For students at Sullivan Elementary School in Tampa, Fl., peace of mind can be hard to come by. Many of them stay at the homeless shelter next door, and others are at risk of becoming homeless.
So administrators decided to create a space for quiet reflection during the school day, as NPR’s Pien Huang reports. Each morning, a 5-10 minute mindfulness program called Inner Explorer is played over the loudspeaker system while kids sit at their desks. Depending on the day, students might be asked to repeat a mantra, like “I have the power to make wise choices,” or to contemplate how to forgive others for making mean comments.
"It can help you relieve the stress so you're not angry, and you don't take it out on somebody else," one third-grader told her class.
Practicing mindfulness can help kids realize "that they don't need to be dragged around by their thoughts and emotions. They have much more control," says Laura Bakosh, the program’s co-founder. The teachers at Sullivan are noticing a difference.
Has mindfulness helped your little one, or do you practice yourself? Do you teach at a school that’s tried mindfulness techniques? Tell us about it at shots@npr.org, and your comments might be featured in a future newsletter or on npr.org.
Plus: Experiencing racism may physically change your brain |
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Remember adolescence? The changes to your body, the new sensations and emotions, the changing dynamics with your family? Maybe your friend group changed, or you began to develop a different sense of identity.
The first few months or even years after becoming a new mother can be a similarly tumultuous phase, says reproductive psychologist Aurélie Athan. There’s even a similar-sounding name for this time of life: matrescence. Athan says that while new moms may feel guilt about having emotions other than joy and excitement about a new baby, feelings of overwhelm and ambivalence are normal.
NPR’s Life Kit spoke with experts on the postpartum period for advice on how to cope with the changes.
One tip: Make a family game plan with your partner and/or other family members before the baby arrives. Write down your values, how you’ll support each other, and discuss time you’d like to carve out for yourself. For example, a friend of mine who is the primary caregiver for the baby told her partner it was important to her to focus on writing for a few hours each week. This process could also include identifying specific ways others can help out, like a grandparent who can cook meals or a friend you can take walks with.
Here are five tips for navigating the ups and downs of new motherhood.
Also: What is postpartum depression? How to recognize the signs and get help |
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We hope you enjoyed these stories. Find more of NPR's health journalism online.
All the best,
Andrea Muraskin and your NPR Health editors |
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