learner handbook tools for calm mindfulness for …...awareness helps caregivers better cope with...

Learner Handbook

TOOLS FOR CALM – MINDFULNESS FOR CAREGIVERS

About SEIU 775 Benefits Group

The SEIU 775 Benefits Group trains and develops professional long-term care workers to deliver high-quality care and support to older adults and people with disabilities. The SEIU 775 Benefits Group also negotiates and purchases high-quality health care benefits for long-term care workers in Washington and Montana.

These materials contain copyrighted works owned by or licensed to SEIU Healthcare NW Training Partnership. Internal use by an organization or personal use by an individual for non-commercial purposes is permissible. All other uses require the prior authorization of the copyright owner.

SEIU 775 BENEFITS GROUP

215 Columbia St #300, Seattle, WA 98104 • Phone: (206) 254-7120 • www.learning.myseiubenefits.org

© 2018 SEIU NW Training Partnership

Tools for Calm – Mindfulness for Caregivers, v1.1 SEIU 775 Benefits Group 1

Tools for Calm – Mindfulness for Caregivers

Table of Contents

Course Overview ............................................................................................................. 3

Description ................................................................................................................... 3

Learning Objectives ..................................................................................................... 3

Continuing Education Credit ........................................................................................ 3

Online Materials ........................................................................................................... 3

Week 1: Introduction to Mindfulness ............................................................................... 4

What is mindfulness? ................................................................................................... 4

What are the benefits? ................................................................................................. 4

How to practice ............................................................................................................ 5

Exercise: Mindfulness of Breathing .............................................................................. 6

Exercise: Mindfulness of Sounds ................................................................................. 6

Week 1 take-home practice ......................................................................................... 6

Notes ........................................................................................................................... 7

Week 2: Mindfulness of the Body and Working with Pain ............................................... 8

Mindfulness of the body ............................................................................................... 8

Working with physical pain & discomfort ...................................................................... 8

Exercise: Body Scan .................................................................................................... 8

Exercise: Mindful Walking ............................................................................................ 9

Week 2 Take-Home Practice ....................................................................................... 9

Notes ......................................................................................................................... 10

Week 3: Mindfulness of Thoughts and Emotions .......................................................... 11

The myth of no thoughts ............................................................................................ 11

Simply recognize and allow ....................................................................................... 11

Exercise: Breathing with Noting ................................................................................. 11

Exercise: R-A-I-N ....................................................................................................... 12

Week 3 Take-Home Practice ..................................................................................... 12

Notes ......................................................................................................................... 12

Week 4: Basic Kindness ................................................................................................ 13

The inner critic ........................................................................................................... 13

Tools for Calm – Mindfulness for Caregivers v1.1 SEIU 775 Benefits Group 2

Turning toward the good ............................................................................................ 13

Exercise: Kindness Practice ...................................................................................... 13

Week 4 Take-Home Practice ....................................................................................... 1

Notes ........................................................................................................................... 1

Week 5: Mindfulness and Caregiving Relationships ....................................................... 2

Being present for others .............................................................................................. 2

Life’s difficult moments ................................................................................................ 2

Exercise: Mindful Speaking & Listening ....................................................................... 2

Week 5 take-home practice ......................................................................................... 2

Notes ........................................................................................................................... 3

Week 6: Taking it With You ............................................................................................. 4

How to keep practicing ................................................................................................ 4

Resources ................................................................................................................... 4

Notes ........................................................................................................................... 5


Course Overview

Description

This course covers practical mental tools and skills that caregivers can incorporate into their daily activities to increase their awareness of their environment, body, behaviors, and internal thoughts and emotions, otherwise known as mindfulness. This increased awareness helps caregivers better cope with stress and anxiety, more effectively manage intense situations, and improve their ability to provide care as caregivers. This course is an instructor-led live video course that meets over 6 total sessions.

Learning Objectives

By the end of this course, you will be able to:

Apply a daily mindfulness practice.

Practice mindfulness of your body and physical pain.

Practice mindfulness of thoughts and emotions.

