Wellbeing Update

From Katrina, our Chaplaincy councellor

Enforced time at home can be bittersweet… bonding the family together, whilst also pushing each

other’s buttons because it can be really hard to hear the words “I’m bored” or something of the sort for

the tenth time in a day.

As we adapt and move with this rapidly changing global health crisis and temporary restrictions, we

have the unique opportunity to make the most of the situation and fill our days in a way that makes us

feel happy – both at an individual and family level. Extra special affection, time and reassurance will

likely scaffold a feeling of connectedness, resilience and stability, even in the most unstable of times.

Below you’ll find some ideas for ‘family time’:

❤️ Just a special note ❤️

• It’s OK to not fill the days with “exciting” activities all the time.
• Often, something as simple as a hug, a kiss on the forehead, watching a movie on the couch, or even
• a nap, can be just, if not even more, special than a ‘big’ elaborate activity.
• Never stop finding the joy and love in the simplest of moments.
• And it’s ok to simply have a ‘day’.
• And whilst the activities below are for kids, please make sure to practice your own self-care and do activities that fill your own bucket first.

50 activities for kids:

• https://thestir.cafemom.com/big_kid/181945/indoor_activities_kids_crafts_winter
• https://www.mykidstime.com/things-to-do/50-fun-rainy-day-activities-for-kids/

Some other ideas…

Make your own mindfulness sensory bottles.

This can be a really great activity to make with the kids and also encourage mindfulness and relaxation. The following website has a great explanation of the  resources needed and how to make the glitter jar:

https://especiallyeducation.com/diy-sensory-bottles/

After the bottles have been made, the following script can be used:

We wake up, and things are pretty settled. We can see that clearly. (Show how all the

glitter has settled on the bottom of the jar.) But pretty soon, things start swirling around. Maybe we are running late (swirl the jar). Our big sister eats the last pancake for breakfast, and it leads to a fight (shake the jar). We hear scary things on the news in the car ride to school (swirl the jar). We get to

school and find out we aced the test (shake the jar). Now it’s only a few minutes into the school day, and we can’t see clearly because all of our thoughts and feelings and urges are getting in the way.

So what is the one thing we can do to get the glitter to settle and see clearly again? Be still! And what happens when we are still? We can see clearly again. There is also no way to rush being still. We can’t push all the glitter down to the bottom. We just have to watch and wait. No amount of effort will make it settle sooner. When things become clear, we’ll know the wise next thing to do. In fact, that’s one

definition of wisdom: seeing things as they are and choosing how to act. While we wait, does the glitter go away? No, it stays at the bottom. Our thoughts and feelings and urges are still in our minds, but they are no longer in our way, clouding our vision.

Additional tips:

Important to remember that we don’t want to get rid of the thoughts and feelings and urges.

We just want them out of the way so they don’t prevent us from seeing clearly.

The glitter jar can serve as a visual timer for other practices, such as breathing practices.

For example, you can shake the jar and say: “Let’s do some mindful breaths until the glitter

settles.” 

Some families might like to use the jar as a “calm-down jar,” to mark and measure calm-

down time. Ideally, the entire family can use the calm-down jar together when there is a

conflict: “We are all upset with lots of thoughts and feelings rights now. So let’s all take a

break until the glitter in the calm-down jar has settled and then start talking again.” 

There are even a few glitter jar and snow-globe smartphone apps that might be really

helpful.

Make your own resilience tree:

This unsettling time is such a great opportunity to build and model resilience for our children.

Here is one of my favourite activities for this:

Explain to your child/children that each one of us is like a tree and the challenges we’re

facing are like the wind that bends the tree.

Trees stand strong despite the wind because of their strong root system (e.g. support

system such as family, friends, pets, mindset, positive thoughts, beliefs, values etc).

Trees need wind to blow against them because it helps their root systems to grow deeper,

which supports the tree as it grows taller.

In other words, the tree welcomes the strong wind because it helps it to grow stronger.

So similar in life, challenges make us stronger! Such experiences as we’re facing these

days develop our character, our mindset and deepen our roots.

When we grow deep, we too, stand tall!