Mindfulness

Adapting to Life Transitions

There’s a Bend in the Road: Adapting to Life Transitions was offered in March 2023 through The Stay Calm and Well Webinar Series brought to you by the Office of the Chief Wellness Officer in partnership with Ohio State Extension. This is the second year of Hopes, Dreams and Connection in Spring 2023. We will talk about:

  • Be in the moment
  • Practice self-care and self-compassion
  • Connect with others
  • Be kind to your future self
  • Use your resources

This virtual program used updated materials from a previous lesson titled Taming Transitions. All of the references can be found here as well as links mentioned in the session.  Links from March 2023 session:

 

More details including a recording of the session can be found at: Recorded Webinars | A Year of Hope, Dreams and Connection Part II (osu.edu)

 

From 2021: Thank you for attending the virtual Taming Transitions lunch and learn. Resources and links listed below. If you enjoyed this lunch and learn, you might be interested in:

Taming Transitions Lesson Description: On March 25th, 2020, Dave Hollis suggested, “in the rush to return to normal, use this time to consider which parts of normal are worth rushing back to”. Now, a year later, as COVID-19 vaccinations are slowly becoming available, it is  still a valid question and it might be hard to define “normal”. Ohio State University Extension invites you to take some time to consider your goals, reduce stress and make plans for a successful transition into your idea of “normal”.

Presented March 25, 2021, by: Patrice Powers-Barker from lucas.osu.edu and Emily Marrison from coschocton.osu.edu

Handouts:

Links:

References:

Coyne L., Gould E., Grimaldi M., Wilson K., Baffuto G., and Biglan A. (2020). First Things First: Parent Psychological Flexibility and Self-Compassion During COVID-19. https://link.springer.com/article/10.1007/s40617-020-00435-w

Kumar, A., Killingsworth, M., and Gilovich, T. (2014, August 21). Waiting for merlot: Anticipatory consumption of experiential and material purchases. Psychological Science. https://doi.org/10.1177%2F0956797614546556

Lieberman, M., Eisenberger, N., Crockett, M., Tom, S., Pfeifer, S., and Way, B. (2007). Putting feelings into words: Affect labeling disrupts amygdala activity in response to affective stimuli. Psychological Science. https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/17576282/

Neff, K., Rude, S., & Kirkpatrick, K. (2007). An examination of self-compassion in relation to positive psychological functioning and personality traits. Journal of Research in Personality. Volume 41: 908-916.

Neupert, S. (2020). Knowledge is power: learning more about COVID-19 can reduce your pandemic stress. North Carolina State University. https://news.ncsu.edu/2020/08/knowledge-reduces-covid-stress/

Neupert, S. (2020) Quiz: Pandemic stressbusters. Accolades Magazine. North Carolina State University. https://web.ncsu.edu/accolades-magazine/2020/10/15/quiz-pandemic-stress-busters/

Pearman, A.,  Hughes, M.,  Smith, E.,  Neupert, S. (2021). Age differences in risk and resilience factors in COVID-19 related stress. The Journals of Gerontology: Series B, Volume 76, Issue 2, February 2021, Pages e38–e44.

Polk, M.G., Smith, E.L., Zhang, L.-R., & Neupert, S.D. (2020). Thinking ahead and staying in the present: Implications for reactivity to daily stressors. Personality and Individual Differences.

Praharso, N., Tear, M/, Cruwys, T. (2017). Stressful life transitions and wellbeing: A comparison of the stress buffering hypothesis and the social identity model of identity change. Psychiatry Research. Volume 247: 265-275

Mindful Mindset – mini-lessons for students

This page shares links to the topics we’ve talked about during online mini-lessons, while school (and work) was still virtual in winter 2021 and then in person later 2021 and now through the current school year.

Breathe

JustBreathe is a small, simple graphic to help you sync your breathing. Watch and follow with your inhales and exhales.

Mindful Breathing: Roberto P. Benzo, Mayo Clinic including various breathing audio files including a short “3-minute mindful breathing for the daily journey”

Learning to Keep Calm Handout (includes 4-7-8 Breathing)

Mindfulness Practices 

Ohio State University, Wexner Medical Center Mindfulness – free practices 

Three Senses Mindfulness Activity for Kids, Teens and Adults

Lesson for Athletes, their coaches and supporters

Apps 

What Mindfulness App Should I Try? 

Short list of Meditation Apps

blue wall with quote by Jon Kabat-Zinn

 

Set Intention for the day

From Headspace – Set an Intention with this mini-meditation series, guided by Andy Puddicombe. Let’s set a clear, actionable intention for this week. Less than 4 minutes.

