CALENDAR

Take adeep breath

10 ways to bring calm into your family’s life

LYNN U. NICHOLS

If you are feeling overwhelmed, take a deep breath. In fact, that’s the simplest way to lessen stress. We can get calm quick and help our kids to do the same despite our busy, bust-a-move world. Here are 10 ways to bring calm into your family’s life.

1. EXPLORE MEDITATION AND YOGA

Many people find peace and a sense of being centered and calm through the ancient practices of meditation and yoga. If your child is stressed or upset, encourage these activities in a class setting or at home. An easy meditation technique for kids is OM mantra chanting: Sit up straight and place your hand in the Gyan Mudra position (tips of thumb and index finger meeting while resting your wrists on your knees). Close your eyes and take a deep breath. Then exhale and chant “OM” as long as you

can. Repeat. If desired, replace the OM with simple deep breathing, staying aware of each breath. Need a class? Local gyms and city recreation centers offer yoga classes for kids and families. Also, lots of yoga classes are now offered on Zoom.

2. CONNECT AND LISTEN TO YOUR KIDS

Really connecting with others brings calm. This may seem obvious, but sometimes we don’t slow down enough to really sit and listen to our kids and engage in what they are saying. Practice this habit, even if they are rattling on and on about a video game or a friends’ personal drama. Feeling heard by the ones who love us and feeling like others really “get” us is a powerful feeling—it tells us that we matter—which brings a sense of inner peace and stability.

“I really stress the simple notion of just spending time together. It doesn’t have to be a big event. It can be simply eating together or going on a bike ride. If kids have this connection in their own family, they’ll reach out and create it with other people,” says Kristin Glenn, Education Coordinator for the Women’s Clinic of Northern Colorado.

3. TEACH RELAXATION SKILLS

Sit still and hold your child. Take deep breaths. You’ll discover that your child’s heart beat and breaths will slow down to match yours. Help your child identify when her heart is beating fast or when she feels butterflies in her stomach. When she does, ask her what makes her feel better and do it—whether it is taking time to sit and snuggle or running around the back yard.

4. READ A DAILY MEANINGFUL

QUOTE OR WRITING

This could be a habit at the breakfast table to set an intention for the day, or it might be something you do as a tradition on holidays or when out in nature while hiking or camping. However often you do it, it’s a good habit to have. Feeling inspiration or wonder in other peoples’ writings and ruminations on life enrich our own views and give us a wider perspective, besides setting a mood of calm.

5. EXPERIENCE NATURAL BEAUTY

Marveling at nature is a universal way to experience a sense of peace. Gazing over a vast space or at the stars can make us feel like our own lives and inner worries are small and insignificant, helping us find perspective. It also makes us feel part of an incredible whole.

“Spiritual calm and nature are often synonymous. People gain solace and peace by being outdoors and taking in natures’ magnificence,” Glenn says.

Get out and sit on a rock at Horsetooth Reservoir or drive up the Poudre River and have a picnic by the river. If you don’t have time for that, simply walk the bike path or explore a local city park. Just get out often and regularly with your kids.

6. GET INVOLVED AND MAKE A

DIFFERENCE

People who volunteer are happier, and hence, calmer. There’s great satisfaction in helping others. Explore the United Way of Larimer County (uwaylc.org) for volunteer opportunities that you and your children can do together.

7. LOVE YOUR KIDS UNCONDITIONALLY

Having high expectations for your kids causes stress. Kids care what their parents’ think, and if they get the message that they have to achieve certain milestones to earn your praise, respect, or love, then they feel stress.

A study by UCLA found that kids of parents who were not emotionally warm were more stressed due to pressure to succeed, without the balance of affection. Kids who were stressed experienced more high blood pressure, cholesterol and heart issues whereas the kids who felt unconditionally loved and received their parent’s affection had less of these health risks.

Show your kids unconditional love by sending the message that you respect their interests, personalities and choices. It’s never withholding love or affection; rather it’s creating a safe atmosphere where your child feels comfortable to tell you about their life without fear of ridicule, punishment or judgement.

8. HELP KIDS FIND MEANING

When kids are doing something they enjoy or are excited about, they feel more freedom and less stress. They lose themselves in the moment.

