Inspirations

Week of June 14th

SUMMERTIME AND TRANSITIONS

Schools are almost out. The sun is shining brighter. The days are warmer and longer. Summer is about to be in full swing! While summertime can bring us a lot of joy, it could also be a bittersweet experience.

The change of season highlights a period of transition. The ending of the school year includes graduations. Graduations are celebrations of hard work and achievement. Graduations also mean leaving our schedules and classmates behind. Further, summer vacations are typically an escape to relaxing destinations. Relaxing destinatiuons provide a break from our typical day. Vacations also mean leaving our routines and our peers, colleagues, etc. behind.

During this time of transition, we ask you to reflect, through a dialectical lens, on your experience as the season changes from spring to summer. Try to look at the summer from multiple perspectives. Keep in mind there is no one correct perspective. A dialectical lens could look like appreciating the busy schedule of your year, and the people who supported you along the way, whilst also being excited for the Summer season! We may notice a variety of emotions as we mindfully look through this lens. Hence the bittersweet emotions.

What are you most excited about for this summer? What is the hardest thing for you to leave behind? What are you hoping to accomplish?

WORDS OF WISDOM

MEME OF THE WEEK

SKILLS
Please observe and describe the variety of emotions you notice with Summer.
What are the physical sensations you notice? What urges rise and fall?

PODCAST
Summertime Blues
by Audible.com

TED TALK
The Life Long Learner by Bernie Dunlap

BOOK OF THE WEEK
(Click below to Purchase Book)

ACTIVITY
How to make a bird feeder by countryliving.com

RECIPES FOR THE WEEK

CONTRIBUTE
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Week of June 7th

PRIDE MONTH

As the storm clouds of 2020 begin to pass, our team is noticing the connectedness and compassion that communities are displaying to each other. June 1st marks the beginning of Pride Month, which celebrates our LGBTQIA community. Last year, we celebrated Pride Month from afar. This year, communities have the opportunity to come together against the shame and judgment that surround sexuality, gender expression and identity. Pride Month celebrates and encourages each one of us to authentically express who we are.

In addition to embracing our LGBTQIA community, we ask everyone to bring mindful attention to our most critical selves, and how these judgments interfere with self expression. We encourage you to pivot from your inner critic to celebrating yourself in pride through the use of encouragement. What do you notice when you start to look for pride in yourself? What judgments interfere with your fullest expression of self? How can you encourage yourself this week? We can’t wait to hear from you. Happy Pride Month!

WORDS OF WISDOM

MEME OF THE WEEK

SKILLS
This week we would like to encourage our community to use our Mindfulness to increase compassion and non judgement.
Can you pause this week for five minutes each day and practice observing and describing without judgement?

PODCAST
To Be Young and Queer in the Time of Pandemic
by Shiftmn.org

TED TALK

BOOK OF THE WEEK
(Click below to Purchase Book)

ACTIVITY
How to make a color changing sensory bottle by preschoolinspirations.com

RECIPES FOR THE WEEK

CONTRIBUTE
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Week of May 31st

FRIENDSHIP

With new guidelines inviting us to shed our masks in more spaces, we have been more aware of the impact of facial expressions. Specifically, the spontaneous smiles from others remind us of the role of friendliness, and the function of friendship.

Many of us are conditioned to think of friends in terms of quantity, quality, and relationship history. While these can be valuable lenses in assessing friendship, we would like for you to instead focus your attention on defining friendship behaviors, and bringing mindful awareness to the meaning of friendship in your life.

Do the presence of peers help distract you from everyday nuisances? Do you ever find that friendship can help alleviate distress?

For anyone struggling with social anxiety, trauma, and/or depression, topics on friendship can be really hard! Be patient, and see if you can practice being friendly first toward yourself.

How do you know when someone is engaging in a friendly way with you? How do you express friendship toward others? We can’t wait to find out!

