N is for Network (Secondary)

It’s important cause it’s true ;)

There’s a saying that goes ‘no-one is an island’ and it’s so true. Research on resilience show us that not only do we need to build our own inner resources, know our inner ‘me’, we also need to open ourselves up to connection, to community, to being in this together, to understanding that ‘me’ is also part of ‘we’ too!

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As if Middle Ages poetry wasn’t enough here’s the science bit about making friends- feeling connected is a basic human need, helping us feel supported instead of stressed or threatened. There are lots of ways to help us build supportive networks, stay connected with people we trust & with the places where we feel safe:

1. Make a list of the people in your network you feel connected with, perhaps start with this list:

• who’s the person you’re most like to spend time with?

• who is the one person you find hard to walk away from?

• who do you turn to when you’re worried & want to talk?

• who is the person you turn to when you’re feeling low?

• who do you know will always be there for you?

• who do you want to share your successes with?

2. To help foster closeness, think of a time when you felt a strong bond or connection with someone. Perhaps there’s a particular experience that you had, a conversation, a success or a shared loss, or went through a historic experience together? Take some time to remember as much detail as you can, write about what happened, how did you feel close and connected, what qualities does this person embody?

3. Finally, our surroundings can have a big impact on how we feel, they can reduce our stress & our sense of isolation. Research tells us that taking time to feel positive emotions & allow these connections can strengthen these feel-good feelings.

FINAL TAKE

Next time you go for a walk or spend some time outside, notice all the things around you, notice how they make you feel. Take photos, pop them in your journal & make a note of how these images make you feel. Try this noticing nature practice everyday for at least two weeks.

“No man is an island entire of itself; every man
is a piece of the continent, a part of the main;”

— John Donne, 1624

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The not-so-small small print

There is none! Simply return to this part of the website daily to get the next part of this program. No payment or subscription required. This is a resource we are sharing with all of you through the website and aiming to help our youngsters, in the various stages of their lives. This program contains information and practices that are aimed for two different age groups and we intend to mostly post the primary level information in the morning and the secondary level in the afternoon. Please leave us a comment and let us know how you are getting on or get in touch if you require additional support. If you want to be notified of new content, courses and free resources subscribe to our mailing list.

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