a posture in which you can be comfortable and alert, whether sitting in a chair or on a cushion or lying down.

You can learn mindful breathing by following the script below, pausing briefly after each paragraph. Aim for a total time of at least five minutes.

1. Appreciate your time. Take a few moments to congratulate yourself that you are taking some time for meditation.

2. Become aware of your breath. Now bring awareness to the breath in the abdomen or belly, breathing normally and naturally.

3. Stay with your breath. As you breathe in, be aware of breathing in; as you breathe out, be aware of breathing out. If it is helpful, place your hands on your belly to feel it expand with each inhalation and contract with each exhalation. Simply maintaining this awareness of the breath, breathing in and breathing out. If you are unable to feel the breath in your belly, find some other way-place your hands on your chest, or feel the movement of air in and out of your nostrils.

4. Just be. There's no need to visualize, count, or figure out the breath. Just being mindful of breathing in and out. Without judgment, just watching, feeling, experiencing the breath as it ebbs and flows. There's no place to go and nothing else to do. Just being in the here and now, mindful of your breathing, living life one inhalation and one exhalation at a time.

5. Feel what your body is doing naturally. As you breathe in, feel the abdomen or belly expand or rise like a balloon inflating, then feel it receding or deflating or falling on the exhalation. Just riding the waves of the breath, moment by moment, breathing in and out.

6. Acknowledge your wandering mind. From time to time, you may notice that your attention has wandered from the breath. When you notice this, just acknowledge that your mind wandered and acknowledge where it went, and then bring your attention gently back to the breath.

7. Be where you are. Remember, there is no other place to go, nothing else you need to do, and no one you have to be right now. Just breathing in and breathing out. Breathing normally and naturally, without manipulating the breath in any way, just being aware of the breath as it comes and goes.

8. Acknowledge your time. As you come to the end of this meditation, congratulate yourself that you took this time to be present and that you are directly cultivating inner resources for healing and well-being. Let us take a moment to end this meditation with the wish "May all beings be at peace."

How to Stop a Panic Attack

A great many people who suffer with panic attacks describe feeling a disconnect from reality that scares and confuses them. You may feel completely helpless, as though there is nothing you can do and no one can help you. You literally believe that a threat is present, likely, or imminent. It's a frightening experience not easily forgotten. In fact, the fear alone that it may happen again is enough to start the cycle of panic and insecurity. If you're feeling scared or insecure about a reoccurrence right now, you are not alone, and there is help.

A Meditation for Investigating Panic Attacks

There's no predicting when your next panic attack will occur. It might happen while you're out running errands, interacting with strangers at the market or post office. Being in public may feel like the worst-case scenario for a panic attack, but it is also your cue to listen to your mind and body.

Mindful inquiry will help you investigate what is driving your panicky emotions, in order for you to become free from them. Practice these skills the next time you feel panic beginning to rise.

Take a moment for a mindful inquiry practice:

1. Before you begin, ask yourself whether this is a good time to explore your feelings. Do you feel safe at this time? If you do feel safe, proceed with the next step. If you do not feel safe, then it is okay to wait and attempt this practice at a more secure time, perhaps when you've returned to the privacy of your home.

2. Your practice begins as soon as you tune in to and become mindful with your breathing. Wherever you are-running around town, meeting up with a friend, standing in line, or walking down the aisle of a market-you carry your breath everywhere, and it is your focal point for maintaining your connection to the present wherever you go. Be mindful of your breathing, in and out, noticing the sensations of warmth as you breathe in and coolness as you breathe out, experiencing the rise and fall, the in and out of each breath.

3. Take this moment to recognize any and all feelings that are with you now. If you feel out of control, then just acknowledge it as a feeling, without attaching details or stories to it. If you feel an uncontrollable fear that you're going insane, then recognize this feeling without striving to critique or analyze the feeling. Give yourself permission to just identify and acknowledge the emotions that are coming up and let them be. You may be telling yourself: I feel as if something horrible is about to happen. I feel as though I've lost touch with reality. I feel as though I can't trust anyone. Maybe I can't even trust myself. Other unrelated feelings and thoughts may come to mind, like I'm hungry. I hope that he calls soon. I wonder where I left my to-do list. Make space in this moment to simply let these feelings emerge and try to stay with the feelings and thoughts just as they are. Simply acknowledge what's here, without attaching yourself or clinging to any one thought or feeling.

