Greetings to my dear readers …I am here in India now – whilst grateful for time with my family , I feel twice as blessed to continue to do my mahi 🍀⚓️

Many a times I get absorbed in discussions relating to trauma – the impact of trauma and the pathways towards healing … it’s been raining here , and as I finished a discussion , I felt the need to make this the topic of today’s writing 🌿🌿🌿🌿🌿

Some questions that come my way

1. How do we redirect adolescents and young people – who constantly push boundaries ??

⁃ Find ways of affirming the young person’s identify

⁃ Create a concrete visual where they are reminded of their own strengths and talents

⁃ Create a visual that affirms their identity to themselves

⁃ Write to them or make a visual that affirms their sense of belonging to your family

⁃ Connectedness , belonging and relationship is the core – so give messages that helps them understand that very clearly

⁃ Use words and set up visuals around the home – celebrating relationships and connections facilitate relational wealth

⁃

⁃ Help them to choose 2-3 values

⁃ Make a visual booklet of how the young people can practise their values on themselves – to those around and to extended community

⁃ Create a game / a set of cards with personalised questions such as

⁃ – what are your strengths

⁃ What would you like to be remembered for

⁃ What makes you smile

⁃ What are the feeling you get when you smile 😊

⁃ What makes you kind

⁃ When do you practise kindness

⁃ Name the feelings that make you smile

⁃ Name the feelings that make you offbeat

– Name one or two of your favourite people –

– Name a famous petson you like – what values that they practise makes you admire them – kindness , honesty , bravery ???

⁃ What are your chosen values

⁃ How do you practice your values

⁃ Have words that Affirm or praise their strengths

⁃ Where do you see yourself in 3 years’ time

⁃ What would you like to be doing in 3 years’ time

⁃ What are you doing to get there ??

Cognitive strategies such as the aforesaid helps with thinking – cognitive skills excercise the cortical part of the brain called the thinking brain



However for the thinking brain to work – the feeling brain has to be in a state of calm

The feeling brain is also called the stem or the primitive brain

⁃ some ways to help us all to embrace the calm

⁃ Engage in breathwork – breathe in to the count of two – hold for two counts and breathe out to the count of 4

⁃ Do stretches

⁃ Move as often as you can

– Be in the midst of nature

⁃ Read your favourite story

⁃ Talk to someone you trust

⁃ Draw -find out what your favourite colour is

⁃ Most important

⁃ Let’s engage and teach that

⁃ Learning to use calming skills is important for being able to think clear – make right choices and to choose actions that are kind , appropriate and safe

“ As you think so you become” – Wayne Dyer

Here is an amazing resource where two great minds (Oprah and Dr.Bruce Perry ) discuss Dr.Perry’s book – What happened to you ?

https://podcasts.apple.com/nz/podcast/oprahs-super-soul/id1264843400?i=1000518893926

Thank you for giving me a reason to connect 😊

Arohanui