# data[].attributes.attachment_link.title
Embark Websites | COVID-19 Time Capsule By LONG Creations

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.description
LONG Creations created this COVID-19 Time Capsule for free for fellow families living through this difficult time. Download COVID-19 Time Capsule free here.

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.description
Please find below a list of useful fitness and well-being websites and apps full of ideas for how to take care of your own and others personal well-being during self-isolation #InThisTogetherDubai

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.keywords[]
gonoodle "go noodle" "brain breaks in the classroom" "brain break dance" "brain break songs" "brain breaks just dance" "movement break" "classroom movement b...

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.description
Welcome To GoNoodle! GoNoodle gets kids moving to be their strongest, bravest, silliest, smartest, bestest selves. Join the party and get ready for a fun-filled day of dancing, stretching, running, jumping, deep breathing, and wiggling with GoNoodle. We post new videos every Sunday, Monday, and Thursdays!

# data[].attributes.headline
Positive Education - Free Remote Wellbeing Resources (Primary)

# data[].attributes.subject
Positive Education - Free Remote Wellbeing Resources (Primary)

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.description
Home > Primary > Free Remote Wellbeing Resources (Primary) > 1.6 Week 5

# data[].attributes.body
Some reflection for us adults.

# data[].attributes.body
Source: https://livingresilientlyblog.wordpress.com/2018/09/05/anxiety-hot-spots/amp/

# data[].attributes.body
@JUSTGIRLPROJECT

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.title
Six ways to practice Grounding with anxiety & intense emotions

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.readable_text
The Five Ways to Wellbeing are accessible things you can do every day to improve overall mental health and wellbeing.

We all know that it's important to eat five fruit and vegetables each day for our physical health. The Five Ways to Wellbeing are things you can do each day which are good for your sense of overall mental health, happiness and wellbeing.

The Ways to Wellbeing are based on research conducted by the New Economics Foundation (NEF). NEF was commissioned by the UK Government to develop a set of evidence-based actions to improve personal wellbeing, and the Ways to Wellbeing are the result.

These are practical ways to improve your own and others' wellbeing, and throughout our website you'll find blogs and videos related to the Five Ways to Wellbeing:

Tell us your views

What do you think of the Five Ways to Wellbeing? Do you feel inspired to try them out? Or do you have further suggestions? Share with us on social media via Twitter or Facebook.

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.title
Five Ways to Wellbeing - Network of Wellbeing

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.description
The Five Ways to Wellbeing are accessible things you can do every day to improve overall mental health and wellbeing. We all know that it's important to eat five fruit and vegetables each day for our physical health. The Five Ways

# data[].attributes.headline
Student Well being Resources (Positive Education)

# data[].attributes.subject
Student Well being Resources (Positive Education)

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.description
Home > Primary > Free Remote Wellbeing Resources (Primary) > 1.2 Week 1

# data[].attributes.body
Source: https://tommccallum.com/2020/04/05/crisis-leadership-be-kind/

# data[].attributes.body
1. Understand the normal emotional responses to a crisis.
2. Maintain boundaries.
3. Establish a routine for both you and your family.
4. Be intentional about your social media usage.
5. Practice Self-Awareness.
6. Connect.
7. Tell and seek stories of resilience.
8. Exercise.
9. Plan for the future.
10. Embrace the shared experience.

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.title
Educators' Well-Being During the COVID-19 Outbreak

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.description
When a crisis or a disruption like the COVID-19 school campus closures occur, we all respond differently and our responses will change over time. These closures may remind us of past traumatic experiences like the outbreak of a war or civil unrest, or the sudden destruction of an earthquake or terrorist attack.

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.readable_text
DACHER KELTNER Hi, it's Dacher Keltner. Very often, our greatest challenges and trials in life-combat, natural disaster, economic trauma, mortality-return us to our nobler tendencies, and our sense of greater purpose. Yes, we have to watch out for the racism, xenophobia, and aggression that can arise during times like these, this moment of the Coronavirus, and to do so we have to hew more closely to our capacities for compassion, connection, and creativity.

As we record this, we're in a studio on a vacated campus where I teach, UC Berkeley.

Many of us feel the fear of the spread of COVID 19. We are keeping our distance from others, who bring such strength and love to our lives. This social-distancing is crucial. It's saving lives. But it's also disrupting the very fabric of how we get along with others. Businesses are suffering, families are separated

Students I've spoken with feel the racist underpinnings of how the virus is named by many, or what social distancing means to them if they come from diverse backgrounds. And the economic consequences, and disease, which often hit the poorest hardest, may regrettably follow with law-like regularity.

We know, though, that the ideas and practices we share on The Science of Happiness are often activated during peril and trauma-we turn to others, we turn to things like gratitude and wonder, and strong bonds, to survive. And their benefits are most pronounced during such times.

We're offering resources, articles and practices for people who are facing COVID-19 at greatergood.berkeley.edu/coronavirus

And for the next few months, The Science of Happiness is going to be sharing practices to help us with the complex changes brought about by our responses to Coronavirus, the social distancing, disrupted work, difficulties perhaps paying bills, and lack of physical contact.

We feel more committed now than ever to share science-tested practices that can help us feel calmer, happier, and more connected to loved ones.

