The Steel Airman Support Team hosted a self-care class during lunch, April 10, 2024, at the Pittsburgh International Airport Air Reserve Station, Pennsylvania. The class prompted attending Steel Airmen to focus on performing enjoyable tasks with intention and provided a guided meditation to wrap up the event.
Johnna Kim, sexual assault prevention specialist, certified response victim advocate and Steel Airman Support Team member, led the session, asking participants to focus on the process of repotting plants - to literally take time to smell the flowers and feel the coarseness of dirt in between their finger tips.
"As long as we approach the task with intention, anything can be a form of self-care," said Kim. "During times of stress, our brains like to disassociate from our bodies, preventing us from recognizing our own stress levels or addressing them. Doing something physical and tactile, like planting flowers or building with blocks, helps to bring our awareness back to our bodies and how we feel. Focusing on our senses, noticing how the earth smells, is the soil damp or dry, is it hard or soft, reconnects our bodies with our brains and helps to lower our stress response. Even a short 2-minute mindfulness meditation where we focus on our breath, can help us reconnect with our bodies and lower our stress levels."
Overall, incorporating a variety of mindful and tactile activities into a daily routine (reconnecting with nature, practicing mindfulness and meditation, sensory awareness, creative expressing and physical movement) can help to foster a deeper connection with the body and reduce stress levels.
Airmen are encouraged to experiment with different practices to find what works best for them and to prioritize self-care as an essential aspect of maintaining overall well-being.
Date Taken: | 04.19.2024 |
Date Posted: | 04.19.2024 11:57 |
Story ID: | 468955 |
Location: | PITTSBURGH INTERNATIONAL AIRPORT AIR RESERVE STATION, PA, US |
Web Views: | 37 |
Downloads: | 0 |
This work, Tactile Tactics: Approaching self-care with tasks of intention, by MSgt Jeffrey Grossi, identified by DVIDS, must comply with the restrictions shown on https://www.dvidshub.net/about/copyright.
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