We're now a little more than 7 months into school closures and if you're anything like me, you might be tired of staying home and having the same old food and snacks all the time! One part of living a happy and healthy life is paying attention to what you eat. One of my favorite snacks is plain or vanilla yogurt mixed with fresh blueberries, strawberries, and granola cereal! It's so yummy!!! I'd love to hear what your favorite quick, easy, healthy snacks are and give you more ideas for new ones! The video below has fast and easy snack ideas that anyone your age can make and share. Bon Appetit!!!
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Let's go back to talking about social media and your friendships. It seems like these days kids and teens can't get away from social media. It's everywhere and it feels like everyone is using and following it in one form or another. But have you ever thought about how it affects your friendships? Is it mostly positive, mostly stressful, or somewhere in between? How do you find the right balance when trying to stay connected to your friends? Watch this short video and see if you can relate to what any of these teens have experienced. (Like being constantly distracted checking your phone all day to see what everyone else is doing. Or quietly looking at your phones even when you're hanging out with your friends in person.) Find the balance! I've shared the idea of Mindfulness with you before, but this week I want to give you something more specific to think about and practice with. Mindfulness is a process of learning how to calm your mind and body so you can be more focused on the things that are truly important you. It helps you release stress, tension, and anxiety so you can be more open to feeling hope, joy, and calm. Meditation practices are also a type of Mindfulness practice. In this video, Chad Lawson will help guide you though a meditation exercise using music. Give it a try, tell me what you think and how did it made you feel afterward. Breathe in the music..... This week I want to talk about confidence! Have you ever worked really hard to succeed at something? Yes: When you achieved your goal, how did you feel and why? No: Have you ever wanted to try something new but been too nervous or afraid of feeling embarrassed if you weren't good at it right away? How could gaining more confidence help? Watch this short video and learn a few tips to help you overcome your nervousness and gain the confidence you'll need to succeed at all your goals. (Here's a clue: Think Growth Mindset and Learning from Failing. Sound familiar? If not, go back and read my other posts.) I bet many of you would be surprised if I told you it was important to fail sometimes, but it's true! Students in my classes last year discovered that most learning happens when we struggle and make mistakes. No one is good at everything the first time they try something new. Can you imagine what the world would be like if we all gave up after our first try and failure?!? Everyday your teachers and parents are pushing you to try new things, learn new concepts, and get back up after you make a mistake. Life will always give you challenges! How you respond to those challenges is what makes ALL the difference. Watch this short video to hear about famous people who were told they couldn't do something they set out to try but kept working at it anyway and achieved AMAZING things! Let's talk about one of my favorite subjects this week! Growth Mindset versus Fixed Mindset! Do you ever think or feel like there's no point in working on something difficult because you're just not good at [insert any topic here] anyway? For example, when I was in school chemistry was really hard for me! So I might have said to myself, "There's no point in even studying for the test because I'm not good at science and I'll never understand it anyway." THAT'S a Fixed Mindset! Instead, I could have told myself, "Well, I may never become the next prize winning chemist, but I can at least study this material and do the best I can." THIS is having a Growth Mindset! When it comes to learning, growing, and getting better at ANYTHING, it takes having a Growth Mindset to get there! Watch this short video to find out what I'm talking about..... EVERYONE experiences times of sadness and anxiousness throughout their lives. No one can prevent these feelings from happening all the time, even though many of us would like to avoid them as much as possible because they're uncomfortable emotions. But what happens when someone gets "stuck" and can't figure out how to move past the sadness or anxiety? This can lead to depression or severe anxiety. Below is a short video that can help you understand what anxiety and depression are and why we sometimes have a difficult time letting them go. Sadness and anxiety are not "bad" emotions. We need all of our emotions! It's when we can't let the the sadness or anxiety go that it helps to talk to someone who can help us through it. As always, please reach out to me ([email protected]) if you need to talk to someone. Or check out the list of outside resources and agencies that I provided in last week's post. Need help but not sure who to call or where to turn? While I'm always here to offer you support, guidance, or a listening ear, here's a list of outside resources you or someone you know might find helpful:
211 Get Connected. Get Help: http://211.org/ National Suicide Prevention Lifeline : 1-800-273-TALK (8255) 1-888-628-9454 (Spanish) National Suicide Prevention Lifeline - https://suicidepreventionlifeline.org/ Friendship Line (Adults 60+, their caregivers, or younger adults/disabilities): 1-800-971-0016 California Youth Crisis Line: 1-800-843-5200 Crisis Text Line : Text: HOME to 741741 Never Never Give Up, You Matter: YouMatter - https://youmatter.suicidepreventionlifeline.org/ *Drug-Free Kids Helpline: 1-855-378-4373 or text: 55753 Stop Bullying: StopBullying.gov Stop the Hate: In a variety of languages -social and legal help: 1-844-9-NO-HATE Teen Line: 1-310-855-4673 1-800-852-8336 Or text 839863 The Trevor Project (LGBTQ) : 1-866-4-U-TREVOR 1-866-488-7386 Text “Trevor” to 1-202-304-1200 Trans Lifeline: 1-877-565-8860 This week in my Google Classroom I shared an introduction to Mindfulness and how it might help us all in these very uncertain times. With so much going on in the world right now, it's easy to feel overwhelmed, anxious, and even a little fearful of what the future holds. Something I shared with my students last year to help with this is called Mindfulness. This short video gives you a quick introduction to what Mindfulness is and how it can help all of us learn to pause, take notice of what's happening in the moment, and accept and be grateful for the small things in life. Give it a try and feel free to ask me more about how it can help you! https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QTsUEOUaWpY Hi everyone! Remember, I started a Google Classroom for counseling information and services: Discovery Counseling Corner. I’m offering drop-in counseling via Zoom every Monday and Friday from 1-2pm. The link is in my Google Classroom, code: qxe5cac. If there are students in the waiting room, sessions will be limited to 10 minutes and a one-on-one follow up appointment will be scheduled. To schedule time with me outside of these hours, please feel free to contact her via email at any time: [email protected].
Last week, I shared a video about teens and digital drama. Who hasn’t heard about or experienced that?!? I know that while we’re all spending more time at home and not able to connect with our friends at school or in person, social media, texting, and other online activities are how we’re interacting with each other. What are you doing to make sure things stay positive? What are you doing when things turn negative or hurtful? Do you know how to walk away or tell an adult when someone has gone too far? Be sure to check out the video and share what you think. And check back on Monday for my newest topic! ***8th graders: Are you interested in joining the California Junior Scholarship Federation (CJSF)? Remember, the application can be found as a Form in my Google Classroom. All applications are due by Monday, August 31th, no later than 11:59pm! Our 1st meeting will be Wednesday, September 2nd, at 1pm. I’m looking forward to seeing what projects we come up with together.*** |
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