Robust-ED Promoting Resilience Laverne Antrobus and Mike Solomon For children, young people and their families and whole communities including school staff https://tavistockandportman.nhs.uk

What is Resilience? Being able to cope with the challenges that life presents Feeling Good Enough Bounce Backability Having good relationships both with self and others Being on Track/Having the ability to focus Beating the odds whilst also changing the odds…Boing Boing (Gill…)

myresilience.org Poul Lundgaard Bak, MD

The Thinking Brain and The Alarm Brain In the frontal part of our brain, thoughts and positive feeling for other people are created. This part of the brain holds helpful resources (problem solving skills/planning/other experiences) Alarm Brain This part of the brain monitors dangerous and uncomfortable feelings/situations Question, Think, when were you last in an alarm state. What was the trigger? Fight and Flight. Alarm Brain is really important myresilience.org Poul Lundgaard Bak, MD

Alarm Alarm & Thinking myresilience.org Poul Lundgaard Bak, MD The Brain adn Learning. A little bit of stress is good Alarm myresilience.org Poul Lundgaard Bak, MD

Things that will help Don’t underestimate the value of breathing It has been recognised in different cultures for years (yoga/meditation and now Mindfulness) It requires practice if we want it to work Breathing Exercise Lets do it together…How do we get from alarm to thinking, cold air in (Blue), warm air out (Red) Breathing Exercise.. Breathing Exercise Here is a quick and discreet way to calm the brain’s alarm centre when you need to reflect or relax completely inside the head: Breathe deeply and calmly Of course this is easy because it is something that we already can do. The only ‘new’ you need to do is to shift your attention and notice how you breathe – how the air comes in and out of the nose and how the chest and abdomen move when you breathe. It’s the only thing you should do. When you continue to keep your attention on your breathing for a while, you get peace in your head and a pleasant feeling in your body. While doing this you will surely find that there are thoughts that try to grab your attention – again and again. Then just let the thoughts fly past perhaps as if they are ‘leaves or thought bubbles flying past in the wind’, while you quietly move your attention to the breath again and just notice the air through the nose and the movements of the body. Another way is to count inside yourself while you breathe deeply and calmly: Breathe in slowly while you count 1…..2….Breathe out slowly while you count 1….2…..3…..4…. Deep and steady breathing calms the brain’s alarm centre and it is also the world’s simplest way to train attention. Every time you decide to keep your attention on breathing so you strengthen your attention. myresilience.org Poul Lundgaard Bak, MD

Next Steps, Feedback, Website address. You can look at this on the website myresilience.org myresilience.org Poul Lundgaard Bak, MD