be brave be kind be present

I’m excited to partner with Kirsten Wallace to co-facilitate the bilingual portion of our Mindfulness@Work workshops! Not only is Kirsten an experienced Mindfulness teacher, she is also bilingual, has tremendous corporate and management experience with French NFP organizations, four children, and as a result has first hand practice in developing mindful strategies to find balance between work and family! Want to learn more? Check out: https://www.bebravebekind.ca/mindfulnessatwork.html for more information!

This looks interesting and fun!

As many of you know, my theme for this year is equanimity! Well wouldn’t you know, but today’s meditation is all about equanimity (surfing chaos with a kind, open and curious heart). For any of you struggling to find some space in this week’s chaos, here is one of my favourites. As always, I’m finding this meditation series to be quite helpful and on page.

In times of uncertainty, our breath becomes a powerful tool for survival. If you find yourself in a place of overwhelm, perhaps take a deep breath, exhale slowly and notice what happens to your nervous system.

What is your word for 2021? I’ve been thinking a lot about my wins & tweaks of 2020, and my intentions for 2021. And every year I think of a word that will be my theme. This year, I’ve chosen equanimity. What is that, you ask? Equanimity is about surfing the chaos/stress without attachment to the outcome, and with a compassionate, light, calm heart. I have not doubt that there will are a wee dose of stress this year (if online schooling today is any indication), and so pract...icing equanimity might just be the life line I need to keep me going. To bring this intention into reality, I’m committing to the following: 1) meditating every day. 2) Filling my spirit bowl daily (physically, emotionally, mentally and spiritually) What is your word for the year? How will you make it happen? I’d love for you to share it with us in the comments.

In times of stress, our breath become an incredible super power. It activates our vagus nerve and helps to shift from fight/flight or freeze/fawn. https://www.psychologytoday.com//diaphragmatic-breathing-e

Happiest of Happy Holidays! My favourite parenting program (Calm the Chaos) has extended their Super bundle sale! I use her work daily with my clients and my own family, and I highly recommend checking this out if you have out-of-the-box kids, struggles with screens, getting kids to listen, challenges with sensory and more!

This is brilliant and important. Every nervous system mode is important, unique and has a gift. If you haven’t checked out polyvagal theory, and you have a nervous system (hint: everyone has one), I highly recommend learning about it! Understanding how our body and brain understand stress can be really helpful for finding balance, recognizing triggers and finding healthy, productive responses. Trauma Geek - Trauma and Neurodiversity Education has some incredible resources on the topic.

Solid steps. Thank you WholeHearted Counselling for this lovely graphic!

This is a lovely read.

This is worthy of some solid reflection.

This is smart and important to understand.... thank you Jacob Ernst, MSW RSW.

Seriously, Jacob Ernst, MSW RSW is nailing it today.

This is a lovely narrative around the ways in which folks experience passions and communication differently!

The CTC Black Friday bundle looks incredible. However, if you’re still on the fence and want a taste of what this is all about, perhaps check this live video out. I did a coaching call earlier today (fro the CTC 3.0 program) and I had some awesome take aways - this team is brilliant.

This is an important read, particularly as we move toward the holiday season (one notoriously rife with expectation and increased responsibilities). If you notice you’re in any colour but green, perhaps it’s time to reassess your wellness plan or reach out and chat with someone who might be able to support you - a partner, therapist, friend, parent, etc. Mental wellness is a practice and works really well in village format. Unfortunately, COVID has been insidiously isolatin...g for many. Please reach out. Please remember that you’re not alone. If you need some support, I’m here. We can do hard things together!

I love this. Almost as much as I love Mark Nepo’s quote: "To listen is to lean in, softly, with a willingness to be changed by what we hear." I’m curious... What did you learn when you asked the question?

This is really good. Thank you Trauma Geek - Trauma and Neurodiversity Education.

The CTC program is one of the best online parenting programs I’ve found so far, and I use many of the skills in my own work with clients (and in my family). I definitely encourage you to check it out!

Access to sexual assault services should never involve wait lists, and one of our oldest, community and feminist run centres just closed down. The Ottawa Rape Crisis Centre provided therapy, community education, on site support and helluva lot of advocacy in Ottawa and now, our other overly taxed agencies are expected to pick up the slack. Our survivors need /deserve better. ... Please consider signing the letter or attending this meeting if you want to learn more.

