COMMUNITY Four Keys in Survival Kit for Future The second part of a three-part series. We’re entering unknown territory as our kids and grandkids head back to college and school, whethDr. Terry Segal er in the physical classroom or virtually. I offer 10 keys to nourish body, mind and soul to help you manage your stress and create meaningful experiences. The first part of this series covered mindfulness and altered perceptions, www.atlantajewishtimes. timesofisrael.com/keys-to-mindfulnessand-altered-perceptions/ The next four keys: Journaling releases stress, anger, frustration, fear, and moves them out of your body and mind, onto the page. Hopes, dreams, inspiration and repetitive patterns also appear in the writing. Many schools have implemented
48 | AUGUST 31, 2020 ATLANTA JEWISH TIMES
journaling as a daily practice to develop critical thinking, self-exploration, expression, and stress/anxiety reduction, all within the boundary of the journal. Students have the option to fold a page they prefer not to be read.
A composition book or notebook paper are great for writing daily journals. The occasional collaged art journal piece with a few meaningful words returns you to the time you wrote it. (This entry of mine says: “Sometimes her heart cracked in half at the suffering in the world. But she was always able to staple it back together.”)
How to practice Journaling: Parents guiding their children’s learning at home
can make journaling part of the curriculum. Allot 10 to 15 minutes daily and set rules regarding privacy/sharing about what’s written. I recommend a mix of free writing, which is unstructured, and prompts. An example of prompt writing is: “What I’m struggling with about learning from home is …” or, “I feel mad, sad, glad, or scared today because …” Everyone benefits from this practice, so you can journal, too, at the allotted time each day. Journaling can foster conflict-resolution. For younger children and adults, journaling may contain images and colors rather than words. Sensory Experiences. Awareness of sights, sounds, smells, tastes and textures makes life’s experiences memorable. Certain fragrances can transport you to another time. A perfume may spark memories of a departed loved one. Ocean sounds can invoke a sensory snapshot from a special vacation. Opportunities occur every day, but mindfully stopping to observe a bird twittering on the branch or a fluttering leaf twirling to the ground halts moments that connect us all to Hashem and the world’s beauty.
Matzo ball soup evokes sensory experiences of being home for the holidays or of healing aromas.
How to practice Sensory Experiences: Recall group memories that conjure a sen-
