Top Ten Ideas for Relaxation

Top Ten Ideas for Relaxation...

1.  Start with an awareness how you are feeling -  Notice how you are feeling in mind, body, and spirit.
2.  Drink water - Sipping water throughout the day can help you feel more relaxed and alert.

3.  Notice your posture - Notice how you are sitting throughout the day.  Just taking a moment to sit up tall and take a deep breath can help you to feel more relaxed.

4.  Try simple breathing techniques - Throughout the day become aware of your breathing.  Try to pay attention to your breath and allow your exhale to be a little bit longer.  This will help you to feel more relaxed.

5.  Tensing and relaxing muscles - When we are stressed we carry a great deal of muscle tension in our body.  Taking a moment or two to tense shoulders and arms and then relaxing can help to relieve stress.

6. Use your imagination - Take a moment to think about something pleasant, or imagine yourself being happy, and a great success.  This subtle shift will allow you to feel more positive instantly.

7.  Speak kindly of yourself - Take a moment to notice the your self-talk and see if you can shift it to be more positive.  Our words have power and this can make a good difference in how we feel!

8.  Ask for help - Be sure to reach out to others if you need anything at all.  Knowing that you are not alone allows us to feel less stressed.

9.  Laugh when you can - This brings great energy to our mind, body and spirit and can shift how we feel in an instant.

10.  Rest - Take the time you need to rest and to get enough sleep.  Sleep is a great healer and strengthener and can help us to handle stress too. 

Top 10 Ideas to Strengthen Reading Comprehension

10 Ideas to Strengthen Reading Comprehension

1.    Understand as a reader what you should be doing before, during and after reading. (see other blog posts on this topic)

2.    Locate and define unknown words.

3.    As you read take notes or write comments in the margins.

4.    Ask questions to clarify understanding.

5.    Fill in a graphic organizer with important information or design a supportive visual.

6.    Read aloud or listen to book on tape.

7.    Try to visualize what you are reading about.

8.    Stop and think – don’t continue if you do not understand the material.

9.    Constantly check for understanding.

10. Discuss the information with others.

Top Ten Ideas for Strengthening Resilience

Top Ten Ideas to Strengthen Resilience:

1.  Be Still - Take time, listen to your heart, be aware of what you need.
2.  Dream Big - Take time to dream big, spend time sculpting the vision you have for your life.
3.  Build A Community - Build a team of people to help you, support you, and cheer you on.  Choose people who believe in your dreams!
4.  Use Your Voice - Express yourself in your own way, ask for help, be an advocate for yourself.
5.  Find Peace - Find the relaxation strategies that you need and that work for you. Take the time you need to find your own center and allow your decisions to come from that place of grounding.
6.  Trust the Process - Trust all of the small and big victories and how everything is unfolding.  Trusting the process doesn't allow us to deny our responsibility but it does allow us to surrender and let go as things happen.
7.  Undersize Your Goals - Dream big but also create small doable goals along the way.  Achieving small goals is a great way to feel successful towards your larger dreams.
8.  Follow Through - Be accountable to yourself and your goals.  Take action and take responsibility.
9.  Affirm Your Gifts - Trust that your gifts and strengths matter in the world.  Trust that all of the things you do, from taking a deep breath, to starting a non-profit make a positive difference locally and globally too.
10. Be Flexible and Creative - Along the way, the journey changes, the goals change, and our abilities change too.  Allow yourself to be creative, think outside the box and be a part of the dynamic journey of life.

Top 10 Ideas to Strengthen Time Management Skills

10 Ideas to Strengthen Time Management Skills

1.   Create a study space that is organized and has all materials in one place.

2.   Break down large assignments into smaller pieces. 

3.   Create a routine of how to fit in afterschool activities, homework, and studying. 

4.   Complete more difficult or less liked tasks first. 

5.   Do one task at a time and focus your full attention on it. 

6.   Keep track of assignments and due dates (calendar, planner, scheduling app, computer, etc.).

7.   Study and review notes daily. 

8.   Estimate how much time it will take to complete a task and then reflect if the estimation was accurate – practice this. 

9.  Get rid of distractions (phone, TV, music, people, etc.).

10. Reward yourself for finishing all your tasks.

Top Ten Study Skills

Our Top Ten Study Skills Include:

1.  Be organized – Be sure that you have everything you need to study.  Be sure to have a special place to keep books, notebooks, and folders that you may need to study properly.
2. Study to suit your learning style – Be sure to know when, and where is the best way for you to study.  If you need help understanding more about the best way to study – see the Learning Specialists, they are happy to help you with this. They are there to help you with multiple intelligences and learning styles.
3. Use good time management skills – Be sure to study in small amounts of time over a longer span of time.  For example, it is best to study for 10 minutes a night for 5 nights, than studying for 1.5 hours the night before.  Be sure to review your notes often before the test.
4. Know what will be on the test – Have a clear understanding of what will be on the test.  Be sure to ask teachers ahead of time so you can prepare properly and efficiently.
5. Set a personal goal for your tests and grades – Set a goal and speak with teachers about what it might take to reach your goal.  Believe in your ability to do well and to achieve your personal goals.  Take time to visualize yourself succeeding!
6. Break goals and projects down into small manageable pieces – Learn to break larger projects down into smaller tasks.  Set dates to accomplish these tasks.  In the end you will accomplish your goal but with less stress.
7. Learn to relax and manage stress – Find the ways that will help you to relieve stress.  This will help you to learn more in school, study better at time and perform with more success on tests.  If you feel overwhelmed or unsure of how to handle things, don’t be afraid to reach out for help.
8. Be an advocate for yourself – If you need help understanding a concept, breaking projects down or knowing how to study, be sure to ask for help.  Only you know what you need.  There are so many people willing to help you and are happy to do so.
9. Become a great note taker – Learn about different note taking strategies that will work for you.  Find ways to capture all of the information that you will need for the tests.
10. Learn about memorization and reading comprehension techniques – There are many different ways to memorize and become a more active reader.  Find ways that work for you – they will empower you as a learner for life!

Top Ten Ideas

Dear Friends,


As Learning Specialists, we come across a great deal of information about learning, studying, test-taking, and more.  It is our goal in the 2012 - 2013 school year to summarize the information that we find and present the Top 10 Ideas for particular topics that will help our students achieve more success.  This year you’ll find our Top 10 Ideas for topics such as:

Study Skills
Relaxation Stress Management
Strengthening Resiliency
Time Management
Memory
Reading Comprehension
and More!

We hope you are having a wonderful and nourishing summer and we will see you soon!

Sincerely,
Mrs. Kim Turse
Dr. Kimberly Borin