Today we learned that Compassion Helps Me Thrive! We learned that thriving means to grow into feeling like and being our best self. God has compassion for us, and likewise, we as recipients of God's compassion then focus on having compassion for ourselves (self-compassion). Through the story of Elijah in the wilderness in 1 Kings 19:4-8, we explored the importance of caring for ourselves when we have needs. Every living thing has needs!
We learned the acronym H.A.L.T. which stands for Hungry, Angry, Lonely, and Tired. When we feel these things we aren't able to thrive. Our minds and bodies give us information about a need. How do we meet those needs?
We practiced our Lovingkindness chant:
I see your hurt.
I feel your hurt.
I help ease your hurt.
Then we changed the words a little:
You see my hurt.
You feel my hurt.
You help ease my hurt.
And God also shows us lovingkindness:
God sees my hurt.
God feels my hurt.
God helps ease my hurt.
We learned Loved, I am Loved and sang The Lovingkindness Song today!
Lovingkindness helps us remember the compassion God has for each of us. As we practice lovingkindness with ourselves and others, we develop the skills and mindset necessary to practice compassion.
Lovingkindness Practice:
We pay purposeful attention to what it feels like to experience lovingkindness and to share it.
Focus on what we hope for ourselves. Say these phrases and feel the powerful feelings of lovingkindness for yourself without any judgement.
May I be happy.
May I be healthy.
May I be safe.
May I be at peace.
repeat 3 times
Questions:
What feelings did you notice as you practiced lovingkindness for yourself?
Was it easy or difficult to practice lovingkindness for yourself?
What was easy about it? What was hard about it?
Children’s Picture Book Recommendations
• Listening with My Heart, Gabi Garcia
• Listening with My Body, Gabi Garcia
• Eyes That Kiss in the Corners, Joanna Ho
• It Feels Good to Be Yourself, Theresa Thorn
• You Matter, Christian Robinson
• C is for Consent, Eleanor Morrison
H.A.L.T.: In this session, we used the acronym HALT (Hungry, Angry, Lonely, Tired). This article shares how to check in with yourself using this acronym so you can have compassion for yourself. https://bit.ly/3uOPVcD
Self-Compassion: For more information and research on self-compassion: https://self-compassion.org
For Older Kids or Youth:
Glow Up Challenge: “Glow Up” is the teenage concept of self-care. According to Urban Dictionary, “A Glow Up is a mental, physical, and emotional transformation for the better.” It’s not just about looking better. It’s about feeling better both inside and out. Think about areas in your life that could benefit from a Glow Up.
Create a challenge to add healthy habits to your daily routine. Examples: Drink more water, do yoga poses each morning, take deep breaths before bed at night, have less screen time, and spend more time outdoors.
Compassionate Self-Talk: We know youth are amazing, incredible, talented human beings, but teenagers can often lose sight of that. Use this video to engage in conversation about self-talk. https://youtu.be/ytiF927W4E0
Discuss ways to practice compassion for yourself when you have negative and hurtful self-talk.
• If your friend told you they had those thoughts, how would you speak to them?
• How can you talk to yourself like you would talk with your friend?
• If you have someone in your life who speaks to you as Hailey’s coach spoke to her, how can you put in place compassionate boundaries for yourself?
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