“We are learning more each day that the best way we can care for our children and students is to care for ourselves.” Dr. Lori Desautels Ph. D.
In today’s video, we begin by noticing and naming the sensations we experience in our bodies as trauma and adversity become lodged and embodied in areas where we feel tight, tense, knotted up, numb, empty, brittle, etc. Therapist Bonnie Badenoch shares that we encode 11 million bits of information per second implicitly… without conscious awareness while we store 6 to 50 bits of information consciously. These 11 million bits of embodied experiences are living within us and without conscious awareness, we struggle with having a felt sense of experiences. Our bodies are our greatest teachers and when we can share and name these sensations, they begin to lessen.
Body Reflections begin with a body scan where we just begin to notice how we are experiencing these sensations. We can find household objects to share our inner sensations of experiences or we can draw and color how we are experiencing these moments during this unknown pandemic time!
- Find household objects to share our inner sensations
- Water Bottle
- Bar of Soap
- Bouncy Ball
- Ball of String
- Touch, shake or feel the sensation each item provides
This is a wonderful routine we can do a few times each day with our children and youth as a check-in! We have traditionally talked about self-reflection and self-awareness through the written word or conversation, but in times of heightened adversity, it is important to delve deeper where these experiences are held and buried.
Sometimes we don’t have the word to express how we feel. Seeking support is OK. Having feelings of confusion, anger and anxiety is OK. Body refection will help us understand and process our emotions. If you need to talk with some we encourage you to do so. YOU ARE NOT ALONE! https://www.wellbeingcoalitionwestfield.com/covid-19