The C.A.R.E Coalition hosted their May Community Connections event in the Helper Middle School (HMS) gymnasium on Tuesday evening.
Those in attendance were reminded to practice mindfulness with tips from special guest speaker, Amanda McIntosh. McIntosh is a well-known member of the community that advocates for suicide prevention and works adamantly in this endeavor through the Southeast Utah Health Department, the HOPE Squad of Carbon, Emery and Grand Counties and the Utah Chapter of the American Foundation for Suicide Prevention.
McIntosh began by reminding the parents that were in attendance of the fact that, often, children do not have the language skills to adequately express how they are sometimes feeling.
McIntosh explained that it is easy to demonstrate sadness, happiness, anger and the like, but there are times when emotions are combined and that it is hard to differentiate between being angry or frustrated. It is also difficult to acknowledge that two emotions can be felt at the same time.
With this in mind, McIntosh came prepared with handouts for those in attendance. One was a worksheet-type of document that helped children check in with their feelings, while the second paper guided children through the practice of “bubble breathing”. Finally, McIntosh had self-care checklists available for those interested.
Following her presentation, Tomo Matsuda walked attendees through meditation techniques before they were invited to enjoy light refreshments.
