At times, every human being gets nervous or feels less than. And it shows up in ways we show up to events, situations, and relationships. Today, we're sharing a quick hack to get our bodies to trick our minds into feeling more confident!

Eric takes us through the idea of using Focused Attention Practices (FoAP), Community-Building Circles, Strengthening Relationships, and Anchor Charts to help teach/learn and use the various strategies.

Listen, Affirm, Respond, Ask questions

The LARA strategy helps us Seek the Cause of situations that arise instead of just pushing forward. It's a powerful tool that helps others feel seen & heard in a moment of dysregulation or struggle. And it helps keep us clear and out of assumptions-mode when dealing with other humans.

Learn more about LARA here: https://sparqtools.org/lara/

There are ways we can talk with other humans that open more productive dialogue, understanding, and, ultimately change. Today's episode is all about Non-Violent Communication and Honest Expression. NVC is a term that puts people on edge, but to learn more about what it is and how we can begin to use it listen in. Also check out this video (Nonviolent Communication: An Overview & Role-Play Demonstration) https://youtu.be/8b7NOYMuFCQ?si=_LGAN6ZnXAlstp0d&t=83 from the Florida Institute of Child Welfare to see it in action.

We've all done it. We see a kiddo do a thing and the words just come out of our mouths. Later, when we think on it, we know we could have done better, but we were just so shocked/angry/surprised in that moment!

Today's episode is all about developing a pause button. Join us!

Every human, young or old, deserves to know at least one person is in their corner, no matter what. And while counselors, therapists, and social workers are vital in our communities (including schools), we know more than we think. Enter the Enlightened Witness.

Read more here.

https://medium.com/@OllyAlexander/your-enlightened-witness-660f41bcdeeb

In the classroom, to ensure your students are able to regulate their emotions, be respectful, learn, and "be in community" successfully with one another...they must feel safe in the classroom environment. This means the atmosphere and functioning of the classroom culture must be built on safety, belonging, and dignity...and I would throw in Hope, too!

Ginger and Eric jump into a simplified version of the 4DX process, which is a powerful way to move people who just aren't sure about this new approach to working with kids. Learn more about the actual 4DX process here.

Once we recognize that people are on the Compass of Shame, there are things we can do to help them, and finding our Enlightened Witness & the internal message they gave us is a beautiful way to help people push shame aside.

There may be several reasons why people lose their cool in situations, but more often than we might realize, it's because they've found themselves squarely on the Compass of Shame. When we work with adults and kids, we want to be able to recognize when the Compass has "entered the room" and how to help others off the Compass. Listen in and check out the following links for more!

What Is… the Compass of Shame

PDF handouts:

The compass of shame

The Nine Affects and the Compass of Shame