WORDS OF WISDOM

MEME OF THE WEEK

PODCASTS
The Top 7 Post Pandemic Friendship Fears
by Player.fm

TED TALK
The critical importance of friends on your happiness | Mike Duffy | TEDxBerkeley

BOOK OF THE WEEK
(Click below to Purchase Book)

ACTIVITY
Super Cute DIY Friendship Bracelets Kids Can Make by projectswithkids.com

RECIPES FOR THE WEEK
Amish Friendship bread Starter Recipe by TastesofLizzyT.com
Yogurt Bites by TheBestIdeasforKids.com
Friendship Cake Recipes

CONTRIBUTE
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Week of May 24th

BORDERLINE PERSONALITY DISORDER (BDP) AWARENESS MONTH

This week we are highlighting Borderline Personality Disorder (BPD). Not only is May Borderline Personality Disorder Awareness Month but it is also the birthday month of Dr Marsha Linehan, the creator of Dialectical Behavior Therapy (DBT). Although many can benefit from DBT skills, DBT is most known for its evidence based treatment of BPD.

BPD is one of the less understood mental health disorders. The truth is, BPD is more common than people might think; over 14 million Americans suffer with it. A combination of a biological predisposition and invalidation of environmental experiences can lead to BPD symptoms. Most people with BPD have experienced a lot of invalidation in their lives by being denied, dismissed, or rejected of their own emotional experiences.

People with BPD are often stricken with shame as there has been an unfortunate amount of stigma around the disorder. To practice being more supportive, and fight the stigma, we invite you to think about how you show up for loved ones who experience BPD, or for yourself.

Instead of using BPD as a negative description for someone’s intense emotional experiences, we can try validating their experience. As a client, family member, or clinician, what else do you do to bring awareness to Borderline Personality Disorder?

WORDS OF WISDOM

MEME OF THE WEEK

PODCASTS
Conversation Talks on BPD and Recovery | Will Lippincott
by Podtail.com

Blaise Aguirre M.D. on Dialectical Behavioral Therapy, emotional experience, persistence, and taking ownership of your life!
by Google Podcasts

BOOK OF THE WEEK
(Click below to Purchase Book)

ACTIVITY
My DBT House Art Activity For All by lifeworthlivingblog.com

RECIPES FOR THE WEEK

CONTRIBUTE
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Week of May 17th

SPRING

Spring has sprung and the month of May is hitting its stride this week with giving us sunshine and warmer temperatures. May is also Mental Health Awareness month, and this year the National Alliance on Mental Health (NAMI) is centralizing the theme around not being alone in suffering.

This past year has given citizens of the world a common event to connect on and share in suffering. While the negative impacts of covid may manifest differently from person to person, it is fair to say we have all struggled one way or another.

The story of suffering does not end with acknowledging and feeling the global connectedness of this difficult time. There has been suffering before the pandemic, and there will be suffering when it is over. In addition to observing being together in pain, can we also start to plan and strategize how to skillfully get out of our suffering?

In other words, and in the spirit of spring cleaning: you are not alone with dust mites and closet in chaos. You are also not alone in how you get active in organizing it all.

How do you self-motivate to reduce your suffering? Have you included other people in your plan? We can’t wait to hear!

WORDS OF WISDOM

MEME OF THE WEEK

PODCAST OF THE WEEK
Embracing Change | Lucretia Bowman & Jennifer Osborn

TED TALK
Embracing Change | Marco Marsans
by TED.com

BOOK OF THE WEEK
(Click below to Purchase Book)

ACTIVITY
Color-Changing Flowers by gardeningknowhow.com

RECIPES FOR THE WEEK

CONTRIBUTE
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Week of May 10th

CHILDREN AND MENTAL HEALTH

Covid and the pandemic have brought about a complex array of factors that have impacted our children. Without the “normal” in-person school day, children have lacked a stabilizing structure. Many days are different which brings no consistency. From a short-term perspective, there now exists an increase in social isolation, uncertainty and family angst. From a long-term perspective, we have no idea yet.

In particular, kids have struggled without seeing their friends and relatives. It is often clear kids have also worried about their health (and the health of their family) and whether or not to go to school. What is the right decision? That is a lot of responsibility and burden for a kid. Unfortunately, it is not easy to calm these worries or otherwise relieve their burden. The challenges that parents are simultaneously processing, pose an obstacle to co-regulate with their children or otherwise relieve their stress.

Accordingly, we need to help children observe and describe their experience of the pandemic. It is important we help children find language to reflect on their thoughts and actions during the past 15 months. The more we process the changes with them, the better we can problem-solve and determine next steps.

WORDS OF WISDOM

MEME OF THE WEEK

SKILL REHEARSAL
Can we practice non judgemental speech with our kids this week? Try using you STOP skills.
When engaging mindfully with children let’s try to slow dow our pace, use willingness and non judgement each day.