Practice basic kindness.

Practice mindfulness in communication and interpersonal interactions.

Sustain your mindfulness practice after class is over!

Continuing Education Credit

For those who plan to take this course to fulfill an annual Continuing Education (CE) requirement, you will need to complete all six sessions of the course to receive 6.0 CE credits. There is no partial credit awarded. If you have a conflict and miss a class session, you can complete a makeup for that class by watching the video recording of class, participating in the activities, and answering a short set of questions to demonstrate you watched the entire session recording. You can complete only two makeups; the rest of the class sessions must be attended live, at the scheduled time.

Online Materials

You can access this handbook and other important course materials by visiting: https://www.myseiubenefits.org/tools-for-calm/7yd3rdxz/

Note: This page is private and should only be used by active caregivers enrolled in the class. Do not distribute or otherwise share this link with anyone outside of your class.

Any other materials needed will be provided by your instructor once class starts.

https://www.myseiubenefits.org/tools-for-calm/7yd3rdxz/


Week 1: Introduction to Mindfulness

What is mindfulness?

Mindfulness is defined as "paying attention to our present moment experience with openness, curiosity and kindness.”1 It is the simple act of turning to our current experience – whether it’s a sight, sound, taste, smell, physical sensation, thought or emotion – and being with it in an open-hearted, non-judgmental way.

Take a moment right now to stop. Simply be still for a moment. Now, see if you can notice the feeling of your feet. Notice what your feet are resting on – the floor, the couch, a chair. What does that feel like?

You just practiced mindfulness. With mindfulness, there is nothing you need to do or figure out – simply sit back and notice what’s happening, without trying to change it.

It’s simple, but also challenging. Many things get in the way and distract us from being present to what’s happening. This is okay too – it’s normal! When we practice mindfulness, we’re training a muscle. The more we remember to come back to the present moment, the more it becomes natural to be present.

Still not sure what mindfulness is? Don’t worry. We’ll get there together.

What are the benefits?

A growing number of research studies indicate a variety of benefits from mindfulness. Here are just a few:

Reduction of stress and related conditions – Stress shows up differently for each of us, but our level of stress could be defined as how much we are finding the situations in our lives to be overwhelming.2 This stress, in turn, correlates to a wide variety of physical and behavioral health risks. In numerous studies over the past 30 years, mindfulness has been shown not only to reduce stress, but to also improve related conditions like chronic pain, immune response, and sleep.3

Emotion regulation – This is a term that refers to a person’s ability to effectively manage and respond to an emotional experience – these are the coping mechanisms that people use in handling difficult situations throughout each day. These coping mechanisms can be healthy, such as talking with friends, or unhealthy, such as abusing alcohol.4 Even just 8 weeks of mindfulness practice alters the ways that emotions are regulated and processed in the brain, leading

1 UCLA Mindful Awareness Research Center. https://www.uclahealth.org/marc/ 2 Carmody, J., & Baer, R. (2008). Relationships between mindfulness practice and levels of mindfulness, medical and psychological symptoms and well-being in a mindfulness-based stress reduction program. Journal of Behavioral Medicine, 31:23–33 3 Creswell, J. (2017). Mindfulness Interventions. Annual Review of Psychology, 68:491–516. 4 Rolston, A., & Lloyd-Richardson, E. (2018). What is emotion regulation and how do we do it? Retrieved from Cornell Research Program on Self-Injury and Recovery: http://www.selfinjury.bctr.cornell.edu/perch/resources/what-is-emotion-regulationsinfo-brief.pdf

https://www.uclahealth.org/marc/

http://www.selfinjury.bctr.cornell.edu/perch/resources/what-is-emotion-regulationsinfo-brief.pdf

http://www.selfinjury.bctr.cornell.edu/perch/resources/what-is-emotion-regulationsinfo-brief.pdf


to a more positive outlook along with decreased anxiety and a decrease in negative thoughts.1

Relationships – Mindfulness has also shown itself to be beneficial to our relationships, through improvements in relationship stress and the ability to express oneself in a relationship (or in any social situation), less stress and anxiety related to relationships, and less feelings of anger when conflict arises.2

How to practice

These tips can help you incorporate mindfulness into your day without too much work:

Schedule it Pick a time every day (or as frequently as you decide) that you typically don’t have anything scheduled. For many, this is in the morning, but it can be at other times. Then, schedule it on your calendar, set an alarm on your phone, or post a sticky note. Try to stick to this same time every day. This will help you develop mindfulness habits that last.

