Hello Newcastle Staff and Families,
This past week, I had the opportunity to attend the Washington School Counselor Association conference, and gain more tools and inspiration from people who have been in the profession for decades.  Some of the recurring course topics included trauma, anxiety, mindfulness, growth mindset, grit, and resilience.  One course in particular really made an impression - it was called “Nurturing Emotional Wellness” and it was broken down into 3 domains:  The Brain, The Body, and The Mind.  If we can understand how our brain functions and how different parts of the brain are activated, we can have better self-awareness and self-control.  The above image was shared and sums it up well.
Our kiddos with trauma and anxiety are often stuck in the “survival state”, and things like routine and predictability can really assist with a sense of safety and security, as well as fostering trusting relationships.  Aside from this, giving coping and resilience tools such as:  
belly breathing grounding and centering movement positive self-talk artistic processing or journaling gradual exposure to the feared thing focused attention exercises reflecting on what you can and can’t control talking about your feelings with someone who really listens practicing gratitude getting enough sleep, exercise, nutrition, and time in nature  These tools can help build that grit and resilience against any hardships or obstacles one may face.  So many of the courses emphasized the importance of intentionally using and practicing these ourselves - this is how we can be models for emotional wellness for our students.  And it’s so easy for this to fall by the wayside for the “helpers” (educators, parents, etc)...these reminders seem redundant, but they really are so very necessary and important.  I need all the reminders I can get!
Take good care of yourselves and let me know if you have any questions about any of the above :)