Wellbeing/Be You
Lockdown Reflection - Aaliyah – Wellbeing Captain
“For me, lockdown was pretty simple, since we already had experience with lockdown before and I already knew what to do. I loved working in my own time and doing things when I wanted to or needed to. It was nice seeing people on Teams, but it was not the same as seeing people in real life.
We eased back into school and it all felt normal again. Either way, we were supported by our teachers, families and friends.”
Emerging Minds - Helping children to cope with uncertainty during COVID-19
The Resilience Project
Empathy and Kindness
View Part 3: Empathy of the series here:https://theresilienceproject.com.au/parent-and-carer-hub/
Empathy is the ability to understand another person’s thoughts and feelings from their perspective.
Brain imaging data shows that being kind to others registers in the brain as more like eating chocolate than like fulfilling an obligation to do what’s right (e.g., eating Brussel sprouts)! Research shows that practicing empathy such as performing acts of kindness, taps into our brain’s ‘mirror neurons’, builds compassion and our behaviour becomes more social and community-based.
Here’s an activity to practise empathy and kindness:
- Reflect on someone in your life who could benefit from an act of kindness today. It could be a friend who would love some affirmation about their work, your pet who deserves an extra treat, or a family member who would love a phone call or text message.
- Make a plan for who you are going to gift an act of kindness to, and what you are going to do.
- If you want to add accountability to your plan, share it with someone else and encourage them to do the same thing.
- Follow up with each other in a few days time, to ask how it went!
Sources: Psychology Today, UC Berkeley, Greater Good Science
For mental health resources and support information, visit The Resilience Project Support Page - https://theresilienceproject.com.au/support/