Find a place to yourself Try to find a place to practice where you are less likely to be interrupted. This might be your bedroom, your living room, a park near your house, or even your car when you are between client visits. The space doesn’t have to be silent, but if no one interrupts you, it’ll be easier for you to complete that day’s exercise.

Get comfortable Mindfulness doesn’t require any special situation. In fact, the simple act of being present to your experience can happen at any time, while walking, sitting, driving, dancing or talking. That said, when you’re first learning how to be mindful, it helps to sit quietly without too much movement. This reduces distractions and makes it more likely you’ll be able to pay attention. Here are a few tips:

Find a chair, couch or cushion that is comfortable to sit on.

Choose an upright but relaxed posture. Ideally you won’t be in a lot of pain, but you also won’t fall asleep.

Use any pillows, blankets or extras you need to be comfortable (if you’re in a chair, it can be helpful to place a small pillow or rolled towel behind your back for support).

Try to come back to this position each time you do your exercise.

1 Davis, D., & Hayes, J. (2011). What are the benefits of mindfulness? A practice review of psychotherapy-related

research. Psychotherapy, 48(2), 198-208.

2 Davis, D. & Hayes, J. (2011).


Start the exercise When you’re ready to start, it can help to close your eyes, or look down at the floor. This is not required, but you may find it reduces distractions. Take a few deep breaths and give yourself permission to take this break. Then, begin!

Exercise: Mindfulness of Breathing

Find a quiet place where you can be relatively comfortable, and take a few deep breaths. Then allow your breath to be natural, and find the part of your breathing that is easiest for you to notice: this might be the expanding and contracting of the abdomen, the rise and fall of the chest, or the feeling of air coming through your nostrils. Pick one area, and stay with it for the entire exercise.

Tips:

Distractions are normal; whenever you remember, simply come back to the breath.

If it’s helpful, you can gently note “in, out” or “rising, falling” with each breath, using this as a marker to stay with the sensations themselves. Or, you can count each breath to 10, then start back at 1.

Set two alarms a few minutes apart so you don’t have to check the time during the exercise.

Exercise: Mindfulness of Sounds

Take a few deep breaths and close your eyes or gaze down toward the floor or your lap. Give yourself a moment to just sit and put aside any plans or obligations. When you feel a bit more settled, begin to notice the sounds around you. You don’t have to look for any particular sound; simply bring your attention to hearing. You might notice a variety of sounds arising and passing. They might be nearby, or further away; loud or soft. You can let your mind move to whatever sound is most noticeable in the moment. Enjoy this time to be still and just listen.

Week 1 take-home practice

1. Visit https://www.myseiubenefits.org/tools-for-calm/7yd3rdxz/, where you will find all your take-home practices. You can access this site from any device. You will also receive this link in your weekly class summary email.

2. Complete both of the Week 1 guided recordings: Mindfulness of Breathing (7 minutes) and Mindfulness of Sounds (7 minutes)

3. Pick a time each day that you can do your “Daily Practice.” This is a short period every day for you to train in mindfulness, helping you build the “muscle” so it’s available to you at all times! This week, practice mindfulness of sounds or breathing for just 2 minutes per day.



Notes

Did you try a Daily Practice? If so, when and where did you try it? What did you notice during the exercise? If you missed some days, what got in the way? Write anything you’re observing or feeling.


Week 2: Mindfulness of the Body and Working with Pain

Mindfulness of the body

In this week’s practice, we are connecting with our bodies. In reality, the body and the mind are part of the same system. But we spend much of our time in our thoughts—planning and worrying about the future or going over past events. We have an opportunity to see what’s happening right here in the current moment, in our physical experience.