PODCAST OF THE WEEK
Why Toxic Positivity Doesn’t Work and Can Even Make Things Worse | Dr. Alec Miller
by Audible.com

TED TALK
Alexa Kitay | DBT a Helpful Key to Recovery
by TED.com

BOOK OF THE WEEK
(Click below to Purchase Book)

ACTIVITY
Easy Salt Dough Dinosaur Fossils by rainydaymum.co.uk

RECIPES FOR THE WEEK
Pancake Cereal on TikTok
Blueberry Mojito on TikTok
The Ultimate Blondie Recipe on TikTok

CONTRIBUTE
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Week of May 3rd

RELATIONSHIP EFFECTIVENESS

This week our Metro community joined as one in support of a suicide prevention and awareness. We organized around the importance of togetherness after months of feeling isolated and alone. Last week, we discussed the significance of community. This week, we are focusing on vital interpersonal effectiveness skills in maintaining relationships with those important in our own lives. As we continue to progress towards “reopening” it is normative to feel anxiety in response to the idea of returning to pre-pandemic life. As we transition back to our “normal” routines and lives, our relationships and social interactions may feel unfamiliar.

In DBT, one of our interpersonal effectiveness skills focused on attending to the relationship is our GIVE skill. As we walk a middle path between observing our own limits and also starting to become more relationally comfortable with others in a safe way, the GIVE skill can assist in maintaining boundaries, the relationship, and also increase our positive interactions with others. We may all be entering into interactions with the vulnerability of unfamiliarity, and have an urge to withdrawal, react or respond in an ineffective way interpersonally. Our relationship effectiveness skills help remind us to remain gentle with others by using our non-judgmental mind, staying interested and engaged in the other person, leaning into validation, and using an easy manner to bring light heartedness forward. These skills help maintain and keep relationships, while simultaneously helping ourselves stay grounded in our own goals and priorities.

We invite you to share ways that you are using your GIVE skills in relationships that may have felt distant throughout the pandemic. How are you maintaining interest with someone relationally? What are ways that you are using validation not only with others, but also with yourself during this vulnerable time?

WORDS OF WISDOM

MEME OF THE WEEK

SKILL REHEARSAL
How are you practicing the GIVE skill? As you are around people this week can you lean in and appear interested?
How will you be coping ahead to increase nonjudgmental speech in conversation?

PODCAST OF THE WEEK
Pandemic Reentry Anxiety
by The 21st Show

BOOK OF THE WEEK
(Click below to purchase the book)

ACTIVITY
DIY Friendship Bracelet by honestlywtf.com

RECIPES FOR THE WEEK

CONTRIBUTE
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Week of April 26th

COMMUNITY

When the coronavirus took over we began social distancing in an effort to protect our loved ones and ourselves. During that time, we struggled to feel connected to our communities and many of us realized the importance social support has to our wellbeing. A prolonged period of feeling isolated and stuck would prompt sadness and anxiety in anyone. In particular, we know that some of our DBT consumers suffered moments of difficulty in sticking with their skills in our never ending project of building and maintaining our life worth living.

DBT is arguably its most energetic when we are feeling the traction of progress toward our life worth living goals. Clinicians and clients know this feeling well, and it keeps us pedaling through the tedious climbs that life takes us on — often times without much warning. Evidence shows us that community, connectedness, and hope for the future are all related; when we can see self in another our capacity to yes to the next moment, however painful, is increased.

This week, we want you participate fully where you find a sense of community. If you are still working on identifying what community means to you, we invite you to practice with us on Sunday, May 2nd at 12pm. We invite you to participate in a Peloton ride with Ally Love or 30 minutes of physical activity. Join us as we are one community participating in our first semi annual challenge to raise awareness for suicide prevention.

WORDS OF WISDOM

MEME OF THE WEEK

SKILL REHEARSAL
This week can you pause to consider your life worth living goals? What goals do you have around behavioral activation?
What two steps can you take this week towards your behavioral activation goals? How can you positively reinforce your follow through?

PODCAST OF THE WEEK
Super Soul Sunday | Pema Chodron
by Oprah.com

TED TALKS
How to start a conversation about suicide | Jeremy Forbes

BOOK OF THE WEEK
(Click below to purchase the book)

ACTIVITY
Making a pom pom rug by littleyellowwheelbarrow.com

RECIPES FOR THE WEEK

CONTRIBUTE
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