4. You may experience a strong impulse to resist or fight against these painful and terrifying emotions, as may be your habit. We all have a natural tendency to strive toward what feels good. For this exercise, you are practicing non-striving: not trying, or not attempting to change your feelings or shift them in a different direction. Just let the feelings be what they are. The less energy you spend trying to resist or alter your panicky emotions, the lesser the hold your panic can have on you.

5. Remember to be aware of your breathing and to connect again with the here and now.

A 30-Minute Meditation for Investigating Panic Attacks

Note: Before beginning this guided meditation, please consider whether this is the right time for you to do it. Do you feel reasonably safe and open? If not, do some mindful breathing and come back to it at another time.

1. First, congratulate yourself that you are dedicating some precious time for meditation.

2. Become aware of your body and mind and whatever you are carrying within you. Perhaps there are feelings from the day's events or whatever has been going on recently.

3. May you simply allow and acknowledge whatever is within you and let it be, without any form of analysis.

4. Gradually, shift the focus of awareness to the breath, breathing normally and naturally. As you breathe in, be aware of breathing in, and as you breathe out, be aware of breathing out.

5. Awareness can be focused at either the tip of the nose or the abdomen, depending on your preference. If focusing at the tip of the nose, feel the touch of the air as you breathe in and out... If focusing on the abdomen, feel the belly expanding on an inhalation and contracting on an exhalation.

6. Breathing in, breathing out, experiencing each breath appearing and disappearing. Just breathing. And now gently withdraw awareness from the breath and shift to mindful inquiry.

7. Mindful inquiry is an investigation into emotions, thoughts, and physical sensations that are driving your panic, anxieties, and fears, often beneath the surface of your awareness. There is a special and unique way of doing this practice that can foster the potential for deep understanding and insight.

8. When you practice mindful inquiry, gently direct your attention into the bodily feeling of panic or fear itself. Allow yourself to bring nonjudgmental awareness into the experience of it, acknowledging whatever it feels like in the body and mind and letting it be.

9. To begin this exploration you need to first check in with yourself and determine whether it feels safe or not. If you don't feel safe, perhaps it is better to wait and try another time, and just stay with your breathing for now.

10. If you are feeling safe, then bring awareness into the body and mind and allow yourself to acknowledge any physical sensations, emotions, or thoughts. Then, just let them be...without trying to analyze or figure them out.

11. You may discover that within these feelings there's a multitude of thoughts, emotions, or old memories that are fuelling your fears. When you begin to acknowledge what has not been acknowledged, the pathway of insight and understanding may arise. As you turn toward your emotions, they may show you what you are panicked, worried, mad, sad, or bewildered about.

12. You may learn that the very resistance to unacknowledged emotions often causes more panic or fear and that learning to go with it, rather than fighting it, often diminishes them. When we say "go with it," we mean that you allow and acknowledge whatever is within the mind and body. Just letting the waves of emotions, thoughts, and physical sensations go wherever they need to go just like the sky makes room for any weather.

13. Now gently return to the breath, being mindful of breathing in and out...riding the waves of the breath.

14. As you come to the end of this meditation, take a moment to congratulate yourself and take a moment to appreciate the safety and ease you may be feeling right now that you can bring into your day. By acknowledging your fears, you may open the possibility for deeper understanding, compassion, and peace. Before you get up, gently wiggle your fingers and toes and gradually open your eyes, being fully aware here and now.

15. Send some loving-kindness your way. May I dwell in peace. May all beings dwell in peace.

3 Ways to Get Out of Panic Mode

1. Notice what's happening, instead of completely identifying with it.

2. Practice mindfulness with others (together or virtually), so you can remember you're not alone.

3. Pause and take five deep breaths, any time you feel anxious or in a panic.

Coping with anxiety is difficult, but we can begin to untangle our anxious habits when we recognize how they show up in our daily activities. Read More

Mindful's managing editor Stephanie Domet explores how choosing self-compassion in the face of things that go bump in the night, made for kinder days and easier nights. Read More

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Anxiety is our body's way of saying, "Hey, I'm experiencing too much stress all at once." This happens to the best of us. But when that feeling of being "always on alert" becomes background noise that doesn't go away, that's when it's time to seek help.

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Alysia Ferguson Garcia remembers the day two years ago that ended in her making a call to Child Protective Services. One of her students walked into drama class with what Garcia thought of as a "bad attitude" and refused to participate in a script reading.

"I don't care if you've had a bad day," Garcia remembers saying in frustration. "You still have to do some work."

