Hello Wonder Friends!

As we step fully into this New Year we feel so incredibly grateful to you and this community. Last month we sent out a survey in our newsletter to learn how we can better support our Healing the Healer community. We gathered so much helpful information from the feedback and we are committed to offering those things that will support you.

This month, we want to use the newsletter and Wonder Blog post to set the foundation for our future posts, so you know what to expect when you visit.

The top four topics we learned from the survey and want to share in the future:

1) How often you wish to hear from us:

Top choice: Monthly!

We promise that our blog and newsletter address the issues you care most about – like useful self-care tips, information about upcoming workshops and events, and oodles of new and exciting gifts we created just for you.

2) Newsletter & Wonder Blog topics you are most interested in:

The top four topics you want to read about in newsletters and on the Wonder Blog are:

1. Self-care
2. Goal-setting
3. Stress reduction
4. What’s up with Rocky & Rachel and our workshops and trainings

We are so excited to make the Newsletter & Wonder Blog valuable resources for your health and well-being each month. New Wonder Blog posts will be available when you receive our monthly newsletter.

(What’s the difference between the newsletter & blog, you may ask?  Only the newsletters will offer access to exclusive free gifts and will summarize the Wonder Blog topic for the month.  The Wonder Blog will have content addressing the four areas listed above in more detail.)

3) Ways we can support you and your self-care:

This inquiry was so important to us because we wanted to know how to best support the Healing the Healer community.

Here are the top six requests we received:

1. Free resources and tools
2. A video library of creativity and painting processes
3. An online community forum
4. One-on-one and group coaching
5. A curated list of books and articles on self-care, goal-setting and stress reduction
6. Opportunities to attend more workshops and trainings

These results show us that continued connection and support is important. Our priority is to meet the needs of the community and we have already begun to add functionality to the website to provide access to sign up for our newsletter on our home page, free resources and the ability to learn where upcoming workshops and trainings will be provided.

In the near future:  To meet the request for an online community and group coaching in a forum in alignment with our values, we plan on starting free quarterly Zoom calls in March.  The calls will focus on mindfulness practices, creativity, and support for your self-care.  Look for information to access the call in our February newsletter.

Reminder:  Without signing up for the newsletter, you always have access to this free “Doodle Extravaganza” gift and the Wonder Blog.

For access to other free resources, gifts, tools and the video library with painting processes, sign up for the newsletter here.

4) Support for Healing the Healer Training Certification:

Finally, we learned that there is a lot of interest for a Healing the Healer instructor program. This is exciting news and we are working to make this a possibility for those of you who expressed interest. Updates to come!

Self-Care & Stress Relief Corner:

One of our favorite videos on this topic provides some humor and ways to take care of ourselves and create more happiness in our life:

Here is Shawn Achor’s Ted Talk, “The happy secret to better work”

In it, he shares the ways we can train the brain to become more positive. He notes that in just a two-minute span of time for 21 days in a row, we can actually rewire the brain, allowing it to work more optimistically and more successfully. These are the things he suggests doing daily for 21 days in a row and the reasons why:

• Gratitude:  write three new things you are grateful for each day; this helps the brain to retain a pattern of scanning the world not for the negative, but for the positive first.
• Journal:  about one positive experience you’ve had over the past 24 hours, as it allows your brain to relive it.
• Exercise:  teaches your brain that your behavior matters.
• Meditation:  allows your brain to get over the cultural ADHD that we’ve been creating by trying to do multiple tasks at once and allows our brains to focus on the task at hand.
• Random and conscious acts of kindness:  he suggests writing one positive email praising or thanking somebody in their support network.

What’s Up With Rachel & Rocky Corner:

In this section, we’d like to share the trainings and projects we’ve been involved in and to express gratitude to the partners with whom we are working.

One thing we’ve been meaning to share for a while (like a year!): In December, 2017, we had the wonderful opportunity to create a mural for the Orangewood Children and Family Services medical unit waiting room. (This was kindly funded by La Casa.) We started with a red thread circle and had staff and youth write their intentions and hopes on the wall before we painted the mural. They wrote things like: “Love Yourself with Renewed Hope”, “Peace. Love. Joy.”, and “Follow Your Dreams”. And many other intentions.

Over the next five days, Rachel and Rocky painted the mural and chalkboard wall with the intention of creating a safe, nurturing, supportive environment to encourage youth to feel comfortable in the space, play, and explore creative expression.

The process ended with a closing circle to bless the space. We provided original coloring books and handmade rocks for staff and youth as reminders to stay connected to their intentions. We have heard that the children and youth who enter the space feel more at ease and comfortable.  We hope it continues to be a healing space for children and youth and the staff who work there.  Our gratitude to La Casa for their generous donation to make this happen and to the staff at Orangewood for the loving and compassionate work they do every day.

May the youth who enter the space feel the many blessings written on the walls, including this one written by a teen: “You are good. You are loved. You are wanted. You are missed. You can do and be anything.”

Additional Resources

Upcoming Event: Global Social Welfare Digital Summit

I will be presenting during the 2nd Annual Global Social Welfare Digital Summit that takes place from March 19th – March 22nd. This is an all online digital conference so you can attend the conference from any place in the world with an internet connection. The conference themes will focus on advocacy, trauma-informed care, self-care and healing, and solutions. This is a great opportunity to connect with helping professionals on a global scale. We plan to attend all four days of the summit to soak up all that we can.

Also, you may be eligible for up to 10 continuing education credits (CEUs) to those who attend the entire summit. My session is on March 22nd and you can read more about it HERE.

Click here and use coupon code 4DAYSWH to get an additional 10% off of early bird pricing. Early Bird pricing ends February 8th, 2019. You can also view the session agenda before purchasing your ticket.

We thank you for visiting the Wonder Blog.

May you have a wonderful month!

– Rachel (& Rocky)