Our guest this week is Jennifer Keitt. She's the CEO of the Keitt Institute, a nonprofit that she started with her daughter to develop strong, whole and empowered women.

When we asked Jennifer to choose a practice to boost happiness in her life, she chose one that can make us feel more connected to others by manipulating spaces in our own homes and places of work.

Jennifer joins us today from her home studio in Georgia to tell us how the practice went.

Jennifer, thanks for joining us on The Science of Happiness.

JENNIFER KEITT Thank you. Thank you so much for having me.

DACHER KELTNER We asked you to choose a practice to bring more happiness in your life, and you chose the Reminders of Connectedness exercise. This practice walks you through the process of considering how you can add reminders of social connection to your home or your office or your classroom. So what it does is, you first, you look around your home and sort of see what kind of objects or words surround you.

DK 1:04:49 Next, it asks you to count how many of these objects or words or images are related to social connectedness.

DACHER KELTNER And then you notice whether there are spaces, empty walls where you might add things and make things that help fill those empty spaces with connection. And then finally, to think about how your furniture is actually arranged to either get people closer together or are not.

What did you see?

JENNIFER KEITT So the first thing that I did was really to take a moment to look around my office. I work from home and my sacred office space is really, really important to me. And I was really struck by this first step of what kinds of objects and words and images surround you. So, Dacher, for me, it's I've got a bulletin board on all of my "sheros," Angela Bassett and Viola Davis and pictures. Right. Of women. Powerful women that I, that I really aspire to be like, you know, to be these kind of boss babes. And then looking at my walls, I'm seeing a lot of ideas that connect me to myself. "I'm just a girl boss, building her empire," it's one of the favorite sayings on my walls. And so goes this idea when I was looking around that there's a lot of ways that I'm not only connecting with others, but connecting with myself as well. And then step two, counting how many of these objects and words and images relate to social connectedness. And this is where I think I'm embarrassed because well over 20 or 25, I think I stopped about 25 or 30. Interacting words: community, together, friendship, a lot of that I found in my office, which was step two. And then you asked, step three, to notice whether there were empty walls or shelves where I could add new objects: no. There's nothing, so I have to empty some things!

And then, step four, next time when I'm out shopping and looking through my belongings, looking for things that might help me to find objects that evoke more connection, maybe even in a subtle way. This has been challenging since doing the exercise because I've been doing this exercise in this very--spiral downward that we've been taking nationwide. So, so there really hasn't been much, out shopping. It really hasn't. Right. So, so that's still something I'm looking forward to. And then finally, considering the furniture, all my furniture out of place. Well, in my office, it's very much placed for connections. And even now, bringing in more and more chairs and more seating, because. My husband and myself, we're doing a lot of family video conferencing. Last night we had a happy hour together with our children via video teleconference. So we're actually moving through our lives. And this week I'm planning a virtual dinner, a virtual Sunday dinner for everyone. So everyone has their own food in their own place. But we're all going to eat together. So I'm arranging furniture in my office and then that extends out into my home for way more communal situations to include the computer and my husband and myself. So it's really, it's a different time that we're in right now.

DACHER KELTNER You know, we know from work by people like Naomi Eisenberger and Louisa Pavey that, you know, images of people seeing their faces, hearing their voices, the voice is this powerful basis or language of connection really makes us feel safe. And it sort of quiets the source of anxiety in our minds these days. You know, a lot of the people that I'm talking to, including a lot of my students, are really isolated, feeling lonely. I just got a paper recently that, the, you know, the quarantining that took place with the other epidemics actually leads to elevated depression and anxiety. Really worrisome. You know? What are some of the words of wisdom you offer to people who are wondering, like, how can I connect to my child who's far away? How can I? They can connect to my aging parents. How can I connect to my community members? What would you say?

JENNIFER KEITT So for anyone that is under 30, right. Or even under 35, it is not. It's a no brainer. Face time. And then other kinds of connectedness that happens with the push of a button. And so that idea that we are looking at each other. I think that's that's been more that's been amped up more in the last several days, actually, for me than ever before. So it's that face time and that live time. So we're actually sitting down together. I mentioned, you know, the happy hour that I had with my kids yesterday. And spouses, their spouses as well. Just an hour of gathering together and, you know, beverage of choice. They're all adults. So it's very legal. And just coming together and talking. Right. But, and here's, the big but my mom and my husband's mom and others that have older folks who are not technologically savvy. Now we're having to go to the telephone. A lot more phone calls that are happening. I know between me and my mom and my husband and his parents because my mom doesn't even have Internet. So a lot of telephone calling because, again, live voice and hearing voice, I think reminds us of being connected that kind of way.

I just cannot stress enough: live, live, live. Using technology for what it's really good at doing, which is bringing us together. And in this age, we can see.

DACHER KELTNER I've been offering my happiness class to Berkeley undergrads, you know, online now. And I had office hours and a bunch showed up and they are like, make sure you keep it live. Because even in the digital world, sensing that other people are there and sort of learning together is powerful.

JENNIFER KEITT Absolutely.