Nailed it Jacob Ernst, MSW RSW!

I just finished teaching two "Mindful Parenting" and a "Mindfulness for Teens" workshop series for TIPES - Thinking in Pictures Educational Services. I was both inspired and humbled by this awesome and courageous crew of grown-ups & teens. This is hard work, but thankfully, funded programs (Telus) and villages like TIPES are here to support and help folks navigate the chaos.

We’re all working on this!

In a world where it’s sometimes hard to trust our own guts, this post provides some important insight. Thank you Charu Malhotra Psychotherapy for sharing!

This is an excellent read.

From my favourite mindfulness podcast, Ten Percent Happier. I’m going to step offline for a while so that I can fill up my spirit bowl by resting, repairing and rejuvenating.

(this works for adults too)

What habits help you to fill your spirit bowl? Here are some of the things I do daily to fill mine: ** Physically: Walking/playing with my pup, dancing, stretching, eating, sleeping, meditating, cuddling with my boys/love, hiking, paddle boarding... Emotionally: meditating, talking to my family/friends, setting strong boundaries, being outside, reading good books, drinking tea/coffee out of my favourite mug, reading inspiring posts on CB and IG, creating, cooking, playing, CTC community, gratitude practice, chatting with neighbours, Mentally: Learning, meditating, podcasts, music, writing, reading, CTC, setting strong boundaries Spiritually: Being outside, meditating, volunteering, sitting still, Creating beautiful things, gratitude practice ** I encourage my clients a version of this tool daily. I love how it encourages physical, emotional, mental and spiritual balance, and gives us a clear next step (something to do) when we’re feeling low or in shutdown.

There are some fabulous suggestions here! https://www.ahaparenting.com//social-emotional-pandemic-ri

Trauma Geek - Trauma and Neurodiversity Education nails it AGAIN!!! I love the compassionate messaging offered in this post.

Dayna D Abraham's work is great, and her Calm the Chaos approach informs much of how I parent and teach. If you haven’t checked out Lemon Lime Adventures already, this might be a great place to start.

This looks fabulous. I’ll be checking it out later this week - want to do it with me and chat about our take aways?

Brilliant! Thanks Ottawa River Psychology Group for sharing!

This is such an empowering read. I’m teaching two courses right now with TIPES - Thinking in Pictures Educational Services (Mindful Parenting and Mindfulness for Teens), and I’m deeply humbled by the awesomeness of the Autistic community. This post does a great job explaining why.

Pain is dampened down when the heart and the brain are in active communication, This is a really interesting read. Thanks for sharing Meagan!

I love this. I wrote about the power of language in 2017 (https://bebravebekind.ca/bebra/teach-your-babes-to-be-brave), but I really appreciate the succinctness of this post! Thanks for sharing Wilder Child!

Not everyone feels / experiences emotions the same way! Thank you for sharing Trauma Geek - Trauma and Neurodiversity Education.

So I recently wrote in my CTC parenting group that I had misplaced my pause over the last couple of weeks. Well, you’ll be happy to know that I found it again, but I paid a pretty penny in humility to retrieve it! Here’s how it played out: Last night, I paused, took some breaths and got real curious. And by real curious, I didn’t try to figure out what was wrong with everyone else. I chose to look deep inside. What was I feeling? What was happening in my body at that moment. ...Continue reading

This image gave me the chills for all its awesomeness. Sit with it for a moment. It’s quite brilliant.

Another great way to understand polyvagal theory.

