Self Care is not selfish
I wish you all a New Year that is filled with peace, joy, contentment, wonder, love, fun and all the best of what you need - curiosity? Sense of awe? Relaxation? Rest? Adventure?
2022 begins with feeling the wind being taken out of our sails as the advent of Omicron has brought the mentoring program back to virtual meetings, but Simona, Lisa Mac and I are not deflated; we have knowledge that we didn’t the first time around, we have ideas about how to keep us connected even while we are apart, and the kids are not only in school, but their schedules are much more normal this year, so there will be more support for setting up and facilitating zoom meetings, if they work for you and your mentee. We realize that this isn’t always a good option for every kid, so please reach out if you would like to talk about all of this - it can feel like a lot, and sometimes mentors need an ear just as much as the kids do.
Please remember that the best thing you can do to help your mentee is to take good care of yourself. What helps to regulate you? It looks different for everyone.
Exercise makes all the difference for me and some days it’s being by myself to get some quiet and practice yoga; other days there’s nothing better than a hike on the East River Preserve with my family, or sweating it out in my son’s gym with my kids and my Mom.
Other people find their peace by escaping with a book, singing in the car, sipping a warm cup of tea. I demonstrate different ways to self regulate by offering my
students a variety of objects that stimulate each of the senses; a small stuffed animal, a wooden frog that makes noise, play dough, mint gum, ginger candy, a flower, a feather, a smooth stone, a rough cut crystal etc. It’s so interesting to see how some students crave input - they choose the mint, the noise, the pointy rock; others choose calming textures and experiences.
What works for you? Is it different on different days?
Lisa Ott