Mindful Coloring for Stress Management
WHAT’S UP: One of the things schools hire me to do is train staff on stress management activities that work for both staff and student wellbeing. As anyone who has worked in a school for any length of time will recognize, staff wellbeing is a prerequisite for the long-term success of any student wellbeing intervention.
The bottom line is stressed and overwhelmed staff cannot be their best selves during at work. And they certainly cannot help student co-regulate down to a calmer ANS (autonomic nervous system) state when their own nerves are a mess. This isn’t a matter of debate. It’s a biological fact. And mindful coloring can help.
IN THE CONTEXT OF STAFF TRAINING
I think one of the questions we then need to ask is how can we upskill staff so that they take responsibility for their side of the equation – their wellbeing.
That is not to say that school leaders just sit there assuming this type of training is not relevant for them – the Senior Leadership Team (SLT) of a school needs to strive to walk the talk, too.
At the end of the day, improving staff wellbeing is a team effort. Everyone’s got to roll their sleeves up and have a Growth Mindset to learn new strategies and develop new habits for meaningful change to happen in any given school culture.
And it sometimes takes more than just drinking a glass of wine or going for walks to regulate our nervous system. There are simple stress management strategies we can all practice on a daily basis to keep ourselves regulated, from teachers to support staff to the upper echelons of admin in schools. One of them is mandala meditations, also known as mindful coloring meditations.
What I can say from my experience training teachers and school leaders in IB schools is that school staff and SLT really loved mindful coloring for stress management. So before you let ageism get in the way by assume you are ‘too old’ for this sort of thing – just give it a go.
A bit of music in the background that you enjoy. Just 5 minutes a day. Try it. You may be pleasantly surprised with the results!
TOP 3 BENEFITS OF MINDFUL COLORING
A 30 second educational resource you can share with staff or students.
MINDFUL COLORING (ENGLISH)
Mindful coloring explained. In just 10 minutes I cover: what are mandala coloring in meditations, the benefits for staff and student well-being and productivity, how to practice mindful mandala coloring meditations, and I end by placing mandalas within the context of world history and culture.
The article I refer to in this video: “Middle School Students, Mindfulness, and Mandalas”, by Andrew Mitchell at BEPS International School of Brussels
MINDFUL COLORING (BILINGUAL)
In this 30 second video I explain mindful coloring in Greek with English subtitles.
WHERE TO FROM HERE?
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About the author
Eleni Vardaki works with individuals, schools, and universities as a trainer and therapeutic coach supporting parent, teacher, and student well-being. To book an obligation-free introductory Zoom meeting to see if it’s a match:eleni@elenivardaki.com
