Coronavirus: Worry, Strees and Anxiety with Michael Hempseed


Introduction: 
Michael Hempseed is a popular speaker about mental wellness and the author of the book, "Being a True Hero." He presented a free seminar for principals/leaders/teachers at the start of the lockdown. Keith Tetzlaff shared the Webinar Link  He also has a TEDx talk about failure.


A few points: 

- Many people experience a crisis (like Covid-19) and get through fine. 
This can be because of the 'protective factors' like positive, stable connections. 
Lack of 'protective factors' and more 'risk factors' can mean that kids/adults find it hard to cope. 

- Keep boundaries
Some parents might be very stressed at this time. Don't take that stress on yourself. Also, be realistic about what you can do.

- Hopefulness 
Humanity has overcome a lot of challenges in the past, e.g. smallpox. We have successful brought back some species from the brink of extinction (white rhino). Dwelling on the present can be scary. Recognising past successes can give us hope. 

- Sleep and Connections 
Getting restorative sleep is a protective factor that helps you keep mentally well. So is having meaningful, life-giving relationships. Research is showing that lack of sleep and loneliness are probably resulting in the high rates of mental illness that we are seeing in society today. If you want to live a long and healthy life: sleep well and have good relationships with friends and family. 

Reflection
I'm reminded that stress does really affect people in negative ways. I'm also reminded that we can take steps to help ourselves and others maintain or regain healthy mental wellness. Some people may not even realise that feeling ok is possible. But we can ask questions like, "If it were possible to live without all this worry, would you want that?" We can also share stories of hopefulness. 
And as a teacher, I'm reminded that appropriately sharing my failures, mistakes and struggles and how I overcame them (or examples from other people), is a powerful example of hopefulness for students. 

Comments

  1. Michelle17 April 2020 at 14:25

    Some great reminders for me in this post. Thanks Simon

    ReplyDelete

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