ASU's Center for Mindfulness, Compassion and Resilience

Who says Fridays can't be productive?? Five-ish months ago, we began the proposal, design, assessment and content creation for ASU's Center for Mindfulness, Compassion and Resilience's first credit-bearing course. We just submitted final content edits this morning. HCR 294: Foundations of Mindfulness and Resilience: Science and Practice launches March 11 for ASU Spring Session B -- here we go! https://lnkd.in/eqsRDHJJ #mindfulness #resilience

One of the most important relationships we can nurture in life is our relationship with ourself. We're excited to share tips and strategies for mindful self-compassion with the ASU community this afternoon! https://lnkd.in/epyPJWS8 

5-for-5 Connection Challenge, Day 4. "The Surgeon General's 5-for-5 connection challenge includes #MadeToConnect cards that provide ideas on the many different ways to connect and build relationships. Sharing presence is listed as a strategy, and mindful communication plays a big role in being present with someone. The way that I practiced sharing presence for this challenge was putting away my phone, closing my browsers, and really paying attention to the person I was meeting with today. This enhanced the level of comradery and mutual connection within the interaction." -Nika, Center's ED https://lnkd.in/eKNfyMbs

5-for-5 Connection Challenge, Day 3. "Today I worked the Arizona State University - Edson College of Nursing and Health Innovation convocation ceremony. As a Greeter, I helped direct people to the ceremony and answer any questions they had. While this was a small part to play in a much larger event, it allowed me to connect to more people than I usually do in any given day. Even though these were tiny moments of connection, it felt celebratory to be a part of all these #newgrads big day. Micro-connections can have expansive effects on #mood and #stateofmind. After all, we humans were #madetoconnect." - Nika, Center's ED What micro-connections have you engaged in this week?

5-for-5 Connection Challenge, Day 2 "When the Surgeon General visited ASU on his #MadeToConnect tour, he had all of us take out our phones and text someone a note of gratitude. I texted an old college friend who was going through a hard time to let her know I was thinking about her and that I was happy to be friends with her for such a long time. She wrote back several days later to say that my note had made her cry. She had not been asked how she is doing by anyone in so long that it was surprise to her that anyone still cared. If you have anyone in your life that needs some warmth, reach out. You'll be glad you did." - Nika, Center's ED https://lnkd.in/gt6quivv

5-for-5 Connection Challenge, Day 1. 'I'm grateful for the ability to share food with friends. There's something deeply comforting and comfortable in the act of enjoying a meal with others, especially when it is at a leisurely pace and a pleasant environment. Food has always been a way to connect, to engage your senses, and to have dedicated time to share space together. Also grateful for ASU's annual holiday cookie party!" - Nika, Center's Executive Director #madetoconnect #gratitute

5-for-5 Connection Challenge, Day #5. "To me, the holiday season is about taking stock of the things and people we are grateful for. This morning, I got up a little early and baked a sheet of cookies, wrapped them up nicely with a little bow, and drove them to my realtor's office. I loved seeing how excited and surprised she and her team were. They've done so much in helping my family settle into our new home this fall, so I just wanted to make sure they knew how much we appreciate them. It was a quiet morning in the office, so we all sat down with coffee and cookies, chatted, and I showed them pictures of us all settled into our home. The feeling of warmth, connection, and gratitude carried with me all the way home and into my workday. All Fridays should start off on this kind of note!" - Zachary Reeves-Blurton, Ed.D., Assistant Director at ASU Center for Mindfulness DID YOU KNOW: the warm-hearted feeling we experience when we are in connection and feel we belong with others is caused by the release of oxytocin, one of our bodies' best stress-busting hormones. Oxytocin triggers the pleasure and reward centers of our brain and helps us feel nurturing. Together with dopamine -- which is released when we experience gratitude -- it helps us feel connected, social, and like we belong. #madetoconnect #kindness #gratitude

5-for-5 Connection Challenge, Day #4. "Not from today, but this has been on my mind this week. The first person I met at my gym is a guy named Dave. He literally knows everyone -- he's always got one little cluster of people or another around him. He just draws us into conversations. One day, I asked him how that happened. 'I was lonely,' he said simply. 'Retired, divorced, introverted, and lonely. And it all made me miserable. So I told myself to stop being afraid to talk to new people. I was just going to start saying hi and smiling at someone every day.' That was five years ago. Now we call Dave the mayor of our little gym. We wonder what's going on if we don't see him. I don't know how many people I know now just because he pulled someone over and said 'Zach, have you met so-and-so? I was just telling them about you.' Moving to a new town in a rural part of the country, I was kinda worried I'd feel a bit isolated, being introverted myself. But I feel like I have a little community, all because one dude takes it upon himself to just say hi to strangers. These days, instead of just going about my routine and ignoring the people around me, I try to be like Dave and push past my introverted little comfort zone, and I've never felt so socially fulfilled." Connection doesn't have to take a radical effort. Sometimes it's just about pushing ourselves to say a two-letter word to someone new. - Zachary Reeves-Blurton, Ed.D., Assistant Director at ASU's Center for Mindfulness, Compassion and Resilience #madetoconnect #sayhello

5-for-5 Connection Challenge, Day 3. "As I as scrolling through social media this morning, I came across a post from a friend I hadn't connected with in a while. Instead of hitting 'like' or typing a quick comment, I went downstairs, grabbed a fresh cup of coffee, and sat back down and wrote a note telling my friend how great it was to come across their post and how much I appreciate seeing them pop up on my feeds. Kinda random, but it made my morning when they immediately wrote back. We ended up setting aside a little while to catch up and reminisce, and I was smiling and feeling recharged as I got back to work a bit later." - Zachary Reeves-Blurton, Ed.D., Assistant Director at ASU Center for Mindfulness Today, let someone know why you value and appreciate them. It'll boost your own dopamine levels, and you might just make their day, too! #madetoconnect #gratitude

5-for-5 Connection Challenge, Day 2. "As I was nodding a greeting to the guy on the next treadmill at the gym yesterday, I realized I didn't know his name...even though we say hello nearly every day. Before I headed out, I made a point to get his name. This morning, I greeted him by name immediately when I saw him. To my surprise, he remembered my name too. Instead of simply going back to huffing away on our respective treadmills, we kept up the conversation and chatted about our favorite running shoes and trails for the next couple miles, and I left the gym feeling a bit more connected." - Zach, Assistant Director at ASU Center for Mindfulness Of all the people we come into contact with every day, how many do we take the time to greet meaningfully? Greeting a friend, acquaintance, or loved one by name and with a warm smile and eye contact conveys not just that you acknowledge them, but that you see and appreciate them. #madetoconnect #sayhello