Brave Hearts Youth Mentoring

Brave Hearts Youth Mentoring Hi there! I'm Maegan - a youth mentor helping young people be brave, kind, and more of themselves.

Self-Care JarsWe've been talking about all things self-care here at Brave Hearts University. The students made these swe...
05/31/2024

Self-Care Jars

We've been talking about all things self-care here at Brave Hearts University.

The students made these sweet self-care jars filled with slips of paper with acts of self-care written on them that the kids chose for themselves.

They can use them in a few different ways.

1. Pull out an act of self-care on days when they're feeling a bit low, drained, or stressed out and need to give themselves some love.

2. Pull out one idea each day for daily self-care.

3. Choose a day when they've got some extra time for a "self-care day" and pull out 3-4 cards.

It's never too early to learn how to listen to our bodies, minds, and spirits, and give ourselves the beautiful care we need. ✨

This week at Brave Hearts University, we had the first of two lessons on setting goals.We discussed different types of g...
05/16/2024

This week at Brave Hearts University, we had the first of two lessons on setting goals.

We discussed different types of goals and spent time brainstorming and answering questions to help the students choose a goal and find their "why."

Next week, we'll break down their goals into smaller steps and plan for any obstacles that might come up.

What goals are you currently working on?

✨ Self-Compassion ✨This week in Brave Hearts University, my after-school workshop series, we talked about all things sel...
05/01/2024

✨ Self-Compassion ✨

This week in Brave Hearts University, my after-school workshop series, we talked about all things self-compassion.

Self-compassion is being kind to yourself. It means understanding and forgiving yourself even when things don’t go well or the way you planned.

Having self-compassion helps you cope with tough emotions and bounce back more quickly from setbacks (this is called resiliency). It helps you feel happier and more content and inspires gratitude toward yourself. And when you're kind to yourself, you're more likely to be kind to others!

Self-compassion looks like:

✨ Understanding, Not Judging: Just like you wouldn’t harshly judge a friend for messing up, don’t be too hard on yourself. Understand that no one is perfect and mistakes are part of learning and growing.

✨ Being Kind to Yourself: This can be as simple as thinking kind words to yourself or doing something that makes you feel good when you’re down, like listening to your favorite song or taking a few deep breaths.

✨ Recognizing You’re Not Alone: Sometimes when things go wrong, it feels like you’re the only one struggling. But remember, everyone goes through tough times. You’re not alone in feeling this way.

When we are struggling, we can focus on the moment by finding patience and compassion for ourselves. Calm your mind and body with some breaths and discourage negative self-talk by asking these questions:

1. What am I feeling?
2. Why am I feeling this way?
3. What can I do next to help myself?

We all deserve kindness and compassion, including compassion toward ourselves.

✨ Mindfulness ✨You might be under the impression that mindfulness is something complicated that only yogis and gurus do,...
04/18/2024

✨ Mindfulness ✨

You might be under the impression that mindfulness is something complicated that only yogis and gurus do, but mindfulness simply means giving your full attention to the present moment.

It’s being aware of what’s going on with your feelings, thoughts, and senses in the here and now.

✨ Mindfulness helps us balance our emotions.

✨ It can help us to be calm and consider the feelings of others.

✨ It allows us to be more kind to ourselves.

✨ Mindfulness sparks curiosity.

✨ It improves our focus and observation skills.

At first, it might seem like your head is busy with ALL. THE. THOUGHTS 💭 or uncomfortable feelings. It can be hard to observe them without reacting to or judging them, so when you're practicing mindfulness and you get distracted, just gently bring your attention back to the moment and your breath. Over and over.

Lastly, being mindful doesn't always mean sitting cross-legged with your eyes closed. 🧘 It can be a couple of deep calming breaths before a big test or during a soccer game, feeling the sun warm your skin, or listening to a meditation or soothing music at bedtime. 

Try out some different ways to be mindful and find the ones that work for you.

What’s YOUR favorite way to be mindful?

Is it Friday yet?!?!Seriously though...parents, make some time for legit self-care. Our kids don't need our leftover scr...
04/11/2024

Is it Friday yet?!?!

