We (and many others) have said it before and we’ll say it again: prioritizing your mental health is important. But sometimes, it can be hard to move this virtue into action. With work and school, appointments and practices, it just seems like there’s not enough time in the day to really tune into our mental state, and examine how we’re feeling.
Back to School: Activities for a GREAT Year! (Activity #3)
Our final back-to-school activity is one that you and your family can practice every day. Positive affirmations.
Positive affirmations are short, declarative sentences with a decidedly optimistic tone. Affirmations are stated in the present tense. That’s the case even if you don’t believe what you are saying or if you think it sounds silly. Studies have found that regularly using positive affirmations rewires the brain to fundamentally change the structure of the pathways in your mind, and change the way you think for the better. And it all happens within a matter of weeks.
Back to School: Activities for a GREAT Year! (Activity #2)
In our last blog post, we challenged you and your family to create a vision board for the new school year. A vision board can serve as a way for you to identify your long-term goals, and inspire you to achieve them. Now that you’ve taken the time to acknowledge those big dreams, we want to challenge you to take some time to set daily, weekly, or monthly goals!
Back to School: Activities for a GREAT Year! (Activity #1)
Getting back into the swing of things for a new school year can be a jarring transition after a sun-soaked summer. Each school year comes with more challenges AND more opportunities, so the beginning of a new school year is the perfect time for students to check in with themselves to see what they are excited about for the upcoming year!
DIY: Create Your Own Superhero Alter Ego
You may know by now that there’s real power behind striking a superhero pose. So while you and your family are showing off your power poses left and right this summer, why not create a superhero alter ego to match? We’ll help you get started.
5 Disability-Focused Podcasts You Should Listen To
Listening to podcasts can be a great way to explore new hobbies, content areas, and expand your knowledge on a plethora of topics. With so many podcasts out there, it can feel overwhelming trying to find the right one for YOU. To help you along your podcast journey, we’ve compiled a list of 5 great disability-focused podcasts that you can add to your playlists.
Good Vibes Only: Feel-Good News Stories to Brighten Your Day Pt. 2
Do you sometimes feel like you’re being bombarded with bad news? With 24/7 access to social media and the strifes and struggles of not only our local communities, but the world at large, it can feel like the bad in the world is overwhelming, sometimes unbearable.
Well the GOOD news is that there is still good news out there! We’ve taken the time to collect some recent feel-good news stories to share with you – and hopefully brighten your day!
Self-Care + Our Staff
It’s important to remind ourselves in stressful situations that our mental and physical health is important, and that stress can be harmful to us. Taking care of oneself and de-stressing not only feels good, but it’s vitally important to our long-term health. To get some good ideas on how to practice self-care in the face of difficult situations, we reached out to some JMF staff members to get their favorite self-care methods!
Chadwick Boseman: A Tribute to the Late Actor’s Life and a Reflection on Hidden Disabilities
This Joseph Maley Foundation blog was written and researched by Communications Associate, Lauren Maley.
Tips to Keep Stress & Anxiety at Bay
No matter what your current situation may be, stress and anxiety have a knack for finding their way into our lives. Whether you are incredibly busy without much time to yourself, dealing with too much free time due to the pandemic, or even in a very regular schedule and lifestyle, there are things that anyone can do that can help lower those levels of anxiety and stress. Here are some ideas for both in-the-moment and long-term anxiety and stress relief options for you to consider.*
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