Register today for Resilience: A Winter Retreat (12/13-12/15)
Dear friends,
In 2010, our founder Fiona Jensen started Calmer Choice as a response to a public health crisis. She saw young people - including her own daughter - reacting to the pressures of the world around them with fear, overwhelm, self-harm, and anxiety. She wanted to give them a way to not just react - but to respond. To have a choice; a calmer choice.
14 years later, we are now faced with a new moment of great uncertainty for what lies ahead. It is difficult to imagine what this moment means for the mental health and wellbeing of our students, our public schools, and our educators; and I am aware that many of us may be pulled towards anxiety and overwhelm.
As an adult living in a stressful and sometimes scary world, mindfulness may not seem like the priority. But adults don’t always know best. The other day, one of our instructors was teaching mindfulness to a class of kindergarten students at DY. The instructor asked the class what sitting together quietly felt like. One student said, “It makes me feel safe.” Isn’t this how we all wish to feel?
Today, I am reflecting on our organizational beginnings and remembering that we do not need to react from a place of fear. We do have a choice. So, let us come together at this moment and…
Over the past few days, I have witnessed an extraordinary outpouring of care, connection, and hope. In fact, I see the practice of mindfulness showing up everywhere from reminders to breathe deeply, to messages of deep compassion for those who may be struggling, to people coming to sit together in community. After all, mindfulness teaches us that the present moment is always changing, and that we have the inner capacity we need to remain present and grounded regardless of what is happening around us. I am seeing all the ways we are working to be in practice together, and it is a powerful reminder of what is possible.
Calmer Choice is committed to being present for students, for educators, and for our local community. We will continue to deliver mindfulness programming and services to support our collective wellbeing, and move us towards a future where we all lead lives of kindness and compassion towards ourselves and others.
If there is a way that we can support your school or organization during this time - please reach out to me. I welcome the chance to connect. In the meantime, please take care of yourselves and those around you.
With care,
Sarah Manion
Executive Director
When we react, we have no choice.
Mindfulness teaches us we have a choice.