Thank You!

Dear Friends,
     Thank you for all that you do and all that you give.  I wanted to share this very beautiful video with you.  Best wishes to you for a most wonderful day!
Most Sincerely,
Kimberly Borin

Stress Reduction and Relaxation for Midterms

Dear Friends,

     Last week, I had the good fortune of working with the Ninth Grade Students in their Seminar Class.  Within the class we talked about some simple stress reduction and relaxation techniques for studying and for taking midterms.  Students shared many of the techniques they were already using for studying, taking exams, and for performance in other areas of their life too.  We talked about how breathing, visualizing, and thinking positively can enhance our performance not only in the classroom but on the athletic field and for our future.

     We also talked about how the more we practice these techniques in small ways, over a long period of time, the quicker they will become an automatic response for our bodies and brains.  We have the power to feel at peace quickly and to shift our response to a more positive one, the more we employ these strategies.  I am very grateful for their input, their stories, and their willingness to take part in these exercises for greater relaxation and resilience.  They are such an inspiring group of young people! Below are the topics we discussed:

• How we learn - Understanding how the brain learns and why it is important to calm down the reactions of the amygdala so we can learn (with our prefrontal cortex) and remember and retrieve information (with our hippocampus)
• The impact of stress - Understanding how stress can prohibit our learning, memory, and retrieval of information
• The manifestation of stress - Stress what it is, and how it manifests itself differently in each of us
• Stressful factors - How lighting, too much stimuli, poor posture, and negative thinking, poor study habits, and more contribute to stress
• The importance of mindfulness - How mindfulness and learning to slow down can help us to have more awareness of our stress and empower us to manage it
• Breathing slowly - We learned simple techniques for becoming aware of our breathing and learning to slow down the breath
• Positive thinking - We learned how to notice what we say and think to ourselves and how to shift our language to exclude negative phrases and include positive ones
• Visualization - We talked about visualization and how important it is to incorporate as many details and senses as possible when visualizing a positive outcome.  We even had the chance to practice visualization using the above stress reduction techniques.  We learned that practicing visualization often and in small moments - over a long period of time, allows us to have a more automatic response when we need to feel relaxed and encouraged.  Allowing the body to be relaxed is also important because we know that the mind responds to positive words and images when we feel at ease.

     Please don't hesitate to let me know if you have any questions about the above topics.  Best of Luck to you on your exams!
Sincerely,
Kimberly Borin

Inspiring Books for the New Year

Dear Friends,

As we move into 2013, I though I would share some simple yet very inspiring books for children and the child in all of us.  These books encourage us to connect with one another, pursue our hopes and dreams and take the time we need to feel at peace.  Some of the books are older but can still be found on Amazon or other sites.  I hope you will find one or two of these nourishing for you and your children too!

Sincerely,
Kimberly Borin


P.S. Many of these are perfect for Valentine’s Day too!

Connecting and Celebrating
I Love You Rituals, Activities to Build Bonds and Strengthen Relationships with Children by Dr. Becky Bailey
My Mama Had a Dancing Heart by Libba Moore Gray
I’m in Charge of Celebrations by Byrd Baylor

Wishing and Dreaming
Stars by Mary Lyn Ray and Marla Frazee
DREAM, A Tale of Wonder, Wisdom & Wishes by Susan V. Bosak
Plant a Kiss by Amy Krouse Rosenthal

Peace and Peacefulness
The Peace Book by Todd Parr
Peaceful Piggy Meditation by Kerry Lee MacLean
What does PEACE feel like? by V. Radunsky