Body Scan

Guided Meditations, UCLA Mindful Awareness Research Center

Additional Links

 

OSU Extension Mindfulness In-Service 2020

For more information about the OSU Extension Family and Consumer Sciences Mindful Wellness Program please visit the website. 

Agenda, Handouts and Links, August 20, 2020

As part of the 2020 Family and Consumer Sciences Professional Development Monthly In-services that have moved to a virtual platform, we are pleased to invite all OSU Extension staff to join our August Mindfulness In-Service. This In-Service will focus on the 2019 Mindful Wellness Curriculum, general resources, an on-your-own mindfulness activity, and experiences related to the broad topic of mindfulness. Mindfulness is applicable to OSU staff across all Extension program areas. Participants decided if they wanted to attend one, two, three, or all four of the August 20th sessions.

Description of Session 1: Introduction to Mindfulness, using the OSU Extension Mindful Wellness Curriculum 9:00AM-10:30AM

The Mindful Wellness curriculum (2019) is designed to equip healthy adults with practice and skills to strengthen the mind and body connection and promote holistic health and wellness across the lifespan. Participants in this session will participate in the one-hour Introduction to Mindfulness class and will learn more about the Mindful Wellness curriculum. For those who have previously attended a Mindful Wellness Curriculum training, the presentation will look familiar to what has been shared in the past but you are welcome to attend. We have found that we always learn something new about mindfulness even if it is an introduction lesson. Presenters: Melinda Hill, Marie Economos, Pat Holmes and Chris Kendle.

Description of Session 2: Mindfulness as a Tool During COVID-19, 11:00AM-12:00PM

Even before the arrival of COVID-19, stress had already been identified as a major health problem for Americans. Not only do we need to care for health and wellness when there is illness, but we also need to practice preventive care to stay well physically, mentally, and emotionally. Although we could never cover all of the resources related to mindfulness, this session will highlight some easily accessible, online, educational resources. They will be shared as timely tools for personal and professional use during this time of uncertainty. Presenters: Patrice Powers-Barker, Shari Gallup and Laura Stanton.

Description of Session 3: Mindful Afternoon Special – Your Choice

Do you remember “specials” in school like classes for art, physical education and music? We invite you to plan a mindfulness special today.  We know the days are busy, you need to fit things in and multitasking seems like the only option. We also know the benefits of practicing mindfulness. We invite you to use this time for personal mindfulness practice. We will share a list of ideas prior to the day, have an open zoom call (with music but no discussion or lesson) and then collect a list (via chat) of what our colleagues chose to do to practice mindfulness.

Description of Session 4: Mindfulness Panel, 2:00PM-3:30PM

In Mindful Foundations (one of the individual lessons within the Mindful Wellness curriculum series) instructors are encouraged to, “Open the class with a short example from your own mindfulness journey. This is so powerful for the class to understand the how and why of your passion for topic.” Join this session to learn from FCS colleagues who have found a mindfulness practice that works best for them. Practicing mindfulness offers not only personal benefits but can also increase professional excellence.

  • Some of our colleagues have previously shared about their mindfulness journeys via blog posts on Live Smart Ohio  (mind and body category)
  • Thank you Pat Bebo for moderating the panel. Panelists: Kathy Tutt, Shannon Carter, Patrice Powers-Barker with assistance by Laura Stanton.

Questions? The following professionals are on the 2020 Mindful Wellness Team and help with the planning and presentation of this in-service (all emails coming soon!)

Stacey Baker baker.782@osu.edu

Shannon Carter Carter.314@osu.edu

Marie Economos economos.2@osu.edu

Shari Gallup gallup.1@osu.edu

Whitney Gherman gherman.12@osu.edu

Misty Harmon harmon.416@osu.edu

Melinda Hill hill.14@osu.edu

Pat Holmes holmes.86@osu.edu

Chris Kendle kendle.4@osu.edu

Patrice Powers-Barker powers-barker.1@osu.edu

Roseanne Scammahorn scammahorn.5@osu.edu

Laura Stanton stanton.60@osu.edu

Michelle Treber treber.1@osu.edu

Kathy Tutt tutt.19@osu.edu

Using the Mindful Attention Awareness Scale to Evaluate an Extension Program

The Mindful Wellness team is pleased to present a poster, Ignite and discussion table at the National Extension Association of Family & Consumer Sciences (NEAFCS) 2019 Annual Session in Hershey, PA.