In the middle of class, the student offered an explanation for her behavior: Her mom's boyfriend had been sexually abusing her. After the shock passed, the incident provided an opportunity for the class-and Garcia-to provide the student with comfort, and to cry.

When Garcia first started teaching, she wasn't expecting the stories her students would share of physical and sexual abuse, hunger, violence, and suicide. The stories seemed to haunt her all the way home, she says, recalling nightmares and sleepless nights spent worrying about her students. They also dredged up deep-seated memories of her own experiences with abuse.

"When you're learning to be a teacher, you think it's just about lesson plans, curriculum, and seating charts," said Garcia. "I was blindsided by the emotional aspect of teaching-I didn't know how to handle it. I was hurt by my students' pain, and it was hard for me to leave that behind when I went home."

The Real Costs of Trauma

Data shows that more than half of all U.S. children have experienced some kind of trauma in the form of abuse, neglect, violence, or challenging household circumstances-and 35 percent of children have experienced more than one type of traumatic event, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC). These adverse childhood experiences (ACEs) can have impacts that extend far beyond childhood, including higher risks for alcoholism, liver disease, suicide, and other health problems later in life.

Trauma in children often manifests outwardly, affecting kids' relationships and interactions. In schools, the signs of trauma may be seen in a student acting out in class, or they could be more subtle-like failure to make eye contact or repeatedly tapping a foot. (To learn more about how trauma impacts students, read " Brains in Pain Cannot Learn! ")

For teachers, who are directly exposed to a large number of young people with trauma in their work, a secondary type of trauma, known as vicarious trauma, is a big risk. Sometimes called the "cost of caring," vicarious trauma can result from "hearing [people's] trauma stories and becom[ing] witnesses to the pain, fear, and terror that trauma survivors have endured," according to the American Counseling Association.

"Being a teacher is a stressful enough job, but teachers are now responsible for a lot more things than just providing education," says LeAnn Keck, a manager at Trauma Smart, an organization that partners with schools and early childhood programs to help children and the adults in their lives navigate trauma. "It seems like teachers have in some ways become case workers. They get to know about their students' lives and the needs of their families, and with that can come secondary trauma."

When you're learning to be a teacher, you think it's just about lesson plans, curriculum, and seating charts. I was blindsided by the emotional aspect of teaching-I didn't know how to handle it.

Vicarious trauma affects teachers' brains in much the same way that it affects their students': The brain emits a fear response, releasing excessive cortisol and adrenaline that can increase heart rate, blood pressure, and respiration, and release a flood of emotions. This biological response can manifest in mental and physical symptoms such as anger and headaches, or workplace behaviors like missing meetings, lateness, or avoiding certain students, say experts.

Yet many teachers are never explicitly taught how to help students who have experienced trauma, let alone address the toll it takes on their own health and personal lives. We reached out to trauma-informed experts and educators around the country to get their recommendations for in-the-moment coping strategies and preventative measures to help teachers process vicarious trauma. We share their tips below.

Talking it Out

Garcia, now a teacher of eight years, says she's found that confiding in others-either a therapist, her boyfriend, or colleagues-helps her process students' trauma and her own emotions.

Connecting with colleagues to talk through and process experiences can be invaluable for teachers coping with secondary trauma, according to Micere Keels, an associate professor at the University of Chicago and founder of the TREP Project, a trauma-informed curriculum for urban teachers.

"Reducing professional isolation is critical," said Keels. "It allows educators to see that others are struggling with the same issues, prevents the feeling that one's struggles are due to incompetence, and makes one aware of alternative strategies for working with students exhibiting challenging behavior."

It doesn't serve anybody to pretend that we're teacher-bots with no emotions, which I think sometimes teachers feel like they have to be.

Finding a wellness-accountability buddy-a peer who agrees to support and keep you accountable to your wellness goals-or using a professional learning community as a space to check in with other teachers are also ways to get that support, offers Alex Shevrin, a former school leader and teacher at Centerpoint School, a trauma-informed high school in Vermont that institutes school-wide practices aimed at addressing students' underlying emotional needs.

At Centerpoint, time for a monthly wellness group-where teachers, administrators, and social workers support each other on their personal wellness goals like exercising and creating work-life balance-is built into the professional development schedule. Staff also use in-service time to focus on taking care of their health together, by hiking, biking, going to the gym, or even learning to knit.

