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Month: April 2020

Keep Calm and Check the Facts

With all that’s going on these days, you might find that hearing the words “coronavirus” or “covid-19” make you feel kind of anxious. Anxiousness feels different for different people. For you it might feel like your heart is beating faster or louder than usual.  You might feel short of breath and a bit lightheaded. Sometimes it might seem like you’re hearing things through a tunnel, your vision might seem weird or you stomach might hurt.  You might have some of these feelings or none of these feelings. Maybe you just feel a general sense of unease.

Sometimes it helps to remind yourself of the facts about a situation so that you don’t worry about all the “what if’s” and start believing things that make something seem more scary than it is. For example, the government is asking us to stay home and wash our hands a lot.  If I didn’t understand why they were telling us this, I might feel panicked and worry that there are some really scary things happening, and it’s out of control!  Actually, staying home and washing our hands is helping to protect our healthcare system from being overloaded…so when we do these things, we are taking control.  That makes me feel so much better.

SOURCE: LiveScience

It’s also VERY IMPORTANT to check out what you are hearing from other people.  Just because someone you know forwards you a story – that doesn’t make it true.  If they haven’t checked all the facts, they might be sending you fake news without realizing it. Use your critical thinking skills!

SOURCE: International Federation of Library Associations

There will be times when knowing the facts still doesn’t help you feel calmer.  On the top of the menu bar you will notice a link to Smiling Mind.  That is one of my go-to strategies when I am feeling anxiety.  The exercises there are intended to help you focus on breathing and relaxing.  So, if you find yourself in an emotional or mental “pickle”, head on over there and try a few of the lessons.

The new normal

For some of you, this sudden shift from regular school to learning from home has completely stressed you out. For others, it feels like an adventure and you’re kind of looking forward to seeing how it’s all going to play out.  I’m here to tell you, both are okay!  The trick is going to be to allow each other (and yourself) time and space to figure this out…and you will figure out a system, a new normal, a new routine – you just have to choose to and figure out how to best move forward.

If you need someone to cheer you on, give you some tips or you just need to talk, send me a message!  You can either use the “email Mrs. Martens” link at the top of the main page, or if that doesn’t work, you can email me directly at wmartens@hsd.ca . We can set up a video chat, a phone call or just plain ol’ email. Take care of yourselves, kiddos!  Try to get outside in your yards and enjoy the sunshine!

p.s. this isn’t just for students – parents are welcome to email me as well 🙂

Spring Break – practicing how to deal.

Well this is turning out to be a different kind of Spring Break than I thought it would be only a few short weeks ago! A lot of us are sad about plans that got derailed because of Covid 19.  It is disappointing for sure, but here’s where we can put into action the “controlling my thoughts” exercise. (Also called the CBT triangle…Thinking-Feeling-Acting).  I can keep thinking about how disappointing this is, which will make me feel irritated, angry, sad (sometimes all at the same time!) and will cause me to have a bad attitude, say things I will be sorry for, and mope around, eating chips and feeling gross. Or, I can force my thoughts to more positive places. Such as…there are lots of things I can do around home.  I can learn a new song, a new dance, some new art, read some new books  etc.  When I think this way, I will feel accomplished and happier, which will help me to speak more positively, have a more pleasant attitude and get along with the people in my house better.  I know that it is much easier to say those words than to live them, but with practice, it does get easier.

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