Our friends at the Born This Way Foundation hosted #BeKind21 this September. It is a global call to action to practice acts of kindness with the mission of building kinder, more connected communities that foster mental wellness. At Healthier Generation, we love this concept so much we want to continue the spirit of #BeKind21 and keep building our “kindness team” into the fall.
Ready to join in? Below are 6 meeting makeover ideas to cultivate self-kindness and kindness to others!
1-2, Start Your Next Meeting with a Feelings Chart or “Draw It”
Create intentional time to meet others where they are by using our Feelings Chart, available in English and in Spanish. Just encourage attendees to pick an emoji that reflects how they are feeling and share. A variation on the Feelings Chart is asking teammates to “Draw It” where they draw an emoji in one-minute that represents how they’re feeling. Although this activity takes just a minute or two, it is a tangible way to remind your teammates that their feelings matter.
3-4, Energize Your Next Meeting with Air Writing or Wavy Eights
One of my favorite taglines from the #BeKind21 event is “Kindness is Free.” Adding inclusive (and fun) “brain boosters” to your next meeting is a free way to make your convening energizing, memorable, optimistic, and fun. Two of my new favorites are air writing and wavy eights.
Air Writing: ask a meeting participant to share a random vocabulary word and spell it by writing the letters in the air. In my last training, we used the word endurance and traced it with our left arm and right elbow. Keep playing by asking folks to share a word and pick how they want to spell it out.
Wavy Eights: extend one arm out in front of you, with the thumb pointed to the ceiling. In the air, trace the shape of a figure eight. As you draw, focus on your thumb. Take a deep breath in and a deep breath out as you trace the figure eight in the air. Repeat as many times as you want.
5-6, End Your Next Meeting with Flower Breath or Candle Breath
Consider how your typical meeting ends – perhaps it’s a rush to share information and then a quick pivot to another call. Provide a moment of reflection and self-care with these two simple mindful reflections, flower breath and candle breath.
Flower breath: get comfortable and visualize a beautiful flower. Breathe in through your nose, like you are smelling the flower. Breathe out through your mouth, like you are blowing on the petals. Repeat five times.
Candle breath: get comfortable and visualize a burning candle. Breathe in through your nose, filling your belly. Breathe out through your mouth, like you are blowing out a candle. Breathe in again. Breathe out like you’re trying to make the candle flame flicker. Repeat five times.
How will you bring compassion to your next meeting this fall? Let me know which of these kindness activities your team chooses in the comments below and share your own ideas by tagging @HealthierGen on Twitter.
For breakfast, I had a quesadilla.
Author: @danielh