Hello lovely friends, You’ll notice that I’ve posted a few things around the Calm the Chaos course on my page. Let me walk you through why I’m choosing this one to put my name behind this framework: 1) It’s the full package. Solid teachings, great community and aesthetically beautiful! ... 2) It works! I’ve watched numerous parents put the Framework into practice and have started to enjoy parenting as a result. 3) The program is evidenced based and founded upon experts like, Dr Dan Siegel, Dr. Ross Greene, Dr. Laura Markham, and more. The perk is that they’ve put it all together in one framework and you can stop joining every other parenting group and spending $$ on multiple self-help parenting books. The framework summarizes the best of them (having read many of those books, and taken trainings from all the listed experts, as well as many more. I say this with some authority on the matter). 4) The team lives and breathes this work and will bend over backwards to support you. 5) It’s intense, but you can keep coming back to it and work at your own pace. 6) I use the CTC framework on a daily basis with my clients and with my own family. So, While the free 7 Days to Less Chaos Series has ended, you can still access the resources and learn more about the 90 day course. If you’re interested, check out this link: www.calmthechaosworkshop.com ** **Full disclosure that this is a refer a friend link. If you want to go another route, check out Lemon Lime Adventures. I just want you to see what this magic is all about! If you have any other questions about it, please feel free to chat with me. I’m part of the Next Step group (a group for those who graduated from the 90 day program, but who want continued support), a former Community Ambassador and simply a huge fan of the Framework.

The Calm the Chaos framework is solid and I use many of the teachings daily. Tonight, Dayna and Jason are live walking through some of the offerings of the course and are there to ask your questions if you’re interested in signing up.

After playing around with this for a while, I’ve decided that this is the one:

I’m a big fan of the iceberg of behaviours theory. I’m an even bigger fan of iceberg’s specific to certain experiences, like ADHD, Anxiety, etc.

I’m playing with the invitation of pause (as a shift from the directive stop). These are little images I post around my house and give to clients as visual reminders to take a moment, get curious about what’s happening in their mind and body. Do any of these images resonate with you? Click to let me know which is your favourite! #pauseandbecurious

I’m really digging the pause button idea and will be printing off some buttons" to put around the house as reminders! Which is your favourite?

I’m playing with two different concepts here: The Stop vs the Pause. They do two different things, but the premise is the same. Before responding to a stressful moment, we’re invited to take a breath and tune in. STOP is very direct. Take a Breath. Open to sensations. Proceed with kind Curiosity. Pause is softer. Breath in and say the word, pause. Breath out and say the word, calm.... I’d love your feedback? Is there one that resonates with you more? Edited to add: Great suggestion about the curious piece! Thanks Susan!

Dr. Ross Greene’s perspective here is SO valuable and important to hear as parents, educators, therapists, caregivers and well, anyone who works with little/big people!

Another absolute gem from Trauma Geek - Trauma and Neurodiversity Education.

This is by far the best parenting workshop I’ve participated in my work as a mindful parent coach/psychotherapist. It’s a little intense, but the tools are excellent. In fact, I use the CTC framework on a daily basis in my own family and with my clients (young and old)! I highly recommend checking it out. Calm the Chaos | Parenting "Out of the Box" Kids Lemon Lime Adventures

Thank you The Gentle Mama - this is such a beautiful reminder.

This is pretty important to understand.

And this, my friends, is pandemic parenting at its finest. This fall will be full of ups and downs, tornadoes and rainbows, but finding humour, filling our spirit bowls and connecting with our community will certainly help us through it together! #veraetches, you are fabulous - thank you for sharing this.

This is brilliant! Experiencing our FULL range of emotions and learning to sit with them, move through them and even welcome them in is such a gift for our babes (and for ourselves).

Trauma Geek - Trauma and Neurodiversity Education - this is a truly fabulous description of vagal tone!

This is an important graphic series to sit with and reflect upon. If safety is a fundamental building block to our esteem and sense of belonging, how does Covid, institutional racism/sexism/ableism, climate change, as well as the many other day-to-day stresses fit into this? Whenever I feel like the world is a little too much, I use the journal of overwhelm. It goes a little like this: What does my body feel like in this moment? ... What are the emotions beneath these sensations? Can I open myself up to and accept my (fears, lack of safety, sense of grief) without needing to change them in this moment? Can I just sit with them? What would have to be true for me to feel (safer/more secure/in control)? What can I control/not control? What is one thing I could do as my next step? Usually by the end, I’ve acknowledged my emotions (which helps to soften them), I’ve figured out what is really getting to me. I’ve laid out all the issues and figured out what I can control and what I can’t do anything about, AND I’ve come up with some next steps to help me move through it. This is a golden exercise. Have you tried it yet?

Check this out!!