Stress Management

At our Moms Meeting this week, Heidi Solomon addressed us on the topic of Stress Management.  Here are some notes from the session along with her handout below.

For handling stress:


1) My first step is to decide if this is a problem with a solution ... or a problem without a solution
A. If this is a problem with a solution -- then I mentally relieve myself of stress by knowing that in time -- we will reach the solution

B. Many of us face very challenging problems (be they medical issues, financial struggles, emotional challenges) ... and these problems have no established solution -- I try to reduce my stress in these situations by being very mindful of the saying from Pirket Avot "We are responsible for our input -- but we are not responsible for the outcome" This way I can do my best on the input -- and try to mentally relieve myself of the stress of the outcome.

2) Recognize the minimum required to sustain, and rejuvenate --- it may be getting a hot shower once a day. We each know what is realistic time wise ... and financially ... do what is realistic


3) Two ways to relax in just a minute
A. Nasal breathing -- in one nostril and out the other -- three times on each side -- this brings extra oxygen to the brain and can bring relaxation to the body in less than a minute
B. Think of a calm picture -- Think about a scene that makes you feel calm (beach, rainbow, etc) Take twenty seconds to concentrate on that scene -- the visual, auditory, olefactory, etc elements of the scene -- it is a just a little mental vacation

You can only do so much so think about what your priorities are and take care of those things.

Art Therapy

At our last moms' meeting, we met with Wendy Maayan, our Sunday Circle Art Therapist.  Wendy works for JFSA and told us about how she uses art therapy.  

Art is therapeutic.  It puts you in a different place.  Art therapy works well for people who cannot verbalize a particular emothion or articulate how they are feeling, including many children with special needs.  Art has a way of removing the mask we sometimes wear.

Wendy said that at Sunday Circle her art goals are that the children should have fun, take pride in their work, and develop social skills as they work with their friends.  One way to achieve these goals is by asking children to "Point to your favorite part of your picture."  Then cut out that part, paste it on a new paper, and design a new picture stemming from the original.

You can also extend an activity or expand on a piece.  For example, after naming a color in the art, you could ask, "What else in the room is green?"  You could also look for darker and lighter shades of a color.

After explaining a bit about art therapy, Wendy engaged us in a hands-on activity where we were able to express ourselves through art. 

Wendy also shared a handout describing art therapy and with some resources for art therapy which I will post in the next few days.

We all enjoyed and learned a lot from this meeting!

Moms' Cooking Program

I'm a little behind, but below are pictures, recipes, and other links from our Moms Cooking Program in January. Everyone enjoyed it and got to bring home at least 4 suppers to put in their freezer. Special thanks to Hindy for hosting and helping organize.

Freezing Tips

 

http://busycooks.about.com/gi/dynamic/offsite.htm?site=http://www.recipesource.com/misc/freezer/indexall.html

http://busycooks.about.com/od/makeaheadrecipes/a/cookOAMC.htm



http://www.ellenskitchen.com/bigpots/oamc/vegweek.html



http://www.once-a-month-cookingworld.com/

Moms' Meeting with Mia Buchwald Gelles

Mia Buchwald Gelles from the Milestones Autism Organization joined our Tuesday Moms Meeting. She shared curriculum information for children with autism, as well as availing us of some of the many resources provided by her organization, including support groups, workshops, training, education, referrals, and online resources among other things. Our mothers learned a lot from her presentation. Even if you missed it, you can find valuable information by visiting their website at http://www.milestones.org/.

Mia also recommended a book by Bridgette Taylor called Let Me Hear Your Voice.

We thank Mia for joining us and hope you will find this info useful.

Please join us...

Next Moms Meeting

Our moms will be meeting this Tuesday, December 22 at 10:15 at Starbuck's  (Chagrin and Green).  Please note the change of time and location.

Also, please feel free to use this blog to post questions and comments that your friends at FC can help you with.