Compassion Just A Breath Away

Today I'm delighted to again be linking up with a passionate group of bloggers, one-thousand strong, to help educate and equip as we move from cruelty to compassion, for one another and for ourselves. {#1000speak}

Click graphic to read all of these amazing posts!

My first job after I left secondary education was counseling fifth and sixth graders at Jamison Middle School. I was replacing Marsha, a well-respected counselor who was retiring after many years with that school family. She helped me make that transition in so very many ways, but the most powerful thing she said is this:

Hurt kids hurt kids.

Her wisdom made me wonder ~ If we could teach children how to process those hurts in a healthier, more helpful way, could we, then, keep bullying behaviors at bay? It would take intentional work, diligent hard work front-loading, but wouldn't the pay off exceed the cost? Convinced that it would, that November I found myself at a Character Counts! Character Development Seminar to find out how. How do we teach values like fairness, caring, trustworthiness and respect to all students, even those who come to us broken and hurting? And as I continue to research and refine what I do to help build character in the children whom I'm blessed to counsel, I seek out experts and glean nuggets from their work:

Dr. Michele Borba: The Essential 6 Rs of Bullying Prevention 

Free Spirit Press: A Leader's Guide to Good-bye Bully Machine 

Author Trudy Ludwig's Bullying Basics 

8 Ways You May Be Encouraging Your Child To Be A Bully

Huffington Post: On Bullying

Ambassadors 4 Kids Club Resources

There's a plethora of posts out there that tell us what not to do, but to me the more helpful resources are the ones that tell us what to do. How can we be proactive instead of being forced to be reactive? How can we prevent so that we don't need intervention? How can we live what Frederick Douglass so eloquently expressed: It is easier to build strong children than to repair broken men. 
{And women.} Amen!

Then, as I was reflecting on the awesome calling that character coaching is, this clip about mindfulness and self-care crosses my path. Coincidence? I think not. We can't care for hurting children when we, ourselves, are hurting. 
Put your own oxygen mask on first. 
Sound familiar? Counterintuitive, I know, but oh, so important
and such a beautiful metaphor for life. 

Click graphic for source {and inspiration}!

So get yourself some herbal tea or a bottle of water, put your feet into a basin of hot water with some scented epson salts, carve out 15 minutes of quiet time, and prepare to enjoy what Dr. Romie has to say about the power of mindfulness 
to build self-compassion.

How would teaching this to our littles

empower them to spread compassion when they're big?