“Today’s youth seem freer to find spiritual meaning in their own ways. I’m impressed by young people today that help out in their community, show caring for friends, and find meaning in attending church or in being in nature. More and more, they seem to be given permission to explore what brings personal meaning to life. There’s a confidence and inner strength that accompanies that,” Glenn says.

9. ENCOURAGE ART, DRAWING,

JOURNALING AND STORYTELLING

Confidence and self-respect creates a sense of peace. Help your child gain a respect for who she is by encouraging her to record her own personal history through artwork and writing. Have her create a story book of one of her favorite days and describe how it made her feel. Or ask an older child to journal about what brings him happiness in life. Or, encourage him to describe what it was like to make the winning goal or be honored at the science fair. By writing and drawing personal stories kids gain a sense of who they are. If they are sure of who they are they feel less compelled to prove themselves or compare themselves to others, which causes stress.

10. MOVE YOUR BODY

It may seem like exercising or moving your body is the opposite of calm, but stress builds up in our bodies, so letting out tension through physical exercise helps us sleep better, digest better and feel better about ourselves. Make it a mantra to move every day.

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Greeley West students earn IB Diplomas, honors

Twelve Greeley West High School 2021 graduates earned prestigious International Baccalaureate Diplomas, earning a minimum of 24 college credits each. To receive the IB Diploma, students completed six International Baccalaureate courses, completed 150 hours of community service and extracurricular activity hours, completed a Theory of Knowledge Essay and completed a 4,000-word extended essay research paper, receiving an overall score of at least 27 points. The average score for Greeley West students was 29.

Greeley West students earning an IB Diploma this year are:

Zachary Headley Yovahn Quinones Leslie Martinez Torres Kayla Becker Jasmine Mosqueda Villareal Ivette Jacquez Isabella Martinez Brendan McCune Ashlynn Estal Anuj Panta Anthony Gomez Jody Evans

The class of 2021 had the highest IB Diploma recipient rate in five years, with 86 percent of candidates earning the diploma.

In addition to the IB Diploma recipients, two students—Anahi Vicente-Gomez and Rylee Imus— passed at least three IB exams, earning 9 or more college credits each. Greeley West had a total of 75 students who took at least one IB exam this year, with a total of 164 exams completed. Overall, IB students at Greeley West earned 459 college credits in 2021.

STUDENTS WIN HONORS FROM WELD COUNTY COMMISSIONERS FOR CONSTITUTION DAY CONTEST

The Weld County Commissioners honored District 6 students as winners in the annual Constitution Day Contest.

District 6 students were asked to submit artwork, essays, and poetry regarding the U.S. Constitution. Those who placed in the contest were invited to attend the commissioner’s meeting and be recognized. This contest was open to students throughout Weld County. District 6 winners are:

Aakyriah Williams of Early College Academy, second place, art category

Brenda Mena, Jefferson High School, third place, art category

Lucas Martin, Jefferson High School, first place, poetry category

Isaiah Loma, Jefferson High School, third place, poetry category

Kylee Wolfe, Greeley West High School, second place, essay category

Aspen Mounkes, Jefferson High School, third place, essay category

Issac Martinez and Yazmine Garcia, both of Jefferson High School, tied for honorable mention, essay category

BEAM TOPPING CEREMONY HELD AT CHAPPELOW K-8

A milestone was reached in the construction of a new addition at Chappelow Arts Magnet K-8 as a steel beam signed by students, staff and community members was placed in the building.

A ceremony was held at the school as members of the Board of Education, District 6 and Chappelow leadership and members of the Evans community, including Evans Mayor Brian Rudy, signed

the beam before it was hoisted into place.

Chappelow students and staff had an opportunity all week to put their signature on the historic beam, which now will be a permanent part of the school’s new performing arts wing. The 28,000 square foot addition will include new general education classrooms, new music and performing arts classrooms, outdoor learning spaces and a new, flexible performing arts space.

Students were able to watch the beam placement from the playground at Chappelow and were shouting and cheering as the crane moved the beam into place. They also were able to view the ceremony via Zoom in their classrooms inside the school.

Board President Michael Mathews, whose five sons have attended or are currently attending Chappelow Arts Magnet, said the new performing arts space will be a welcome and long anticipated addition to the school.

“Students, you won’t have to use your gymnasium for performances anymore!” Mathews said. “This is very exciting.”