Being mindful of the body is simple. You can do it right now: notice your hands. What do they feel like? See if you notice any sensations or feelings there. What do your hands feel like? If you spent a moment aware of your hands, that’s mindfulness of the body.

Working with physical pain & discomfort

In your everyday work, you may often provide care for those who are experiencing physical discomfort. You likely support these clients by offering your presence, encouragement and kindness. However, we often forget to bring these same qualities to our own aches and pains. Our common reaction with physical pain is to ignore it, distract ourselves from it, or look for a quick way to get rid of it. What if instead, we took a moment to just be with it in a kind, gentle way?

This week we will try staying present with our pain for just a moment, and even bring a sense of gentleness and encouragement to our own bodies that work so hard for us each day. We may find that when we have the strength to be open to it, it is not as painful or problematic as we thought. Really being with our discomfort can also help us see more beneficial ways to work with our pain beyond a quick fix or distraction.

Exercise: Body Scan

First, take a few deep breaths. With each breath out, imagine your entire body releasing tension. If you notice any specific areas of tightness, you can gently invite that area to soften. When you’re ready, bring your focus to the crown of your head. What does the crown of the head feel like? What do you notice there? You might be aware of the hair follicles, the scalp, the weight of the head. Or, if you don’t notice a specific sensation, you may just know that the head is there. That’s fine, too.

After a few moments, move your attention down to the forehead, eyebrows and eyes. What do you notice here? What happens when you pay attention to temperature, pressure, tightness, tingling, other sensations? There is no wrong answer here – what matters is whatever you notice.

Continue in this way moving through each part of your body, from top to bottom. Spend as long as you like with each part. As you continue this body scan, you may notice tension or pain in certain places. You don’t have to fix this or change it; just gently be aware of it, and let it be as it is. You may also notice that some parts are easier to be


aware of than others; this is normal too. All you have to do is bring a gentle, relaxed attention to the body, from the head all the way to the feet.

If the mind gets lost in thought, no problem – this is to be expected. When you notice your attention has wandered, simply return to where you were in the body scan, or start from the top again. You can also do this exercise lying down if you feel restless, or standing up if you’re sleepy.

Exercise: Mindful Walking

When we walk somewhere, we often spend our time focused on where we’re headed or where we just left; but what if we showed up for the walk itself? Set aside 10 minutes to go for a walk in your neighborhood, or in between locations during the day. Head out with no particular destination. Let your pace be easy and slow, and see if you can really be on the walk: notice your feet, the sensations of your legs moving, the feeling of muscle and bone working together to move the body. Stay with these sensations for the entire walk. You may find the mind wanders – this is normal. When you notice you’re distracted, simply gently bring yourself back to the sense of your legs moving.

Week 2 Take-Home Practice

1. Visit your course materials page: https://www.myseiubenefits.org/tools-for-calm/7yd3rdxz/.

2. Complete the Body Scan recording (15 minutes).

3. If you are comfortable walking, complete the Mindful Walking recording (10 minutes). If walking is challenging, you can move your arms in a gentle walking pattern, or try the Feet Seat Breathe recording (6 minutes).

4. Increase your Daily Practice to 5 minutes per day. See if you can commit to doing this every day of the week!




Notes

How has your body been feeling this week? What did you notice, either comfortable or uncomfortable? What is it like to bring a kind awareness to your own body?


Week 3: Mindfulness of Thoughts and Emotions

The myth of no thoughts

Some people think mindfulness is about “clearing your brain” of all thoughts. This is not true. As humans, we can’t stop the mind from thinking. Thoughts are a normal activity of the brain and they’re happening all the time. Thinking in itself is not a problem – the difficulty arises when we start believing all our thoughts are true or should be followed. For example, can you think of a time when you had a negative thought, and the thought alone put you in a bad mood the rest of your day?

