INTHISTOGETHEROHIO

Daily Dose- Let’s Go on a Hunt…for the Good Stuff

When things are changing and out of our control, it is easy to focus on the negative. But even when things are unpredictable and not going the way we planned like with the COVID-19 pandemic, there are still a lot of good things going on. Being resilient, or having the capacity or ability to recover from difficulties, is a life skill that we can work on all the time. One way to develop this skill is to challenge ourselves every day to “Hunt the Good Stuff.”

Hunting the good stuff is seeking out the positives in every situation. It might be difficult to find them sometimes, but they are there! Often our first reaction is to focus on all the negative things. That just means we have to look harder to find the good stuff. Hunting the good stuff is easy when life is going our way. But it’s just as important when we find ourselves in situations that where we don’t have control. We may not be able to change the situation, but we can change how we think of it.

Have you heard the saying “When life gives you lemons, make lemonade?” That’s hunt the good stuff!

Focusing on the positives and analyzing them helps you see the light in each situation. In turn, it helps build your resiliency and trains your mind to look for the positives even in stressful situations.

Hunting the good stuff requires us to stop and think about what’s going on. It’s another way to practice mindfulness, which we wrote about in an earlier post that you can find here.

Hunting the good stuff helps you to be more positive, leads to gratitude, and helps you mentally and physically. So even though life is a bit unpredictable right now, and we are facing change and disappointment, focus on the good! To help you with that, we created a Hunt the Good Stuff 4-H Bingo! Use this card to seek out the positives that are going on right now. If you haven’t done something yet, use it as a way to seek out positive activities to expend your energy or use it to help you come up with some other fun ideas!

Download PDF Version Here

Today’s Guest Post and BINGO game was brought to you by Christy Clary, Educator in 4-H Youth Developed located in Brown County, Ohio.

 

Daily Dose – The Loss of What Might Have Been

4-H clover emblem

Sometimes we experience a loss like no other, a loss that means that something near and dear to our life is put on hold, or may not happen the way it was supposed to. We certainly have a lot of that going on right now with the current Coronavirus pandemic. It’s changed the way we learn, work, live, laugh, and love one another. One loss after another stacks up until finally one day you realize, this is too much. This is too much burden to carry.

I’m telling you it’s okay to cry. It’s okay to grieve the loss of what you thought would happen or was supposed to be. You can be angry, be sad, or just be. Whatever you do, you must express and manage your emotions in a healthy way. We will all handle changes differently. When one person is expressing sadness, another may simply be quiet. We process all things, all trauma, differently.

Yes, I said trauma. Trauma is defined by Merriam-Webster as “…c: an emotional upset.” Mental health experts remind us that any situation that leaves us feeling overwhelmed and isolated can result in trauma. The changes, challenges, and things happening to us right now are causing trauma. It’s upsetting because there are so many unknowns and the changes keep coming. It’s okay to feel these emotions. With time, you will realize that you have what it takes to get through these feelings. It’s okay to reach out to others to help you get through tough times. You will learn that we humans are given the great power of choice and ability to do the best with what we have, when we have it.

For today’s 4-H journal entry I want you to identity a change of plans that has happened due to the Coronavirus pandemic. In this journal page you can explore feelings related to it, your ability to change it, and who you can talk to. Writing a letter to this pandemic to express what it has done to you is another way to share how you feel.

It’s upsetting because there are so many unknowns and the changes keep coming. It’s okay to feel these emotions. With time, you will realize that you have what it takes to get through these feelings. It’s okay to reach out to others to help you get through tough times. You will learn that we humans are given the great power of choice and ability to do the best with what we have, when we have it. We are 4-H’ers after all. There is much work to be done and you all are up for the challenge. The choice is within you and deciding what that challenge will be and how you can make an impact on the world given the change that has happened to you.

The Loss of What Might Have Been (PDF Download)

 

In great love,

 

 

IN A CRISIS?
Text HOME to 741741 to connect with a Crisis Counselor

 

 

Daily Dose – Mental Health

National Public Health Week and COVID-19

Public Health Week - Mental Health MondayMONDAY: MENTAL HEALTH — advocate for and promote emotional well-being

Dealing with COVID-19 is causing heightened levels of stress. In particular, isolation and quarantine can be highly stressful. Because it means separation from loved ones, especially those detained off-shore or in other countries. Many in the public health and health care sectors, as well as those working in affected industries, are shouldering a significant mental health burden.

Reach out and check on your loved ones and community members. Read and share such resources as the World Health Organization’s Mental Health Considerations During COVID-19 Outbreak and the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention’s tips on managing anxiety and stress.

 

Journal Entry of the Day

page with lines and numbers

Benefits of Staying Home Journal Page

Today’s 4-H Journal is focused around Mental Health and how we have changed our lives since the onset of Stay-at-Home orders, working from home, and dealing with COVID-19. Staying home is definitely a change, but today we are going to consider the benefits of staying home right now! What are five (5) benefits of staying home? What things have you enjoyed being home with your family? Have you tried any new activities?

Heather’s List of 5 Benefits of Staying Home

  1. Regular walks in the neighborhood!
  2. Spending more time with my dogs.
  3. Working on hobbies at night and learning new skills.
  4. Exploring ways to share information from home to 4-H’ers like you all!
  5. More time to sit, relax, and enjoy the sunshine.

To download the full PDF of this, click the following link: https://osu.box.com/s/wskthmlsezylub0scskc9zhc5yz917jw

In great love,