Social-Emotional Learning: Self-Management

 Organizing and planning are important SEL skills. I remember a Finnish saying from my childhood:

Literal: Well planned is halfway done.

Usually translates as: Well begun is half done (wiki)

But sometimes I feel that there is, oh, so very, very much planning to do in my days or weeks. Fortunately I have realized that some mundane taks scattered throughout my days can give a much needed break from thinking too much.

NCS 2021

While sweeping the stairs or deck might not be my favorite thing to do, it allows a break in my routines for working on computer. Watching squirrels and birds while doing it is the pleasant add-on. :) 

Social-Emotional Learning: Self-Management

 Happy 2023!!

It is the time of the year when we are setting new goals. I try to remind myself how important well-being goals are for us. Experiencing the awe - something larger than ourselves - is one of my favorite things. It helps me to put things in perspective, which is a very important part of goal-setting.

Photo: ET 2023 Kalaloch, WA

Living in the beautiful Pacific Northwest, I am lucky to have many opportunities to immerse in the nature. However, we can learn to find the awe in mundane things by purposefully sensing them:

A - attention: to notice things you appreciate, value, or find amazing

W - wait: to stay focused on something, inhale to experience coherence

E - exhale: to relax and expand, because this amplifies the sensations

I have also noticed that I seem to do this automatically when I walk on the beach, or see the mountains, or a rainbow, or a pretty flower, or a spiderweb with  dew drops... and many of those moments are now these SEL images.

My goal for this year is to experience more awe.  Here is more information about how to find AWE anywhere 

I hope you have a great year ahead! 

:)

Nina