>> Thank you for joining George Mason University's CAPS University 100 Resiliency Workshop. We hope you find this workshop helpful in cultivating resilience in your lives. And having some data to integrate into your daily functioning. Let's begin by setting the stage for this workshop. So first we want to acknowledge the multicultural context that we will be discussing and will undoubtedly play a role in the use an interpretation of this information that's been provided. And we want to acknowledge again the multi cultural context that these practices, thoughts, exercises indicate and that they're one way of many ways to practice resiliency and self-care. For example we'll consider students of color, communalistic versus individualistic cultures, acknowledging a Western lens and its impact on practicing self-care and nurturing well-being. We wanna be mindful of trauma survivors. And also thinking about that this is definitely not an all-inclusive list. I'm sure that there are areas that we can continue to cover, and reach, and discuss, okay? So we're hoping students can practice agency in accepting and declining the strategies that we're sharing in consideration of their cultural identities. We'd like to acknowledge that folks from different cultural backgrounds take care of themselves differently, right? And that the Western lens is often individualistic in nature. So we really would like to invite students to share if they practice self-care or self-love differently than what we're offering today. And there are going to be opportunities throughout this presentation to discuss these things. I'd like to welcome my colleague Ms Kia Hilton, one of our staff clinicians here at CAPS, to begin this presentation. >> Okay, now let's get to defining resilience. Resilience is the capacity to recover quickly from difficulties. Yes, stressful events will happen, but our perception of these events can change our experiences of them. And one thing that's important to remember is that it is inevitable that stressful events will happen. Having the growth mindset is the next portion of this that we will work on. One of the most important factors in increasing our resilience is mindset, and the way that we think. Now, for example, we are going to have a quote from Carol S Dweck, Mindset: The New Psychology of Success. Mindset change is not about picking up a few pointers here and there, it's about seeing things in a new way. When people change to a growth mindset, they change from a judge-and-be-judged framework to a learn-and-help-learn framework. Their commitment is to growth and growth takes plenty of time, effort and mutual support. >> Note to instructor, please pause the audio recording and play the below growth mindset video on your web browser. And then after that is finished, please resume the audio recording. >> The next portion of this is navigating difficult emotions. I want you all to take sometime to think, what are difficult emotions to tolerate and deal with? What are some thoughts or beliefs associated with difficult emotions? Now, as we think about emotions, we understand that we'll normally identify one of the six primary emotions in the most innermost circle of the wheel, but each of those six are much more nuanced. Having more nuanced definitions helps more closely identified the true emotion that we're feeling. All right, now it's time to practice resilience. Resilience and having a growth mindset can help you thrive. There are many strategies that we can use to acknowledge and identify our thoughts and feelings without judgment, but instead with openness and curiosity. Some of these methods are mindfulness, relaxation, and self-reflection. Research shows that practicing mindfulness can help you build resilience because it helps you become more self-compassionate, more patient, and better able to handle life's ups and downs by criticizing yourself less and encouraging yourself more. So to get started, I want you to get comfortable in your chair. Gently place your feet on the floor and rest your hands gently on your thighs, and/or by your sides. You may either close your eyes, or keep your eyes open while averting your gaze gently towards the floor. Notice how your breath feels easing in and out of your nose. Visualize in your mind a life experience that challenged you or caused you to feel negative emotions. Continue to breathe normally. And tell yourself that you can handle whatever emotions may come up for you throughout this exercise. Normally, most of us breathe in and out of our chest. We will now practice breathing in and out deep into our belly. Try breathing and through your nose for a count of 4. Hold the breath deep in your belly for a few seconds. Then breathe out through your mouth for another count of 4. Some people find it helpful to place their hand on their belly to make sure they truly are breathing into their belly. Now continue to think about the challenging experience that you brought to mind while repeating this slower breathing pattern until I tell you to stop. It is normal to experience mild uncomfortable physical sensations and/or distressing thoughts when thinking about a challenging experience. With each breath out, imagine yourself releasing the uncomfortable sensation and troublesome thoughts. When I say stop, take in one last deep breath in through your nose and out through your mouth. With your last deep breath, clear your mind of the challenging experience. Bring yourself back to the present moment and gently smile. So there's no single right or wrong way to experience emotion. The first step is to realize that we're having one. Now, think of an intense experience, this can be one that was positive or not. Take some time to journal or make notes about how the experience feels in your body and or face. What other thoughts associated with it? Can you fill it in one place in your body? Can you focus on relaxing that area? What are the sensations that stand out to you the most? Does it live in your body, your mind, come out as a behavior or action, or is it all three of these? >> Note to instructor, please pause the audio recording and play the video below, Pulling It All Together in your web browser, and then resume the audio recording. >> Now before we end today, let's take time to talk about the services that CAPS provides that are free and confidential. So we do have psychological and learning services to students who are actively enrolled and currently registered for classes at Mason. We offer group counselling, brief, time-limited individual counselling, brief time-limited psychiatric services, referral services, and case management. We also have daytime and after hours on call crisis support, skills based workshops, academic coaching, academic skills workshops, consultation with faculty, staff, parents and or students. If you have any questions about any of the services that we provide, please make sure that you give us a call at CAPs or visit us and sub one on the third floor in suite 3129.