DACHER KELTNER I was talking to a UC Berkeley student yesterday who's from China. Remarkably, she had seen the coronavirus break out in China. And then she came back to school in Berkeley and is seeing it break out in the United States. And she was here by herself without family and really struggling with that. And probably like many of our listeners or many people in the United States and elsewhere that, you know, being quarantined away from our social connections, away from the people we love very often. The reminders of connectedness practice becomes more poignant. So. What would you advise someone who's suddenly in a situation like, "God, I can't touch or reach out and be with these people. How can I use this practice to change my living circumstance?"

JENNIFER KEITT I think that creating a sacred space in a sacred time for you is going to be my my best advice. And here's what I mean by that. At the end of the day, before Corona and even after Corona out, we are with ourselves more than any other beings. I can be in a home with my husband, but I am still inside of Jennifer. And so to me, this is the time, even when we are socially isolated, to reconnect and get to know you. So that means setting aside a specific amount of time and space. A very I know for me it's got to be a beautiful space and maybe it's with a candle or maybe it's with something that's fragrant. Maybe it's with a faux flower. Or if you can't get out and get real flowers or whatever is going to bring that positivity to that space that you're going to be at. And what I'm talking about, a space could be in the closet. It could be a chair. It could be at a table. But really being intentional about checking in with you. I think that that is so critical. I've always thought that beforehand. But now I think it becomes even more critical because the self-talk that we have going on on the inside of us is going to make or break this experience for us. So I highly, highly, highly recommend or sacred self time that you kind of take. If it's two minutes if its three minutes if It's an hour. You've got to make sure that you're intentionally keeping you up to speed, up to par by making sure the, you know, meditating or reading a book. But setting aside that time to check in with your heart so that you can make sure that you're staying OK.

DACHER KELTNER You know, this trauma is getting us to rethink our own private space. And you're suggesting, you know, we make it more sacred. What would you advise somebody? And in terms of like making a little space in their room more sacred. And have these reminders of connectedness?

JENNIFER KEITT So it's this idea of making sure that we have, I'll call them zones, right in our homes. It's really difficult without structuring a space and a time for things. For many people, I know it is for me. So, for example, we know what we use the bathroom for. We know what we use the kitchen for. We know what we use the living space for. But now, because we're all isolated, all of our spaces. Right. Become this big , it could become a big blob. What I'm suggesting is that people actually stake their claim would be, you know, if I had little ones at home. Maybe it's a colorful beach towel, right. That they can just kind of hang out. I mean, here in Georgia, we do get a little bit of sun. So hanging out in front of my big windows.. So they could pretend like they're at the beach or whatever the case may be. That's a sacred space. And that's how it becomes a sacred space for women. It might be, you know, honestly, a bathtub. I know my bathtub took me through a whole lot. When my kids were young So it's a bubble bath. It might be a bubble bath. It might even be at midnight when everybody else is asleep. But that's sacred space time. So what I'm suggesting is that we find these very intentional places, that we have sacred items that really bring us instantly into that place of being mindful, being compassionate, decompressing, de-stressing, thinking about how we are thinking and how we are feeling. And if you are alone in your house or in your space and you don't have that kind of connectedness, you still could make up a space and a place for yourself that's uniquely your own, that you say what I get into this space. It's going to only be about me and making sure that I'm OK. Whether you're taking a book with you or magazine with you, or if you're listening to your, you know, your music or whatever, the case may be being intentional about checking in on yourself.

DACHER KELTNER So, Jennifer, thank you for being on our show and for all the wisdom you have about doing the Reminders of Connectedness practice.

JENNIFER KEITT Thank you for having me.

******

DACHER KELTNER Humans have a strong propensity for kindness and generosity it's a central theme in the science of happiness, sometimes we just needs to be nudged, as happens in the reminders of connectedness practice.

Melinda Carpenter, a professor of developmental psychology at the University of St. Andrews in the U.K., wanted to see if that was the case for babies, too.

She conducted an experiment to see if basic reminders of connectedness could spark kindness in babies as young as 18 months old.

MELINDA CARPENTER So what we did was show them eight different photographs of familiar household objects in the foreground.

DACHER KELTNER A teapot, a shoe, a mug, a clock-things like that.

And in the background of their photographs we had two little wooden dolls standing in a close affiliative relationship together. So they were standing face to face looking at and smiling at each other.

DACHER KELTNERBut the other kids in the study saw either two stacks of blocks, or a single doll standing alone, or two dolls turned away from one another. Again, these were all in the background of a picture that had a household item in the foreground.

Afterwards, Melinda and her team did a Helping Test. An experimenter came in the room holding a box and six wooden sticks in her hands. She then knelt down at a little child-sized table and "accidentally" let the sticks fall to the floor.

MELINDA CARPENTER So she started reaching towards the sticks unsuccessfully and saying things like oh my sticks they've fallen on the floor. And then if the infant still hadn't helped she said oh my sticks I need them back. And then finally at the end if they hadn't helped yet she asked them, "Can you help me please?"

This was the 18-month-olds' chance to help... and some did, much more than others. The kids who saw the image with the dolls facing each other in the background - what Melinda calls 'the Together condition' were much more likely to help pick up the sticks than the other kids.

MELINDA CARPENTER The infants in the Together condition helped three times as often as kids in any of the other conditions.

All it took to get them to help others-what researchers call "prosocial behavior"-was a subtle reminder of connection and affiliation between people-in this case, a simple picture... with two dolls facing each other all the way in the background.