Seriously though...parents, make some time for legit self-care. Our kids don't need our leftover scraps of exhaustion.

They DO need us to be an example of how to take responsibility and advocate for one's needs.

There are no trophies for most depleted, burnt-out, and shattered parent.

Show your kids what it means to love yourself enough to slow down and do what it takes to keep yourself well. They'll desperately need to know how to do this as tweens, teens, and adults.

Lead by example.

Mwah! 💖💫

Our brains make 35,000 decisions every day!That’s one decision every 2 seconds!Learning how to make responsible decision...
04/09/2024

Our brains make 35,000 decisions every day!

That’s one decision every 2 seconds!

Learning how to make responsible decisions is an important skill that helps us navigate the challenges of life.

Making good decisions requires thinking about consequences, considering how your choices affect not just you, but also those around you, and aligning your decisions with your values and goals.

It’s about seeing the bigger picture and choosing a path that leads you toward the best possible outcome.

Whether it’s a snap decision that’s made without a lot of consideration, or a BIG decision that you give a lot of time and thought to, our choices guide our actions and, ultimately, shape our lives.

The best way for your tweens and teens to learn how to make good decisions is, you guessed it, by making decisions. They need practice and to experience the natural consequences of those choices.

Parents can gently guide, have conversations, and provide lower-stakes opportunities for their children to make their own decisions. Then be available again with loving support as the consequences of those decisions make themselves known.

As our children get older, their decisions become more high-stakes. We want them to already have plenty of experience with making decisions as they move through their teen years and into adulthood.

International Women's Day! Here's to all the incredible girls and women of the world. May we know them. May we be them. ...
03/08/2024

International Women's Day!

Here's to all the incredible girls and women of the world. May we know them. May we be them. May we raise them.

✨Happy Social-Emotional Learning Day!✨There are so many reasons to love social-emotional learning (SEL)! I explain SEL t...
03/08/2024

✨Happy Social-Emotional Learning Day!✨

There are so many reasons to love social-emotional learning (SEL)! I explain SEL to my students as 'life hacks for how to be a great human.' Not only does learning about these social skills help us to thrive in our own lives, but it also lifts those around us.

The 5 Core Competencies of SEL are:

1. Self-Awareness
2. Self-Management
3. Social-Awareness
4. Relationship Skills
5. Responsible Decision-Making

"In the long run, greater social and emotional competence can increase the likelihood of high school graduation, readiness for postsecondary education, career success, positive family and work relationships, better mental health, reduced criminal behavior, and engaged citizenship (e.g., Hawkins, Kosterman, Catalano, Hill, & Abbott, 2008; Jones, Greenberg, & Crowley, 2015)."

Happy SEL Day! Go out into the world and be a great human! ✨

Finding the strengths of others 🥰In my after-school workshop this week, we discussed why it's important to understand th...
02/15/2024

Finding the strengths of others 🥰

In my after-school workshop this week, we discussed why it's important to understand the strengths of others.

We spent time brainstorming different strengths on the whiteboard and then listed people in our family, school, and community and a strength they had. We could easily see that our community is full of people using a wide variety of strengths and skills to contribute to their neighborhood.

We also took a look at our families and how the different strengths of each family member work together to create a strong team.

We may have had some Valentine's Day doughnut holes as well because they clearly hadn't had enough excitement or sugar. 😉

Just a quick reminder that it's never too late to start again. Did things get messed up somehow? Were you delayed in so...
02/09/2024

Just a quick reminder that it's never too late to start again.

Did things get messed up somehow?

Were you delayed in some way?

Does it feel like the chance has passed?

Maybe you haven't even started...yet.

That's okay. Be patient and give yourself plenty of grace and compassion. Life is full of twists and turns, plot twists and pivots, and none of it means you're wrong or too late.

Go back to the drawing board. Get back on your horse and ride.

Trust that you're exactly where you need to be. And try again. 🌈✨

Life's not a race! 🏎
02/09/2024

Life's not a race! 🏎

✨ The world is better and brighter with you in it ✨
11/30/2023

✨ The world is better and brighter with you in it ✨

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Portland, OR

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