Cultivate resiliency and build a buffer with mind-body practices.
Bullying and cyberbullying are forms of youth violence that negatively impact students’ physical, emotional, and mental health. According to the CDC, there are three key factors that define bullying: unwanted aggressive behavior, observed or perceived power imbalance, and/or repetition or high likelihood of repetition of bullying behaviors.
Research cited by stopbullying.gov reports around 20% of youth 12-18 years old experienced bullying nationwide, with about 15% reporting being bullied online or by text.
Providing education about what to do if a student experiences or witnesses bullying addresses school safety for all students. Adding mind-body practices to help students embody confidence and kindness can build self-regulation and resiliency skills, providing yet another protective factor.
Pairing positive phrases, like “I am brave,” with a powerful move like Mountain allows students to practice embodying courage. This is why affirming language is included on all movemindfully visuals. Moves like Seated Eagle can create feelings of safety by crossing arms and hugging in. Adding a positive phrase, like “I am safe,” to Seated Eagle can increase the physiological impact of this move. Moves like Mountain and Seated Eagle can be done in the classroom or lunchroom without anyone noticing what you are doing, making it a portable coping skill to be used anywhere.
Invite students to create their own affirmations to find strength when life is challenging. Having key phrases to practice when feeling scared or alone reminds students they have agency and can speak up for themselves and/or ask for help when needed.
Build a community of kindness by having students pick moves and affirming language to use when they need them. Use colorful post-its or make the affirmations part of an art project. Try incorporating mind-body strategies next time your classroom discusses and/or experiences bullying.
Send the mind-body strategies your students find most helpful for building confidence with us at info@move-mindfully.com and we will share them with the movemindfully community!