We released I Am Safe in December 2024. Now, just 19 months later, I Am Safe has been recognized as a finalist in the Health and Wellness category for Next Generation Indie Book Awards. Why does this matter?
Because this book extends the mind-body skills and framework that we have utilized for over a decade in crisis mental health settings into schools, faith-based organizations, and community centers to support public mental health. The practices included in I Am Safe are intentionally accessible. They require no special equipment, advanced training, or certification, making them available to people of all ages, backgrounds, and abilities.
There are two main categories of mind-body skills shared in I Am Safe – movement and mindfulness:
Moving your body can change how you feel. Everyone knows that physical exercise is important for overall health and well-being, but how easy is it to get out for a walk or go to the gym when you are really stressed? Working in locked crisis facilities, like inpatient mental health and juvenile services, we realized quickly that even people who know that moving your body can help during times of stress, don’t always have the ability to exercise. Learning that you can stretch in your chair, in your room, or even in your bed, and still get the physiological benefits of movement is a game changer.
I hear people almost everyday say, “Wow, I feel so much better after that little bit of movement.” The mind-body connection is that powerful. Being able to find the agency to feel better in the moment when you are struggling is important. Equally significant – by moving your body you not only release feel-good chemicals, like endorphins, you might distract yourself from thoughts that are causing you stress. Try incorporating some stretching into your day and pass this idea along – that’s what being a public mental health advocate looks like in practice.
Changing what you are thinking about can change how you feel. Most of us know what it feels like to have anxious, negative, or intrusive thoughts. What many of us don’t realize is that this hypervigilance is your brain and body trying to keep you safe from threat. The more stressed we are, the louder this protective response can become. Ever notice that when you are struggling, everything seems to affirm the negative? This is exhausting for both your brain and your body. Dr. Rick Hanson’s work, from his book Hardwiring Happiness, shows that taking 10-30 seconds to focus on the good just one to two times a day rewires your brain to find more good. That’s why JOY, from our Inner Resources Card Deck, one of the Inner Resources included in the I Am Safe book, invites us to pause and ask ourselves, “Who or what is bringing you joy?” Taking under 30 seconds just two times a day to answer this question will train your brain to find more good! Try this for yourself and share this practice with someone else when they are stuck in a negative loop.
Know someone who could use these skills — a community group, a school, a faith organization, a workplace? Connect them with us. As a thank you for helping us extend these tools into the community, we’ll send you a free copy of I Am Safe.
Hi,
I took your training a few years ago. I work in support at UI REACH, a transition program for young adults with intellectual disabilities housed in the University of Iowa College of Education. We provide person centered opportunities to advance independent living skills through careers, student life, academics, and social emotional learning. I offer SEL training 1:1, in small groups, and through a course for year one students. I would love to read this book. Thanks sooooo much. So glad I keep getting your emails. Just the emails themselves remind me to take a breath and re-center in the moment.
Gratefully,
Kate