"If I had one wish for every school in the country, it would be that they made time for teachers to really sit down and talk about how they're feeling in the work," said Shevrin. "It doesn't serve anybody to pretend that we're teacher-bots with no emotions, which I think sometimes teachers feel like they have to be."

Building Coping Strategies

Students affected by trauma can have combative personalities and learn which buttons to press to upset you in class, says Garcia. When a student acts out in class, Garcia takes a few deep breaths, drinks coffee, or goes to a different part of the classroom to help another student.

"If I get upset, it never goes anywhere," Garcia said. "When you try to have a battle in class, you automatically lose as the teacher."

That's a good approach, says Keck, who suggests developing proactive coping strategies to address stressful situations in advance. A strategy may be counting to five, visualizing a calming place, or responding with an opposite action-like talking to a student quietly when you want to yell. Waiting until you're actually in a stressful situation means you're likely to overreact or to say or do something unhelpful.

Keck also recommends mapping out your school day and taking note of the times of day you feel most stressed, and then integrating scheduled coping strategies into your daily routine. If you feel stressed when students start to lose focus midday, for example, guide your students in a quick group stretch and some deep breathing to shift energy before getting back to work.

"Look at your schedule. If you see a stressful pattern, don't wait for it to happen. Don't wait to feel overwhelmed and stressed," urges Keck.

The important part is customizing the strategy to meet your needs.

Garcia applies this strategy when she's at home. She knows that after she puts her daughter to sleep, the worry for her students creeps in-so she makes sure to take time for things she enjoys, like watching movies and playing video games.

While many teachers say they don't have time for self-care, experts insist that it's necessary to develop long-term self-care practices-and stick to them-to build up your overall well-being and resilience. These self-care activities could be going for a walk, reading, watching a movie, practicing mindfulness, or talking with a friend-whatever invigorates you.
©Shutterstock.com/Dudarev Mikhail
Establishing Coming Home Rituals

It can be hard to leave work at work, but to address vicarious trauma, teachers need to create clear boundaries between work and home life. Part of that can be developing a ritual or routine that signifies the end of a work day, either before you head home, on the way home, or at home.

"For me, sometimes it's just as simple as turning off my work phone before I go into my house," Shevrin says. "I hear the sound of my phone turning off and then I know that I'm home."

After an emotionally difficult day, many teachers will write about their experiences before they leave, or sit down with a colleague to help process it, Keck told us.

Others organize their desk or create a to-do list for the next workday so they can let go of worry before heading home. While driving home, teachers listen to audiobooks, call a friend, or sit in silence to decompress. A ritual could even be as simple as changing clothes or taking a bath once you get home.

For Garcia, it's about putting her daughter's needs first and making the most of the time she has with her.

"It's very easy to get overwhelmed and let the job consume you. But teaching is about balance," she said. "When I come home, I try to just focus on my kid so she gets as much of me as she can. It's not always easy, but I've learned to put my life and my daughter's life first."

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When Students Are Traumatized, Teachers Are Too

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Trauma in students' lives takes an emotional and physical toll on teachers as well. Experts weigh in on the best ways to cope.

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Tools to help you work and live with purpose.

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Short Breaks Help Students—and Teachers—Find Their Calm

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Simple, quick exercises improve mindfulness, self-regulation, and well-being, for both students and teachers.

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As I write this, many schools are closed in Texas . And the closures aren't pandemic related. They're closed because of a storm that led to a massive utilities failure. One Texas teacher shared on the WeAreTeacher's Facebook page that her school's pipes froze and then burst. Another teacher posted that her school's library caught on fire. Yet another said she is trying to teach students online through rolling blackouts. We are two months into the year, and the winter storm in Texas is just the latest challenge facing America's teachers. In 2021, it seems every day means confronting new problems and their impacts on our kids.

Tomorrow is not simply another day at school

On January 6th, protesters stormed the United States Capital for the first time since August 24th, 1814. We saw the news coverage and tried to process what was happening in disbelief. We couldn't help but wonder how to talk to our students about the attack because there was no lesson plan for that, just like there was no plan for how to continue schooling during an unprecedented global pandemic. Kylene Beers wrote a blog post that reminded us "that tomorrow is not simply another day at school." We agreed and couldn't help but wonder: when was the last normal day of school? And when will there be one again?

