The SHIFT Blog

      REGISTER HERE!   Hello Humans of HDSB!   We all know how important it is to tend to our mental wellness, but WHO HAS THE TIME?!?!?   Well, we're making the time: Thursday March 18th at 7pm Join us for our FREE PopUp Event !   We’ve been through quite a ride this past year and there has never been a more important time to invest in our wellbeing     Just like they tell you to do when you're on a plane, in order to be of any help to others, we need to secure our own oxygen masks first!   Our facilitator for this event is Roni Habib, founder of EQSchools in Santa Cruz, California.    Using Positive Psychology and Applied Mindfulness tools we’ll explore how to have more energy and more fun , how to self regulate in the face of adversity, and we will reconnect with our power and resilience.   PLUS - You'll have a chance to WIN a FREE Inner Balance Sensor from HeartMath! Listen to Roni Habib and Michelle McCann on ...

  It is well established at this point in 2020 that these are complicated, trying times.  The days blur together, work/life balance is totally out of whack, we worry about our health and the health of our loved ones, our families and friends are reeling from the economic implications from a shut down economy, not to mention the incredible challenges in engaging our students in learning, it takes determination, resiliency...and LAUGHTER to get us through.  Laughter and fun are antidotes that build our resiliency.  How might we find opportunities for fun, laughter and play in these times?   As Bryan Robinson, PhD notes in his article , ‘Too many of us take daily challenges with grim, crippling seriousness and humourless determination, thinking our lives have to be all work and no play, which can straitjacket us. If you’re like many people, you believe you must toil and sweat before earning the right to have fun. You might even feel guilty laughing and smiling...

  “Put On Your Own Oxygen Mask First.” You have probably heard that line before. The idea is simple: you are better able to help other people if you take the time to make sure you stay alive first! As we have all experienced a dramatic impact on our daily lives, this serves as an important time to reflect on this lesson. If you are interested in helping out other people, it is crucial that you are well enough yourself to do so. This week we are reflecting on the importance of building resilience at this time - with a keen interest of making sure we focus on our own well-being first and foremost. Many of us are facing daily challenges of our own while also wanting to help our families, communities, and students. There has never been a greater time to put the importance of well-being into perspective in its role in education.  There is a good listen just released this week on the NPR radio show “How I Built This” featuring a conversation with Christina Tosi - owner of Milk Bar ....

  Whew - shaking the dust off that hibernation and guzzling all the coffee. Let's do this! A whole lot seems to have changed since we last spoke. What on Earth happened?  More than anything, this feels like a time for Shifters to reconnect; that time is NOW! As we reach the end of April 2020, in this unprecedented time, one of the things that has become very clear to many of us during this pandemic is the importance of relationships. Have you found yourself talking on the phone more than texting? FaceTime chats with friends? Zoom Birthday parties? Video watch parties with a beverage in hand? Have you realized that you actually do want to hang out with your neighbour, but now you can't? As we have limited the ability to socialize in person, we have begun to recognize what we took for granted. And likewise are starting to make time for more conversations with people we don't want to take for granted.  Being away from our classrooms and schools, we are feeling this disconne...