In our minds, in our brains we have a link, an association between affiliation to the group and pro social behavior. And so if we can cue affiliation then this will make pro social behavior more likely to occur.

When we create reminders of social connection in our spaces, we disrupt our tendency to focus on ourselves and our problems, and we reorient our attention to focus on other people. And that's even true for young kids, at just 18 months old.

Charles Darwin and his holiness the Dali Lama both believe sympathy is our strongest instinct, but it's really up to us to create the environments that allow us to express that potential.

DACHER KELTNERIf you'd like to try doing the Reminders of Connectedness practice, visit our Greater Good in Action website at ggia.berkeley.edu.

And as we mentioned earlier in the show, we also have practices, resources, and articles for individuals, parents, and educators facing COVID-19 at greatergood.berkeley.edu/coronavirus

Please share with us what's inspiring you using the hashtag #HappinessPod or emailing us at greater@berkeley.edu.

I'm Dacher Keltner, thanks for joining us on The Science of Happiness.

Our podcast is a co-production of UC Berkeley's Greater Good Science Center and PRX. Our senior producer is Shuka Kalantari. Production assistance is from Jennie Cataldo and Ben Manilla of BMP Audio. Our associate producers are Brett Simpson and Ariella Markowitz. Our executive producer is Jane Park. Our editor-in-chief is Jason Marsh. Our science director is Emiliana Simon-Thomas. Special thanks to UC Berkeley's Graduate School of Journalism.

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.title
Episode 62: Staying Close While Physical Distancing

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.description
DACHER KELTNER Hi, it's Dacher Keltner. Very often, our greatest challenges and trials in life-combat, natural disaster, economic trauma, mortality-return us to our nobler tendencies, and our sense of greater purpose.

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.readable_text
The COVID-19 crisis is forcing educational professionals across the globe to take a collective breath. What's next? Whether we're actively planning online lessons from our homes or bingeing more Netflix movies than we had ever anticipated, we're faced with so many unknowns-and more time to sit with our emotions.

We may feel overwhelmed, fearful, and emotionally fragile. Perhaps also restless, bored, and helpless. With so much uncertainty, how can we navigate this range of emotions? After all, researchers remind us that our stress-management skills ultimately help our students (and those around us) stay calmer.

Here are a few simple and easy-to-implement practices that you can draw on to manage difficult emotions.

Soothe yourself

Begin by acknowledging the emotions you are experiencing right now and genuinely offer yourself some understanding. Researchers Kristin Neff and Chris Germer invite us to take a moment for what they call a " self-compassion break "-a gentle, reassuring practice that you can try any time in your day when you feel particularly overwhelmed, discouraged, or frustrated. For what it's worth, I practice it all the time-and my teenage daughter finds it reassuring and calming, as well.

First, tell yourself, "This thing I'm dealing with is tough." (Or "This is a moment of suffering," or whatever words feel natural to you.) The idea is to "hold with" the moment of emotional pain, be with it, and accept that it is happening.

Second, acknowledge that you are not alone in your suffering. "So many teachers (and other human beings on this globe) face this same sense of overwhelm I'm experiencing right now." The idea here is to recognize your "common humanity," so that you feel less isolated in your pain-and ultimately more connected to others.

Third, offer yourself some kind or compassionate words-and even a soothing gesture or touch (like placing a hand on your heart). As humans, we are wired to respond positively to calming voices and gentle touch. Again, use your own style here. You might say, "May I be kind to myself today" or "May I be especially gentle with myself today."

If you're interested in deepening your practice of self-compassion, you might also try writing a self-compassionate letter, listening to this mindful self-compassion practice, or even taking a self-compassion course specifically designed for educators.

Affirm your values and strengths

What if restlessness and cynicism seem to prevail, and you don't feel effective in your work-or lack thereof? It's crucial to keep coming back to "what matters" most to you, again and again. And, more importantly, to seek opportunities to enact your values in small ways each day.

One way to give yourself a little boost is to reaffirm your values. Where do you want to place your attention and energy-right now? On beauty, humor, spontaneity, curiosity, creativity, connection? What feeds you? You can draw on this Affirming Your Important Values exercise to reorient in the moment. According to one study, affirming your values when you're feeling helpless can help protect your mood.

Having a guiding light is helpful, but so is making a concrete plan. Try this Use Your Strengths exercise where you choose a personal strength-such as courage, teamwork, or humor-consider one simple way you might use it each day for a week, and then act on your idea whenever the opportunity arises.

For example, you might see "perseverance" as a personal strength and value. How might you model that strength through your contact with students, colleagues, and family members? Perhaps you could share quotes and notes of encouragement that highlight this value, host a daily ritual that children and families can rely on-like an online read-aloud-or feature stories of perseverance in your online history course. Research suggests that identifying and using your strengths daily for only one week may actually increase your happiness and help stave off symptoms of depression.

Send good wishes to others

Of course, there may be times during this crisis when it becomes more challenging to tap your strengths and values. At one point in my teaching career, I woke up every day with a visceral sense of dread. Despite my commitment to my students, preparing to face them required intense mental effort each morning.

