Awareness Activities

Issue: Negative self-talk can be harmful to mental health. Goal: Be more conscious of where you are emotionally, where you’d like to be, and how you can support the people around you. Instructions: 1) Think about how you're feeling right now, are you having a good day or a bad day? 2) Read the notes on the table, are any of them words you needed today? Take what you need. 3) Do you have words you wanted to leave for the next person? Leave what you can.

Issue: Anxiety Events can cause elevated blood pressure and decrease oxygen to the brain. Goal: Decrease the severity and duration of Anxiety Events through controlled breathing Instructions: Take a deep breath and hold it for a moment. Breathe out slowly through the bubble wand, blowing the bubbles. Pay attention to your exhale and bubbles it creates. Imagine the bubbles as stressors or anxieties that float away with each breath. See how we were able to blow away lots of little stress and anxiety bubbles? Some stresses are bigger than others though, let’s see if we can make one big stress bubble for the bigger stressors or anxieties. Notice how, with the bigger bubble, we have to take a longer breath in and a longer softer breath out.

Issue: Negative self-talk can build thought patterns that negatively impact mental health. Goal: Become enthusiastic about self care, empathy, self esteem, and positive actions Instructions: 1. Select which bingo card you'd like to fill out (positive affirmations, positive deeds, self care) then color in all that apply. 2. Receive your reward according to the Bingo patterns you make for the day!

Issue: Lacking awareness of physical sensations and emotions in our body can result in feeling overwhelmed or resorting to numbing ourselves as a way to cope Goal: Become aware of physical sensations and emotions to cultivate coping with stress, effective communication, informed decision-making, and overall well-being Instructions: 1) Find a Quiet Space: Choose a quiet and comfortable space where you can sit or lie down without distractions. 2) Get Comfortable: Sit or lie down in a comfortable position, with your spine straight but not rigid. Close your eyes if it helps you to focus. 3) Take Deep Breaths: Begin by taking a few deep breaths to relax your body and calm your mind. Inhale deeply through your nose, feeling your abdomen expand, and exhale slowly through your mouth, releasing any tension. 4) Scan your body: Bring your attention to your head and move down to your neck and shoulders, followed by your arms, hands, chest and torso, abdomen, lower back, hips, pelvis and finally legs and feet. Notice any sensations you may be feeling, such as tension, warmth, or tingling. 5) Notice Any Emotions: Throughout this body scan, pay attention to any emotions that arise. Notice where in your body you feel these emotions. Emotions can manifest as physical sensations, such as tightness in the chest or a sinking feeling in the stomach. 6) Reflect & Map: Reflect on what you are experiencing by using colors, shapes, textures and marks to map what you are feeling in your body. This process is a non-verbal way to express any sensations or emotions that may be difficult to articulate. Consider how becoming more aware of your body can help you manage stress and emotions in your daily life.

Issue: Though awareness in identifying the toxic traits of others is rising, it can be easy to ignore toxic traits in ourselves. Goal: Discover our own tendencies to behave in toxic ways so we can begin to change our behavior for the better Instructions: Identify which examples of toxic traits you show the most and how you can begin to overcome them. *Remember: Our behaviors don’t define us as people. Now that you are more aware of what you’d like to change in yourself, begin the inner work of discovering root causes and start retraining your brain to be more thoughtful of the people around you.* 1) Criticizing others --> Turn judgment into understanding We all have room for growth. Recognize your inner judge and focus on self-improvement instead. 2) Trouble apologizing --> Own your mistakes Taking responsibility for your actions shows maturity and builds trust in your relationships. When you can admit you were wrong, have a genuine conversation about it, and commit to doing better next time, you open the door to forgiveness and strengthen your connection. 3) Negativity bias --> Rewire your brain to see the positive Challenge negative thoughts by considering positive outcomes. Practice gratitude to teach your brain to focus on what really matters. 4) The Blame Game --> Don't play the victim; take responsibility Stop making excuses and find ways that your actions affected the situation. This will allow you to learn and grow so you can have a better result next time. 5) Controlling behaviors --> Respect others' autonomy Pause and remind yourself that other people have a right to their own opinions and ways of doing things. Find this and other awareness activities at believeinmind.com/category/know_thyself/