2021 Winter Workshop Series:
- Resilient Resolutions: 1/7 – 2/4 Details below
- Winter Series: Stay tuned for details!
Resilient Resolutions
Give yourself an easier, happier path in 2021, with a focus on self-care, health, and mindfulness habits. Go beyond resolutions that don’t quite stick. Learn the effective approach to get back to what you love, and then put it into action during the series. This series will include insights from behavioral science that help remove barriers so new endeavors can launch with greater ease.
Drawing from ancient wisdom and modern psychology, David will guide participants through workshop activities, mindfulness practices, and a step-by-step path to launch and strengthen new resolutions.
When: Every Thursday: Jan 7 to Feb 4; 5:30 – 6:15pm EST
Where: Zoom, Hosted by Common Ground Healing Arts
Cost: Sliding scale: $5 to $25 per class. All proceeds go to Common Grounds Healing Arts, a local non profit.
Resiliency in the New Year
As this year closes with the holidays, we encourage a bit of extra patience with ourselves and each other. Our holiday expectations from past years can create tension, especially the in-person invitations that may put the people we care about at risk. It’s simply difficult to be separated when we need connection more than ever.
While virtual connection is infinitely better than nothing, its limitations are clear. A vital question comes up:
How can I feel and move through difficult emotions that arise?
Of all the habits we write about, one of the most challenging and essential for living meaningfully is a certain application of mindfulness: allowing ourselves to feel what we are feeling; without judgement, without jumping past, ignoring or suppressing what’s coming up.
Using mindfulness, we simply allow a difficult feeling to arise without judgement, and eventually subside. All the while, we’re breathing slowly, so our body can feel safe during the process.
Its surprisingly easy to spend one’s life avoiding negative feelings, but in the words of Robert Frost:
“The best way out is always through.”
The quick way out can appear to be the best option. It looks like relief through distraction or numbing by various means. However, that path takes an even greater toll on us in the long run.
So how do we stay mindful and resilient when stress is high? We’ve posted a few guided mindfulness videos here, as a good starting point or refresher.
Resiliency Guideposts
From research on resilient people and Brené Brown’s work*, here are the top factors of resiliency stated as questions:
• How can I be resourceful, and access my problem solving skills?
• Where can I seek help when I need it?
• What do I believe I can do to help manage and cope with feelings?
• Who is available for social support?
• How can I keep connecting with family and friends?
To support these factors, there’s a hopeful self-talk phrase resilient people often start with:
“This is tough, but I can do it”.
—Brené Brown
Lastly, we want to express our gratitude for all the connections we have: our clients, friends, family, and so-called strangers that we rely on completely: from the grocery staff and front-line workers, to those working excessive hours delivering essentials and gifts around the country.
Thank you.