Description: This presentation will share the results of using the Mindful Attention Awareness Scale with adult participants of Mindful Wellness, a program designed and taught by Extension Educators.

poster presentation on MAAS

Poster presentation

Handout for discussion table

The last five minutes of the Ignite presentation included a short mindfulness practice adapted from Chris Bergstrom’s Three Senses, Mindfulness Activity for Kids, Teens and Grown-ups.

Resources:

Mindfulness Resources for Extension Professionals

Link to Wiser on Wednesdays 08/25/21 resources

Dear Extension Colleagues,

Thank you for your interest in mindfulness practice and the OSUE curriculum, Mindful Wellness (details below). This page is designed to help you find the resources you need to compliment your work and practice.

Check here for a copy of the Mindfulness Ideas and Activities handout. 

The state Mindful Wellness information is here: https://fcs.osu.edu/programs/major-program-areas/healthy-relationships/mindful-wellness

Summer 2021 – Wiser on Wednesdays, August 25, 2021, resources listed here.

Winter 2020 – If you attended the mindfulness session at the 2020 Annual Extension Conference on Tuesday, December 8th and would like details about the thirty-minute session, please visit here.

Summer 2020 – We offered an online, one-day mindfulness in-service to our colleagues at OSU Extension on Thursday, August 20, 2020. For a copy of the agenda, handouts, links and resources, please visit this page.

(from 2019 – about the new curriculum)

Dear Extension Colleagues,

We are so excited to share that Mindful Wellness, an OSU Extension curriculum is now available for sale at OSU Extension Publications.

photo of flower on cover of Mindfull Wellness curriculumOSU Extension, Family and Consumer Sciences promotes mindfulness education as part of the Healthy Relationships team. OSU Extension staff who will use the curriculum across the state can attend an annual state-wide training or coordinate a regional training with colleagues. For more information about Mindful Wellness opportunities in Ohio and links to contacts, please visit https://fcs.osu.edu/programs/major-program-areas/healthy-relationships/mindful-wellness.

Participant AGENDA 2019 for one-day training offered to OSU Extension staff by the Mindful Wellness team.

As a suggestion to our colleagues, we like to share some online, free resources from OSU, other state Extension programs and wellness sites from other universities. This is certainly not an exhaustive list but it includes some online sources that might be of interest to Ohioans in order to learn more about mindfulness:

Thank you for your interest! We are always interested in learning from our colleagues about what works best for you. What are your favorite mindfulness habits and practices?

OHCFR Members – You are Invited to a Calm Holiday Season

pinecones and snow with title calm down for the holidays

Dear OHCFR members,

Every year, Ohio State University Extension’s, Live Healthy Live Well team offer 2 online email challenges focused on health and wellness. The challenges are most often promoted and coordinated through the local county extension office but the OHCFR board discussed the topic and wondered if it might not be of interest to OHCFR members?  This year, the winter challenge focuses on stress and wellness. Two of OHCFR’s board members, Katie and Patrice are Family and Consumer Sciences Extension Educators and we have found a way to offer this free, online challenge statewide to OHCFR members. Also, OSU Extension targets this for those who live in Ohio but since it is an online challenge, it is open to any adult who is interested. So, if there are NCFR members reading this who are not in Ohio, feel free to sign up if you’re interested!

There are more details below including the sign-up. If you have any questions, please email Patrice Powers-Barker at powers-barker.1@osu.edu

Count CALM Down for the Holidays Challenge

For many, the holiday season is a busy, stressful time of the year, and it’s not uncommon for our health goals to take a backseat to the celebrations and obligations of the season. Do you want some tips and ideas to relax and enjoy the holidays in a healthful way this year? Join the Count CALM Down for the Holidays email wellness challenge for healthy living tips and encouragement to help you make you most of this holiday season.

When? November 19, 2018 – January 2, 2019

What does it cost?  Nothing – Participation is Free! 

Who can participate?  Any adult with an email account

Includes?  E-mail challenge messages sent 2 times per week, a health tracking log to help you make changes, and lots of encouraging tips!

Sign up for the OHCFR CALM Down for the Holidays challenge at: http://go.osu.edu/calmocfr18

picture of flyer with same information

 

Mindful Wellness Presentation Materials

The Ohio State University Extension is pleased to present Using the Mindful Attention Awareness Scale to Evaluate an Extension Program as a poster at the Showcase of Excellence and an Ignite/Subject Matter Networking presentation at the 2019 NEAFCS Annual Session in Hershey, Pennsylvania. This presentation will share the results of using the Mindful Attention Awareness Scale with adult participants of Mindful Wellness, a program designed and taught by Extension Educators. 