This is where awareness can help. In a mindfulness exercise, we train ourselves to stay present. When a thought arises, we see it, acknowledge it, and then come back to the breath, or to the sounds happening in the present. We do this over and over. This can be challenging, especially when a thought seems very important, or it feels like there’s something we need to “figure out” through thinking. However, by coming back to the present, over and over again, we become more attuned to our thoughts. We begin to see that our thoughts are just that – thoughts. We don’t have to let them run the show.

Simply recognize and allow

Another thing that can overwhelm us is a strong emotion or mood. Similar to thoughts, we are not always in control of when a positive or negative emotion or mood shows up (if we were in control, wouldn’t we just get rid of all the negative ones?). Sometimes the conditions in our lives present us with something we’d rather not feel.

Again, we use the same mindfulness practice – turning to our experience with curiosity and kindness – to work with these states of mind. When a strong feeling arises in our minds or bodies, rather than ignore it or try to push it away, we can do our best to turn toward it. We can let that emotion in and feel it. Strangely, when we stop fighting a feeling and just let it be there, it loses much of its power over us. We often find that the emotion or mood passes more quickly too.

Exercise: Breathing with Noting

Find a comfortable place to begin this mindfulness exercise. Begin with your Daily Practice – connecting either to the sensations of breathing or to the sounds passing by. Spend the first few minutes just paying attention to that one area of focus.

Eventually you may notice that your mind has wandered to something new. When this happens, instead of going straight back to the breathing or sounds, see if you can recognize whatever is there. It might be a thought about what you have to do that day; a pain in your lower back; a restless, jumpy feeling; or a worry about a loved one. When you realize your attention has moved to this new thing, recognize it by using a simple “note.” Here are some examples: thinking, planning, worrying, restlessness, excitement, body pain, sadness, sleepiness. Come up with a simple word that helps you acknowledge whatever is there, without getting lost in it.


When that particular thing (the thought, or the sensation in the body) goes away or stops being as obvious, return to your breathing or sounds. Breathing and sounds work like an anchor of a ship – they help you always have something to come back to.

Exercise: R-A-I-N

You can try the RAIN exercise as part of a formal mindfulness exercise. Or, in a moment you’re feeling overwhelmed or frustrated, and you have a few moments to yourself, walk through the following steps:

R: Recognize what you’re feeling. If helpful, you might note it with a word (oh, anger).

A: Allow it to be there. You might say silently to yourself, “It’s ok to feel this”.

I: Investigate what’s happening. Where is the feeling in the body or mind; what sensations are associated with it? See what you can learn about this particular emotion.

N: Remember it’s just human Nature – it’s not personal. It’s a natural occurrence based on circumstances. It’s not your fault, nor do you need to do anything but just let it be.

You can stop after Recognize and Allow. You may find that after these two steps, the difficult emotion you were feeling shifts and changes, or loses some of its power.



2. Complete the Breathing with Noting recording (12 minutes).

3. Complete the RAIN recording (6 minutes).

4. Increase your Daily Practice to 10 minutes per day. Try to do one thing every day; you can always use a recording for your daily exercise.

Notes

What thoughts came up this week? What emotions that arose, particularly while working with clients? Did you try RAIN? What was challenging?




Week 4: Basic Kindness

The inner critic

Psychologists have found that many of us have a tendency to love ourselves conditionally – that is, to only feel good or worthy when we succeed or get something right. Have you ever spilled some juice or milk on the floor and heard yourself say, “Well that was stupid”? That’s the inner critic. Some of us don’t even notice these internal comments are happening. Others might hear them, but feel they’re useful – that they keep us in line and prevent bad things from happening. Unfortunately, psychology studies have found that self-critical thoughts are correlated to many negative outcomes, including eating disorders, anxiety, and depression. What we think is helpful might actually be doing more harm than good.1

Turning toward the good

Instead of orienting toward a harsh view of ourselves and others, we have another option. We each also have in us the capacity to care for ourselves and others, and to see our own good qualities. With mindfulness practice, we intentionally cultivate a kind-hearted attitude as an antidote to fear and self-judgment.