Here's one simple way I found a sense of comfort and hope. I pulled into the parking lot, looked over at the building, and mentally sent good wishes to myself, my students, and my colleagues: "May I/you be safe; may I/you be happy; may I/you be healthy; may I/you live with ease." Simply infusing this way of thinking into my daily interactions bolstered me as I confronted the more difficult aspects of my job and life circumstances. Your "parking lot" may now be your living room, and your laptop screen may be your "building," but the sentiment remains the same.

This brief practice (called "loving-kindness") is one of the most effective ways for increasing our empathy and compassion for others. Studies indicate that people who practice loving-kindness for just a few weeks can experience more self-compassion and positive emotions, and relief from depression, anxiety, and chronic pain.

If you would like to try more formal versions of this practice, here is a loving-kindness practice and a practice called Imagining Flourishing and Kindness.

Consider mindfulness as a way of being

Mindfulness, broadly speaking, is another form of kindness. It's taking time-right now-to simply be with your thoughts and feelings. No judgment necessary. I can be aware of my mental chatter and intense emotions, and I can also practice openness and curiosity as I observe my ever-changing internal world.

When I started teaching over 25 years ago (pre-mindfulness practice!), I would sometimes steal away from the stress at lunchtime, close my door for five minutes, turn off the lights, and lie on my back-calming my overstimulated mind and body. I was caught up in the needs, lives, and stories of my 163 ninth and tenth graders, and I knew the best thing I could do for myself was to stop and just "be" for a moment, before re-engaging with those kids I loved. Over time, mindfulness is becoming more of a way of being as I learn to infuse lots of mini-practices into my days-not just when I wake or before I sleep.

For example, this Three-Minute De-Stressor for Teachers can be incorporated throughout the day-whether you are with your students, pausing between classes, or chatting with a colleague. Simply stand, find the center of gravity in your abdomen (two inches below your navel and about an inch into your body), and focus on this point while feeling your feet solidly on the ground.

There are also a number of different breath practices you can try- box or square breathing or counting breaths, for example. It's particularly important to simply practice extending the outbreath (activating your parasympathetic or "rest and digest" nervous system) more than the inbreath (your sympathetic "fight or flight" nervous system) to rebalance.

And if you're gearing up for a difficult conversation with a parent or facing a challenging staff meeting, you can draw on this brief practice for relaxing tense and anxious bodies: The CALM Reminder. Mindfulness researchers Chris Willard and Randye Semple prompt us to check in with our chest (C), arms (A), legs (L), and mouth (M)-first noticing sensations in those areas, and then tensing and relaxing each set of muscles, in sequence.

Although we face a time of great uncertainty and a challenging mélange of emotions, we can draw on multiple tools to help us pause, be with those emotions, and redirect them. If we practice taking healthy "timeouts" on our own, we are more likely to model and share these rituals with our students, colleagues, and family members. Let's commit to practicing self-care each day so that we can move forward together with a greater sense of ease, purpose, and kindness.

Greater Good wants to know: Do you think this article will influence your opinions or behavior?

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.title
How Teachers Can Navigate Difficult Emotions During School Closures

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.description
The COVID-19 crisis is forcing educational professionals across the globe to take a collective breath. What's next? Whether we're actively planning online lessons from our homes or bingeing more Netflix movies than we had ever anticipated, we're faced with so many unknowns-and more time to sit with our emotions.

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.title
Covid-19: Resilience and Optimism in this time of uncertainty, by Dr. Natalie Games

# data[].attributes.body
1. Separate work and play
2. Get out more – if you can
3.Work up a sweat
4. Practice social media hygiene
5. Spread the love

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.readable_text
When I first received the news that schools were going to be closing for two weeks, it seemed almost unbelievable, but with a small frisson of excitement, given the novelty of it all.

However, after two weeks of teaching remotely reality hits. You know every crack of your four walls, your pupils appear to have forgotten every minute of the hours you spent painstakingly training them to use your chosen e-learning platform and non-teaching friends and family ask you: "Are you enjoying your extended holiday?"

Teaching from home poses a wide range of challenges, both logistical and mental, which should not be underestimated.

Cabin fever is a real threat. Loss of routine, lack of direct contact with the students you have invested so much of yourself in, the creeping monotony of another day spent indoors, alongside the multitude of societal pressures; all this builds up to have a real impact.

Teacher wellbeing amid coronavirus closures

So, let's clear away those cobwebs and break through the drudgery. Here are five rules for teachers working from home that I have adopted to help make my life better and hopefully they can work for you, too.

1. Separate work and play

Easier said than done, but possibly the most important one to follow for the sake of your mental health.

If you have been given working hours, or if you have set yourself a working day, stick to it. Make your students and parents aware when you will be contactable and work only within those times.

Once you respond to the odd parent out of hours, in the evening or on a weekend, you give all your students and parents permission to expect your response at their convenience.

In education, it is difficult enough to do this under normal circumstances. Without the structure of the normal school day to support your barriers between work and play, the lines will blur very quickly so try and maintain this strict division.

2. Get out more - if you can

Having an excuse to stay inside for a day or two may sound fantastic at first, but it gets very old very quickly. With the pressures of the new working environment, it also begins to get harder to motivate yourself to get out.

However, if you can, try and get outside at least once a day during daylight hours. Go to the shops, walk to the park, do some gardening for half an hour, or just sit outside and feel the breeze on your face.

