Take a look at what the recent studies are showing.

Habitual meditation…

1. shrinks the amydala (controls our reaction to fear)
2. thickens the prefrontal cortex  (the thinking and reasoning part of our brain)
3. enlarges the hippocampus (controls our memory, providing context for our emotional respsonses)
4. strengthens the posterior cingulate cortex (associated with creativity, self reflection and self-awareness)
5. builds the temporo-parietal junction (manages our ability to be empathetic and emotionally intelligent)
6. reduces blood pressure
7. boosts our immune systems
8. helps us handle pain
9. improves our sleep
10. prevents heart disease

photo credit | Ian Burt

“It did to my mind what going to the gym did to my body — it made it both stronger and more flexible,” said Dr. Hedy Kober, a neuroscientist who who studies the effects of mindfulness meditation, which she has practiced for 10 years, at her lab at Yale University. (http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2013/04/30/meditation-health-benefits_n_3178731.html)

As an aid worker, you operate with abnormal levels of challenge which can drain your resources over time. Many of the benefits associated with meditation can help you build up these internal resources and stay resilient in your work. Knowing that meditation can reverse some of the negative effects of stress and trauma on our brains gives us yet another compelling reason to make meditation a routine part of our resilience plan.

Sources for this blog post:

http://p.washingtontimes.com/news/2012/dec/5/marines-expanding-use-of-meditation-training/?page=all

http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2013/04/30/meditation-health-benefits_n_3178731.html

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=m8rRzTtP7Tc

Photo credit | Mike Ga

Are you taking care of yourself? Good self-care and lifestyle balance is vital for humanitarian aid workers to stay resilient in the midst of challenging work. When we are immersed in our work and caught in the busyness of every day life, we can begin to neglect the activities that sustain us most. It might be time to take stock of your current habits, tendencies, and attitudes. Our team of psychologists have recently updated our self-care and lifestyle balance assessment tool, which will help you evaluate different areas of your life related to self-care. Take our assessment and find out if you’re practicing good self-care skills!

Self care and lifestyle balance assessment

Source: Bill Greene/Boston Globe

Among the many stories associated with last week’s tragedy in Boston were accounts of those directly involved on the scene at the time of the bombings.  A friend relayed the following story told to her by a Boston priest she knew.

The first explosion stunned the priest watching the marathon from the nearby church steeple.  In horror, she saw some people drop while others fled.  When the second explosion occurred, to her amazement she saw people turn around and rush back to help at their own risk.  Hundreds of people, including medical and law enforcement personnel.  Despite not knowing what would happen next, and contrary to sound judgment and professional training.

A colleague once told me to “look for the heroes” in the midst of every tragedy.  They’re always there, regardless of the nature of the event or emergency.  These good people do all they can to help those in need.  They’re the “good Samaritans” of our world, those who act unselfishly to care for others, even at their own peril.  They remind us that God is at work in the darkest moments.  By finding the heroes, we’re inspired to see hope pushing back against despair.

I know you join us in thanking the thousands of people in Boston, across the country, and around the world who stopped, turned, and helped.  You remind us to love our neighbor.

Photo by Peter Whelerton

For the many of us who love Boston, the news of yesterday’s disaster was heart-breaking. Disaster in any form leaves a gaping hole. We are linked in such a way that loss is always born and carried by a community, whether a small or a large one. Man-made disasters are especially insidious for the way they leave an aftermath of fear where fear is not meant to reside. Our deep gratitude and support goes out to the many in the community who will be restorers, inspirers, comforters and rebuilders along a finish line of victory.

Below are a few links to resources that may be helpful for those impacted by the news. The first is for adults, and the second from the US Dept. of Health and Human Services contains tips for supporting children who may have been impacted.

http://headington-institute.org/Portals/32/resources/Coping-With-Disaster-CARE-English.pdf
http://store.samhsa.gov/shin/content/KEN01-0093/KEN01-0093.pdf

Chheng telling us her story

Just recently Jim invited Chheng Ear, to come share her thoughts on risk-taking with the HI staff.  Chheng is a licensed Clinical Social Worker, and is currently a staff therapist at a community mental health center near County USC Hospital. We knew going into her presentation that she had a remarkable story of survival as a young child, fleeing from the Khmer Rouge, facing incredible odds to escape and make it the US, with her family. Knowing this sliver of information, we thought she would have profound insight into handling risk.

She did. But in a different way than we expected.