If we’re present in a kind, generous way, this train our minds to be kind and generous. Over time, we begin to see that we’re ok just as we are – even if we did spill the orange juice.

Exercise: Kindness Practice

Find a quiet place to sit, take a few breaths to settle your body, and do your best to put aside obligations for the next few minutes. Then, bring to mind a “benefactor” – someone who is easy to love, who makes you smile to think about. This could be a grandparent, a mentor or teacher, a child, or even an animal pet. Pick 2-3 short phrases of kindness that you’d like to send to that person. Below are some suggestions; you can also pick your own:

May you be happy

May you be healthy

May you be at ease

May you feel loved

1 Laura Starecheski, “Why Saying Is Believing — The Science Of Self-Talk,” NPR, Oct 7 2014, http://www.npr.org/sections/health-shots/2014/10/07/353292408/why-saying-is-believing-the-science-of-self-talk Michael O. Schroeder, “Self-Criticism Can Be Psychologically Devastating – How to Overcome It,” U.S. News & World Report, Mar 17 2016, http://health.usnews.com/wellness/articles/2016-03-17/self-criticism-can-be-psychologically-devastating-how-to-overcome-it

May you be safe

May you be strong

May you be peaceful

May you be well

http://www.npr.org/sections/health-shots/2014/10/07/353292408/why-saying-is-believing-the-science-of-self-talk

http://health.usnews.com/wellness/articles/2016-03-17/self-criticism-can-be-psychologically-devastating-how-to-overcome-it

http://health.usnews.com/wellness/articles/2016-03-17/self-criticism-can-be-psychologically-devastating-how-to-overcome-it

Tools for Calm – Mindfulness for Caregivers, v1.1 SEIU 775 Benefits Group 1

Silently send these wishes of well-being to your benefactor. You might bring to mind an image of them looking happy or relaxed. Repeat these phrases for a few minutes.

When you’re ready, turn your attention to yourself, and send those same 2-3 phrases to yourself: May I be happy, May I be healthy, etc. You might bring to mind an image of yourself in a place you love. Or, you might picture yourself as a young child, and send the phrases to yourself as a child. You don’t have to picture anything; find what works for you. Send yourself these kind phrases for a few more minutes.

Third, turn your attention to a neutral person – someone who you regularly see (at the grocery store, coffee shop or elsewhere), but don’t really know. Send them your wishes for happiness and safety too.

Last, if you’d like you can send these same phrases to all beings, everywhere: May all beings be happy; may all beings be free from suffering.



2. Complete the Basic Kindness recording two times this week (15 minutes).

3. Complete at least one other recording you liked from prior weeks.

4. Continue your Daily Practice on the remaining days. If you haven’t increased to 10 minutes per day, stretch yourself this week!

Notes

What happened when you tried the kindness practice? What was helpful, what was challenging? Write whatever comes to mind.




Week 5: Mindfulness and Caregiving Relationships

Being present for others

With mindfulness, we start by practicing being present, open, and kind – when nobody is around. Then we walk into the kitchen, or into our client’s house, and the real work begins! It can quickly feel like all the presence and calm we built vanishes in seconds, and we are lost in the cycle of reacting and automatic habits.

If this happens, don’t worry – this is normal! It’s very challenging to bring a new, positive habit to our relationships with others, but over time we will see it making a difference. We don’t have to do anything or say anything special for mindfulness to be working in the background. We simply practice the same thing: noticing what is happening – especially in our own minds and bodies – with openness, curiosity, and kindness.

Life’s difficult moments

Mindfulness can be especially helpful when the stress and chaos of caregiving, taking care of friends and family, and tending to obligations becomes overwhelming. Perhaps there is an unexpected illness; perhaps someone got angry; perhaps a bill comes in the mail that’s much bigger than expected. In these moments, we have tools we can use. Our mindfulness practices help us to stop; connect with how we are feeling; and open to our experience, just as it is right now. This simple act of kind awareness can bring great relief, and even help us gain clarity about the best path forward.