Obviously some of these ideas will depend on what's allowed under the rules being imposed amid the coronavirus outbreak, and the importance of keeping your distance from others must be maintained at all times, but if circumstances allow it then do what you can to see some green spaces.

3. Work up a sweat

We all know that exercise is good for us, yet it rarely sounds like a good idea. With the early mornings, late evenings and sacred weekends of teaching it can be especially hard to find the time and the energy to get physical.

However, if you follow rule number one and get your working hours in order, then use your free time to do some exercise. You could do yoga in the garden, follow an exercise class on YouTube, or go for a run - again, though, ensure you keep away from others you see out by at least two metres.

4. Practice social media hygiene

This is a difficult one to follow. All around us, there is a media furore that verges on hysteria, reporting on the daily implications of the Covid-19 pandemic.

Add to that the Whatsapp and Twitter rumours of travel restrictions, mandatory health checks, flight cancellations, government deliberations - it quickly becomes impossible to keep a clear head. As such, trying to limit social media at this time is vital.

Follow the official channels for news announcements, mute those Whatsapp groups (you know the ones) and focus on what you can verify, not what others have heard about from a friend of a friend who might be in the know.

5. Spread the love

If you are finding today difficult, then you can be sure that someone you work with is in the same boat. Your frustrations and the pressures that cause them are universal for your colleagues, so don't go it alone.

Check in with your work friends, is there someone who has fallen off the radar over the past couple of days? Reach out, have a phone chat, a video call, organise a remote film night together, play a game over the internet, set each other a challenge to paint something or write a poem.

It's easy to feel like you're alone when teaching remotely, but the truth is we are all in this together, so keep in touch whenever possible.
Oliver Ireland is assessment coordinator at The New English School, Kuwait

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.title
5 wellbeing rules for teachers working from home

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.description
When I first received the news that schools were going to be closing for two weeks, it seemed almost unbelievable, but with a small frisson of excitement, given the novelty of it all. However, after two weeks of teaching remotely reality hits.

# data[].attributes.body
Source: Think for the Future

# data[].attributes.body
- health concerns when being with the students
- concern new technology use
- economical concerns
- concerns regarding own family situation

# data[].attributes.headline
Ideas for teachers to connect with students on a personal level

# data[].attributes.subject
Ideas for teachers to connect with students on a personal level

# data[].attributes.body
- Write a postcard
- Write an email
- Post an surprise video

# data[].attributes.headline
How do we give teachers the opportunity to speak about their feelings?

# data[].attributes.subject
How do we give teachers the opportunity to speak about their feelings?

# data[].attributes.headline
How do we give students the opportunity to speak about their feelings?

# data[].attributes.subject
How do we give students the opportunity to speak about their feelings?

# data[].attributes.body
How can we connect with students?
What can they do?
What could be their purpose for now and the future?
How can we make a change?
What are new opportunities?

# data[].attributes.headline
How can we make the young people around us feel safe again?

# data[].attributes.subject
How can we make the young people around us feel safe again?

# data[].attributes.body
Informing
Explaining

# data[].attributes.headline
Seesaw activity exploring feelings about school closure

# data[].attributes.subject
Seesaw activity exploring feelings about school closure

# data[].attributes.body
https://app.seesaw.me/pages/s

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.description
We all have many feelings about learning that school will be closed for a while. It is okay to feel a lot of different feelings when we get big news ❤️️ Use this writing activity to help you think about your feelings and what you CAN do, even with school being closed!

# data[].attributes.body
Start of the day

specific times and places to work

End of the day

# data[].attributes.headline
Simple wellbeing activities to do during Coronavirus school closures (AUDIO - 6min)

# data[].attributes.subject
Simple wellbeing activities to do during Coronavirus school closures (AUDIO - 6min)

# data[].attributes.body
1. A simple meditation for younger children.
2. A simple gratitude activity

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.readable_text
Simple wellbeing activities to do during Coronavirus school closures
Welcome to episode 30. Wow, what a week! In the UK, we have had daily updates on drip-fed changes with about as much clarity as you would expect when attempting to scuba-dive in a muddy pond. All schools are now closed...except they're not, because many schools are open, with staff looking after the most vulnerable children and the children of key workers. Teachers, school leaders and parents, not to mention the children themselves, are in a state of bewilderment and doing the best they can to adapt to the circumstances very quickly. This week, for example, my colleague Elizabeth Wright and I will be delivering a series of virtual workshops to groups of children and staff in six schools to support their mental health and wellbeing at this difficult time. We have worked with the Academy Trust's leadership team to adapt the sessions we were due to deliver in person to virtual sessions instead.

Over the coming weeks and months, my main focus in this podcast will be on helping you weather this storm, supporting yours and your children's wellbeing as we all deal with the global Coronavirus crisis, while also bringing you content to support your longer-term planning for teachers' and children's wellbeing once classroom teaching resumes. I am also putting together a virtual panel of education wellbeing professionals and teachers to share ideas for getting through this frightening time. The panel will go out live - hopefully in the next few days and will then be aired as a special longer-length episode of this podcast. Watch this space!