Coming Soon:  Handout

For more information and contacts, please visit OSU Extension Family and Consumer Sciences on Mindful Wellness

 

Previous Presentations:

  • Mindful Wellness at the 15th Annual National Land-Grant Diversity Conference on Thursday February 7th, 2019.  This session will look at mindfulness research, practice a mindful exercise and be inspired to consider how mindfulness fits into your work in the community. Mindfulness practices help strengthen capacity for non-judgement and compassion for self and others. Mindfulness exercises are accessible and adaptable for a wide variety of audiences. Handout: Participant Handout Diversity Conference 2019
  • Mindful Wellness at the 2018 NEAFCS Annual Session Thursday September 27, 2018.   This session will introduce Extension educators to the Mindful Wellness curriculum designed to strengthen the mind-body connection and promote holistic health and wellness across the lifespan.  Handout:  MW handout NEAFCS 2018
  • Programs offered to OSU Extension, FCS staff 2017

Introducing Mindful Wellness to OSU Extension FCS

Ignite Mindful Wellness 2018

Thursday October 26, 2017, Mindful Wellness Breakout Session #1

blue wall with quote by Jon Kabat-Zinn

 

Presenters: Patrice Powers-Barker, Shannon Carter, Marie Economos, Kathryn Green, Melinda Hill, Pat Holmes, Christine Kendle, Terri Worthington, FCS Educators

Short History

In 2013, OSU Extension FCS Educators had a very unique opportunity to participate in a new partnership on the topic of mindfulness.  FCS Extension Educators participated in an eight week mindfulness training and additional team meetings.  Eventually, a four week session of lessons was created to teach in the community.  One unfortunate challenge of this 2013 program was the lack of opportunity to train more OSU Extension staff to teach it.

The six presenters were trained on the 2013 mindfulness program and have continued to teach about mindfulness in their counties as well as personally practice it. We are excited to share that OSU Extension has a new mindfulness curriculum in peer review that has been designed by – and for – Extension staff!

PowerPoint 10/26/17  Mindful Wellness Intro FCS 17 

 

Handout Mindful Wellness ,FCS Conference

 

Interested in attending the March 6, 2018 training for Mindful Wellness? Sign up here to receive additional information.

Save the Date March 6, 2018

 

Reference List for Mindful Wellness 2017 FCS Conference

Brown, K. W., & Ryan, R. M. (2003). The benefits of being present: Mindfulness and its role in psychological well-being. Journal of Personality and Social Psychology, 4, 822-848.

HHS Strategic Plan: Strategic Plan FY 2014 – 2018 (2014, March 10). Department of Health and Human Services. Retrieved from https://www.hhs.gov/about/strategic-plan/strategic-goal-3/index.html#obj_d

Levy, D., Wobbrock, J., Kaszniak, A., & Ostergren, M. (2012). The effects of mindfulness meditation training on multitasking in a high-stress information environment. Graphics Interface Conference

Mazurek Melnyk, B. (2017). Make time for mental workouts: Activities that stimulate our brains are important as we move through life. Ohio State Alumni Magazine.  Retrieved from: https://www.osu.edu/alumni/news/ohio-state-alumni-magazine/issues/may-june-2017/make-time-for-mental-workouts.html?mkt_tok=eyJpIjoiTVRZM1ltTTJNVFZpTkROaCIsInQiOiI4bkZXN2JERmxvb1V0Yjl5dVFKUDI4M1RndWk1ZWtvczUwWnJhTGxxN2hSbUo0NkNpdk9ieGtOcHlZU1duUGFTM1dLZFZlK0d1aUtaUngrSjVhZndROW52VEsyV0N6XC9Pc1YzNG1udWRVcHJrNlJ5U0lldUlOQ0kzbk00K0VJbXIifQ%3D%3D&utm_campaign=UNIV%20Connect%20July%202017%20Non-Openers&utm_medium=email&utm_source=EOACLK

Mindfulness: Learning to live in the moment. (2013 October). Special Report, Supplement to Mayo Clinic Health Letter. Retrieved from http://healthletter.mayoclinic.com/health/pdf/283/201310.PDF

Wang, Z., & Tchernev, J.M., (2012). The ‘myth’ of media multitasking: Reciprocal dynamics of media multitasking, personal needs, and gratifications. Journal of Communication, 62 (3), 493-513. doi: 10.1111/j.1460-2466.2012.01641.x