Exercise: Mindful Speaking & Listening

When your client, family member, or friend is talking, see what it would be like to just listen. This means staying connected to your own body and breathing, and listening in an open-hearted way – without an agenda. You may notice an urge to evaluate what they are saying, plan what you will say next, get them to agree, or show your approval. Do any feelings arise – relaxed; anxious; restless; excited? Allow all of these things to come and go; they are normal.

When you are speaking, try doing the same thing: stay connected to your body and breathing while you talk. In conversation we tend to lose touch with how we’re doing, so this can help you take care of yourself. You can even let yourself pause if you need it. Notice thoughts or self-judgment that comes up, and be gentle with that too.

Week 5 take-home practice

1. Try to practice mindful listening with the people in your life. See if you can stay connected to your body and breathing while listening. Notice thoughts, judgments, or feelings as they come up. See if you can notice whatever is happening in a gentle, kind way.

2. Increase your Daily Practice to 15 minutes per day. If you find it hard to do 15 minutes on your own, remember to use the recordings!


Notes

If you were able to pay closer attention during your conversations this week, what did you notice? What did you learn about yourself in interacting? Did mindfulness help you in any difficult moments? Write any reflections here.


Week 6: Taking it With You

How to keep practicing

Even when we see benefits of mindfulness practice, it can be very hard to integrate into our busy lives. Here are a few ideas for how to keep up your practice:

Pick an ongoing time every day or certain days of the week that you can do a mindfulness exercise, and put it on your calendar

Find an amount of time that works for you. If you set a lofty goal of 30 minutes a day but never have time to do it, it would be better to do just 5 minutes and be consistent!

Be kind to yourself, whether you make time to practice or not. As we learned in Week 4, it’s easier to be mindful if you’re not beating yourself up.

You don’t have to be sitting in silence to be mindful. You can practice kind awareness any time – when walking the dog, emptying the dishwasher, or driving to work.

Find a friend who also wants to try to be mindful, and pick a regular time to check in (via text, in person or on the phone) to see how it’s going and encourage one another

Have fun with it. Make it an experiment. You don’t have to get anywhere in particular. It will work on you in the background without you even knowing it!

Resources

Graduates of Tools for Calm – Mindfulness for Caregivers have access to the following resources:

1. You can access the course materials page any time: https://www.myseiubenefits.org/tools-for-calm/7yd3rdxz/

2. SEIU 775 Benefits Group offers a weekly 30-minute guided mindfulness session on Zoom for anyone who has taken the course. You can join any time it works for your schedule and you want a refresher. Check your email for more info on when this session is held and how to join!

You may also be interested in the following resources:

Find health benefits available through SEIU 775 Benefits Group

o Visit www.myseiubenefits.org

o Log in to My Benefits using your email address and password

o Find benefits of interest to you and read more to determine if you’re eligible

Access resources online and on your phone:

o Visit UCLA’s Mindful Awareness Research Center to find many free resources, including free classes, online guided exercises, and more: https://www.uclahealth.org/marc/

o Try a mindfulness mobile app to help you continue practicing:


http://www.myseiubenefits.org/

https://www.uclahealth.org/marc/


UCLA Mindful App (totally free!): https://www.uclahealth.org/marc/ucla-mindful-app

Calm App: https://www.calm.com

Stop Breathe Think: https://www.stopbreathethink.com/

Headspace: https://www.headspace.com

Books about mindfulness:

o Mindfulness on the Go Cards: 52 Simple Meditation Practices You Can Do Anywhere, by Jan Chozen Bays, MD

o Mindfulness for Beginners, by Jon Kabat-Zinn

o Meditation is Not What You Think: Mindfulness and Why It Is So Important, by Jon Kabat-Zinn

Notes

Was there anything in the class that you think might be helpful for you going forward? If so, write down how you will incorporate it into your life.

https://www.uclahealth.org/marc/ucla-mindful-app

https://www.uclahealth.org/marc/ucla-mindful-app

https://www.calm.com/

https://www.stopbreathethink.com/

https://www.headspace.com/

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