Today, though, I'd like to share two activity suggestions - a meditation activity and a gratitude activity:

A simple meditation for younger children. If you are operating on skeleton staff in your school and you have young children there, this is a great way to calm them if they are agitated or worried. And of course you can send this to parents, too, to do with their kids at home. It's called 'Take Five'. You ask children to hold out one hand with their fingers splayed and with each breath, they trace each finger on one hand with one finger of the other, so as they breathe in slowly, they trace up their thumb and then trace down as they breathe back out, then up the index finger as they breathe in again and down as they breathe out again, then onto the middle finger, ring finger and little finger so they complete five slow breaths in and out.

A simple gratitude activity. Make a poster thanking your delivery and postal workers for doing their job at this difficult time and keeping us all going, and display it outside your front door. Your children, whether at home or in school, can also do this. I put two posters up outside my door last week - you can download the files below, though I'm hardly an artistic genius, so I'm sure you or your pupils can do something far prettier than I've created! - and yesterday something amazing happened. The doorbell rang for a delivery. The delivery driver, who has delivered to us on a number of occasions, stood a safe distance away from our door, having left the items in our porch. He pointed at my posters and said "thank you so much for the note - can I take a photo and post it on my Instagram?" I said that of course he could, and he answered that out of all of his delivery customers, I was the only person who had thanked him. I told him I was so sorry to hear that - if it wasn't for delivery drivers, postal workers, supermarket workers and so many other people who have to risk their health and keep going to work, we would really struggle to keep going. I was close to tears as I said this to him. He thanked me again and he left. We were both smiling. Gratitude and kindness have a wonderful effect on the mood and wellbeing of both parties. And they can have a powerful ripple effect, too! And let's face it, we really need to be as kind to each other right now as we possibly can! I'd love to see examples of your and your children's posters, and hear stories of reactions to these! Get in touch with me on Twitter at@FlourishingED.
View and download poster for delivery drivers View and download poster for postal workers
Do also get in touch if you'd like to contribute content to this podcast as a guest, particularly if you'd like to share one or more activities that can help children, parents or other teachers at this difficult time.

I look forward to catching up with you next week. Until we speak again, be safe, be well and For Flourishing's Sake, have as great a week as it's currently possible to have!

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.title
For Flourishing's Sake: S1 Ep30: Simple wellbeing activities to do during Coronavirus school closures

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.description
Season 1, Episode 30 (23rd March 2020) Simple wellbeing activities to do during Coronavirus school closures Welcome to episode 30. Wow, what a week! In the UK, we have had daily updates on drip-fed changes with about as much clarity as you would expect when attempting to scuba-dive in a muddy pond.

# data[].attributes.body
Accepting the situation/feeling and leave that feeling behind

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.readable_text
Executive Summary

During the global pandemic, a palpable sense of collective grief has emerged. Grief expert David Kessler says that grief is actually multiple feelings that we must manage. In an interview with HBR, he explains how the classic five stages of grief (denial, anger, bargaining, sadness, acceptance) apply today, and the practical steps we can take to manage the anxiety. Those include balancing bad thoughts with good; focusing on the present; letting go of things you can't control; and stocking up on compassion. Kessler also talks about a sixth stage of grief: meaning. After acceptance, he says, we will find meaning in the hard-to-fathom events and we will be stronger for it.

HBR Staff/d3sign/Getty Images

We've made our coronavirus coverage free for all readers. To get it delivered to your inbox, sign up for the Daily Alert newsletter.

Some of the HBR edit staff met virtually the other day - a screen full of faces in a scene becoming more common everywhere. We talked about the content we're commissioning in this harrowing time of a pandemic and how we can help people. But we also talked about how we were feeling. One colleague mentioned that what she felt was grief. Heads nodded in all the panes.

If we can name it, perhaps we can manage it. We turned to David Kessler for ideas on how to do that. Kessler is the world's foremost expert on grief. He co-wrote with Elisabeth Kübler-Ross On Grief and Grieving: Finding the Meaning of Grief through the Five Stages of Loss. His new book adds another stage to the process, Finding Meaning: The Sixth Stage of Grief. Kessler also has worked for a decade in a three-hospital system in Los Angeles. He served on their biohazard's team. His volunteer work includes being an LAPD Specialist Reserve for traumatic events as well as having served on the Red Cross's disaster services team. He is the founder of www.grief.com which has over 5 million visits yearly from 167 countries.