As her story unfolded, it was clear that she and her family demonstrated great courage and perseverance to respond and react to the dangerous environment surrounding them. But they had no choice in the risks they were taking, because this was the reality they were living in.  She and her family experienced hardship, rejection, and loss as well as kindness, generosity, and resourcefulness. As she reflected on her past, and her life now, she mentioned that even with all that she has lived through and accomplished, actually talking with us and telling us her story was a big risk for her.

Through Chheng’s presentation we learned that maybe the biggest risk we can take is to share our story, to share who we are fully with others. In some ways, this takes more courage than performing dangerous stunts or working to manage a high-risk situation. As Brene Brown says: “Vulnerability is the most accurate measure of courage.”

Thank you Chheng, for sharing your powerful story with humility, authenticity, and courage. We are changed and transformed because of it.

A few months ago, Jim invited Ray Lykins to come and share his experiences as a Hollywood stuntman. Ray has 35 years of experience, including work on some blockbusters. Amidst his many humorous stories were the following words of advice for handling risk:

• Know and respect your personal limits
• Visualize each step before beginning
• Identify “worse case scenario” and plan for it
• Work only with those you can trust and rely on
• Practice, practice, practice
• Don’t panic – take a deep breath and use your brain
• Be honest about your fears but don’t dwell on them
• Learn from your mistakes
• Humor is always helpful
• Tomorrow is another day

A few weeks later, we heard from another speaker: Rodney Mullen, the world renowned “Godfather of Street Skateboarding.” From his unique wealth of experience, Rodney was able to communicate his approach and process to the daring sport of skateboarding. Through stories and videos he shared these thoughts about assessing and managing risks:

Risk Assessment is a two-stage process:

• Objective analysis: break the risk down into smaller brackets and analyze each piece to determine whether the risk is within acceptable limits

• Intuitive analysis: use your creativity and utilize your instincts and “feel” to put the objective analysis into a bigger, more complete perspective

After assessment, risk management includes the following:

• Work through each step leading to success, one at a time
• Practice makes “permanent”
• Listen to fears, not to anxiety
• Embed yourself in the experience, learning as you go – “visualizing” it first is of only limited value
• Rely on creativity, resourcefulness, and grit
• Know when to say “no” and walk away
• Attend to the details – it’s the little things that will get you
• Put all you do into a bigger perspective, with a sense of humor and detachment

When you think about it, these insights from a Hollywood stuntman and a world-class skateboarder translate pretty well into the humanitarian context, when talking about managing risk and preparing for it. They helped us to understand the challenges we face when traveling to dangerous, high-stress locations. Their experiences also reinforced our ideas on how to help the aid workers we serve prepare and manage the risks they face in their work.

As I’ve listened to these presentations, I’m learning that risk-taking has a lot more to it than just the impulse to do something potentially dangerous. It takes thought, discipline, resourcefulness, and creativity.

Tomorrow we’ve invited Chheng Ear, a licensed clinical social worker who fled Cambodia with her family during the Pol Pot era and began a new life here in the US. I know her journey and reflections will speak to another layer of what it means to take risks. Stay tuned!

An effective social support network is not simply made up of a huge number of acquaintances. It must involve people that you know well, and that you remain in regular communication with. It is even better if the people in your social support network also know each other well. Those closest to us are not only there to hang out and share the good times (although this is important). But having a heart to heart talk with a friend gives you chance to vent frustrations, disappointments, and pent up emotions. Explaining your problems out loud helps sort out the trivial from the traumatic. It can also help you organize and prioritize problems in your own mind, see possible solutions, and motivate you to take action. Hearing someone else say “that must be tough” is a good reminder that you don’t have to feel guilty about being stressed when life is difficult. It’s also reassuring to know you’re not alone in what you’re facing.

Developing your social support may feel draining because it doesn’t always happen quickly or naturally. You might have to make daily, intentional decisions to reach out to people around you. In light of the daily challenges facing aid workers, sometimes it’s easy to view building meaningful relationships as unproductive. But it’s clear that when it comes to lightening that stress load, and increasing our personal resilience and joy, time invested in family and friends is far from wasted!

This month, try… setting some goals around strengthening or maintaining a good social support network that involves both give and take. Pick up the phone, write an email, or visit someone. Let someone important to you know how you are, and that you care for them.

Fawcett, J. (2003). Stress and trauma handbook: Strategies for flourishing in demanding environments. World Vision International: California.

Adapted by Fara Choi from our Peace by Piece series written by Lisa McKay.

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