Teachers are teaching through trauma

There are a lot of resources out there about how teachers can best support students who have experienced trauma, but there aren't many for how teachers can navigate teaching through trauma. There isn't a person in this country that hasn't experienced trauma this year. There's been constant disaster-from climate change and social injustice to the pandemic. And no one is immune to the effects. Some of us freeze; others fight, flee, or fawn. That's our brain's way of trying to protect ourselves from danger or disaster.

There's an elephant in our classrooms

I've never met a teacher who isn't optimistic or at least tries to be. We are masters at leaving our problems at the classroom door and putting on a happy face so we can "show up for our kids." But I can't help but wonder if we're doing a disservice to ourselves and our students. How can we not talk about what is happening with our students? I understand the fear. Some of us feel that it is not appropriate for us to discuss what's happening. Isn't that their families' job? Others don't feel it's developmentally appropriate to talk about what's happening. But whether we talk about the elephant or not, it is there.

It is Americans protesting after George Floyds' death. It is an angry and violent mob storming the Capitol. It is a virus that has killed 500,000 Americans and counting. No student is immune. And no teacher is either. While we can't control what is happening-or even see it coming-we can support our students to express their feelings. And that doesn't mean we have to take sides or bring our politics and personal beliefs into our classrooms (unless we choose to).

How to talk to students about what's happening

So how do we know what to say and how to talk to our students when we are still experiencing trauma? Sure there are a lot of expert opinions on this, but we wanted to hear straight from teachers. Here's what they're doing.

Use terms that kids can understand

"As a teacher, if I can't make my students feel safe, then no learning is happening. So we need to discuss this in terms that kids can understand, in a way that helps them to see that we are here to support them and that we are here to make them feel safe. We don't need to get into the ins and outs of who's right and who's wrong. We just need them to know that we have their backs and that this room is a sanctuary for learning." -Kareem

Talk about what we do with big feelings

"We talked about 'big feelings' and what we do with them. The kids made great suggestions! Tell someone, write it down, breathe the feelings in and then let them go, exercise, draw a pic, etc. What I don't want them to do is bottle up those feelings and shove them down." -Karen

Be a safe space

"My high schoolers brought it up, and we talked about it openly and honestly with raw emotions and feelings and opinions, and it was one of the best conversations I've had with my kids. I did my best to remain unbiased and let them come to their own conclusions and decisions and opinions." -Tamara

All aspects of life belong in school

And if you're looking for an expert opinion, The Washington Post interviewed Elizabeth Dutro, an expert on trauma and learning and a fellow at the National Education Policy Center at the University of Colorado at Boulder. Here's what she had to say, "When teachers allow children and youth to witness their struggles, humanity and vulnerabilities, students are positioned as active participants in a reciprocal process of being present as witnesses for one another. In addition, teachers' sharing helps to demonstrate to students that all aspects of life belong in school, that they are seen, heard and valued in the classroom, and that their experiences matter as a source of knowledge."

Show students, I see you, I hear you, I value you

Our students are watching us closely right now. They are looking to us for guidance on how to make sense of everything that is happening both in and out of school. When we create space for them to share their experiences, feelings, reactions, and worries, we are showing them that we see them, we hear them, and we value them. And while we don't have all the answers, we can show them that we will be there to weather the storm.

Looking for more? Check out Black Lives Matter At School Resources, 9 Resources on Trauma Informed Schools, and Create a Toolbox for Care. For support with teaching through trauma, look into Resilient Educator.

Do you have other resources that support teachers who are teaching through trauma? Share in the comments below.

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As I write this, many schools are closed in Texas . And the closures aren't pandemic related. They're closed because of a storm that led to a massive utilities failure. One Texas teacher shared on the WeAreTeacher's Facebook page that her school's pipes froze and then burst.

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Building on culturally-based teachings, through the use of traditional stories and personal reflections, Jerry Tello shares the "medicine" and process to detox from, and break the cycles of...

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Edutopia is a free source of information, inspiration, and practical strategies for learning and teaching in preK-12 education. We are published by the George Lucas Educational Foundation, a nonprofit, nonpartisan organization.

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Author: Healthwise Staff

All Healthwise education is reviewed by a team that includes physicians, nurses, advanced practitioners, registered dieticians, and other healthcare professionals.

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Stress Management: Breathing Exercises for Relaxation

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Top of the pageActionsetStress Management: Breathing Exercises for RelaxationOverviewHave you ever noticed how you breathe when you feel relaxed? The next time you are relaxed, take a moment to notice how your body feels. Or think about how you breathe when you first wake up in the morning or just before you fall asleep.

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