Kessler shared his thoughts on why it's important to acknowledge the grief you may be feeling, how to manage it, and how he believes we will find meaning in it. The conversation is lightly edited for clarity.
HBR: People are feeling any number of things right now. Is it right to call some of what they're feeling grief?
Kessler: Yes, and we're feeling a number of different griefs. We feel the world has changed, and it has. We know this is temporary, but it doesn't feel that way, and we realize things will be different. Just as going to the airport is forever different from how it was before 9/11, things will change and this is the point at which they changed. The loss of normalcy; the fear of economic toll; the loss of connection. This is hitting us and we're grieving. Collectively. We are not used to this kind of collective grief in the air.
You said we're feeling more than one kind of grief?
Yes, we're also feeling anticipatory grief. Anticipatory grief is that feeling we get about what the future holds when we're uncertain. Usually it centers on death. We feel it when someone gets a dire diagnosis or when we have the normal thought that we'll lose a parent someday. Anticipatory grief is also more broadly imagined futures. There is a storm coming. There's something bad out there. With a virus, this kind of grief is so confusing for people. Our primitive mind knows something bad is happening, but you can't see it. This breaks our sense of safety. We're feeling that loss of safety. I don't think we've collectively lost our sense of general safety like this. Individually or as smaller groups, people have felt this. But all together, this is new. We are grieving on a micro and a macro level.
What can individuals do to manage all this grief?
Understanding the stages of grief is a start. But whenever I talk about the stages of grief, I have to remind people that the stages aren't linear and may not happen in this order. It's not a map but it provides some scaffolding for this unknown world. There's denial, which we say a lot of early on: This virus won't affect us. There's anger: You're making me stay home and taking away my activities. There's bargaining: Okay, if I social distance for two weeks everything will be better, right? There's sadness: I don't know when this will end. And finally there's acceptance. This is happening; I have to figure out how to proceed.

Acceptance, as you might imagine, is where the power lies. We find control in acceptance. I can wash my hands. I can keep a safe distance. I can learn how to work virtually.
When we're feeling grief there's that physical pain. And the racing mind. Are there techniques to deal with that to make it less intense?
Let's go back to anticipatory grief. Unhealthy anticipatory grief is really anxiety, and that's the feeling you're talking about. Our mind begins to show us images. My parents getting sick. We see the worst scenarios. That's our minds being protective. Our goal is not to ignore those images or to try to make them go away - your mind won't let you do that and it can be painful to try and force it. The goal is to find balance in the things you're thinking. If you feel the worst image taking shape, make yourself think of the best image. We all get a little sick and the world continues. Not everyone I love dies. Maybe no one does because we're all taking the right steps. Neither scenario should be ignored but neither should dominate either.

Anticipatory grief is the mind going to the future and imagining the worst. To calm yourself, you want to come into the present. This will be familiar advice to anyone who has meditated or practiced mindfulness but people are always surprised at how prosaic this can be. You can name five things in the room. There's a computer, a chair, a picture of the dog, an old rug, and a coffee mug. It's that simple. Breathe. Realize that in the present moment, nothing you've anticipated has happened. In this moment, you're okay. You have food. You are not sick. Use your senses and think about what they feel. The desk is hard. The blanket is soft. I can feel the breath coming into my nose. This really will work to dampen some of that pain.

You can also think about how to let go of what you can't control. What your neighbor is doing is out of your control. What is in your control is staying six feet away from them and washing your hands. Focus on that.

Finally, it's a good time to stock up on compassion. Everyone will have different levels of fear and grief and it manifests in different ways. A coworker got very snippy with me the other day and I thought, That's not like this person; that's how they're dealing with this. I'm seeing their fear and anxiety. So be patient. Think about who someone usually is and not who they seem to be in this moment.
One particularly troubling aspect of this pandemic is the open-endedness of it.
This is a temporary state. It helps to say it. I worked for 10 years in the hospital system. I've been trained for situations like this. I've also studied the Spanish Flu. The precautions we're taking are the right ones. History tells us that. This is survivable. We will survive. This is a time to overprotect but not overreact.

And, I believe we will find meaning in it. I've been honored that Elisabeth Kübler-Ross's family has given me permission to add a sixth stage to grief: Meaning. I had talked to Elisabeth quite a bit about what came after acceptance. I did not want to stop at acceptance when I experienced some personal grief. I wanted meaning in those darkest hours. And I do believe we find light in those times. Even now people are realizing they can connect through technology. They are not as remote as they thought. They are realizing they can use their phones for long conversations. They're appreciating walks. I believe we will continue to find meaning now and when this is over.
What do you say to someone who's read all this and is still feeling overwhelmed with grief?
Keep trying. There is something powerful about naming this as grief. It helps us feel what's inside of us. So many have told me in the past week, "I'm telling my coworkers I'm having a hard time," or "I cried last night." When you name it, you feel it and it moves through you. Emotions need motion. It's important we acknowledge what we go through. One unfortunate byproduct of the self-help movement is we're the first generation to have feelings about our feelings. We tell ourselves things like, I feel sad, but I shouldn't feel that; other people have it worse. We can - we should - stop at the first feeling. I feel sad. Let me go for five minutes to feel sad. Your work is to feel your sadness and fear and anger whether or not someone else is feeling something. Fighting it doesn't help because your body is producing the feeling. If we allow the feelings to happen, they'll happen in an orderly way, and it empowers us. Then we're not victims.
In an orderly way?
Yes. Sometimes we try not to feel what we're feeling because we have this image of a "gang of feelings." If I feel sad and let that in, it'll never go away. The gang of bad feelings will overrun me. The truth is a feeling moves through us. We feel it and it goes and then we go to the next feeling. There's no gang out to get us. It's absurd to think we shouldn't feel grief right now. Let yourself feel the grief and keep going.

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.description
Executive Summary During the global pandemic, a palpable sense of collective grief has emerged. Grief expert David Kessler says that grief is actually multiple feelings that we must manage. In an interview with HBR, he explains how the classic five stages of grief (denial, anger, bargaining, sadness, acceptance) apply today, and the practical steps we can take to manage the anxiety.