Activity One: Elevator Ride
1. Lifting Mood- One activity I use to lift my mood is to exercise. I love to be active. Exercising makes me feel good. It gives me energy, and keeps me in shape. It lifts my mood and eases my worries. I like to run on a treadmill, lift weights, play sports, and snowboard. Time is the major obstacle. Trying to find the time to work out is extremely hard. Ultimately I would like to work out every day in order to do so right now I would have to cut down on the amount of hours of sleep I get a night. Working and going to school full-time has been a major obstacle. As well as just starting a new relationship. Trying to balance everything has been extremely difficult. The only thing that I can do right now in my career/school/and current life is to work out whenever I get the chance.
2. Lifting Mood- When I am not exercising, another activity I enjoy is reading. Lately, it has been anything that pertains to self-improvement. I have been enjoying Buddha books written by Charlotte Kasl, Ph.D. Her books overflow with insight and humor. I have found that her books are very useful and inspiring. Another book that has been enlightening is
Seven Laws for Spiritual Success- A Practical Guide to the Fulfillment of Your Dreams, by Deepak Chopra. When I am not in school I have a lot of time to relax and enjoy reading. Again, time is the biggest obstacle.
3. Down Please- Another strategy that I have been trying lately is meditation. I have just recently learned the importance of meditation through reading.
“Meditation is merely the process whereby we gain control over the mind and guide it in a more virtuous direction. Meditation may also be thought of as a technique by which we diminish the force of old thought habits and develop new ones. Yet the techniques themselves do not lead to enlightenment or a compassionate and open heart. That is up to you, and the effort and motivation you bring to your spiritual practice." Dalai LamaI use this strategy at night when I lie down. Meditation is very helpful when I am feeling stressed out and burdened by the daily pressures. Implementing meditation into my life has been wonderful. It has allowed me to enter into a more relaxed state for a period of time. I have been trying to practice mindfulness meditation which can be relaxing because if I focus just on the one thing that occupies me in the moment I don’t have to deal with the anxiety of future concerns. Mindfulness meditation allows me to relax by focusing just on my body in its immediate surroundings: heartbeat, breathing, environmental sounds, etc. Very similar to what we have been doing at the beginning of our class. The idea is to notice these things without judging or interpreting them.
4. The last one- something I do to reduce physiological arousal. I use self-talk. Whenever I notice my thoughts are distracted by negativity, sabotaging myself, or making excuses why I can’t do something. I slow down and try to analyze these thoughts. One way I reduce my arousals is to journal. Another way is to stop and ask myself, what’s the worst thing about that? Once I answer that question I ask the same question again. Over and over until I my situation is resolved.
“Progress is impossible without change, and those who cannot change their minds cannot change anything.” Ralph Waldo Emerson
Activity Two: Do Unto Others
I have been working for the Thurston County Prosecutor’s Office for approximately three years. During my tenure I have worked within three different divisions. I started as a volunteer working in the Special Victim’s Team. I filed charges against individuals who committed sexual assault crimes, and worked closely with the victims. Once a full-time position opened up I was hired for the Juvenile Team. And for the past year and a half I have been working within the Domestic Violence Team.
Working in the Juvenile Team really touched me. I made a choice then that I ultimately wanted to work closely with youth. While working at the Juvenile Prosecutor’s office I learned about the Community Youth Services (CYS), Diversion Program. I wanted to start volunteering, but because I was working in the juvenile team, I couldn’t because it was considered a conflict of interest.
Now that I work in the adult division I have just recently started volunteering at CYS, in the Diversion Program on the Community Accountability Board (CAB) where the mission is to support at-risk youth and their families. CYS assists vulnerable youth with diverse backgrounds in developing their potential and achieving a sense of responsibility to themselves and their community as they make the transition into healthy and productive adulthood. CYS has a vision that every child grow up in a supportive home and community, achieving his or her full potential for personal growth.
I have completed the Diversion classroom training and have been able to observe the proceedings of a CAB. A CAB is comprised of 3-5 citizen volunteers, who meet with the youth and their families, reviews the offense and assigns appropriate consequences. Through Diversion, youth are provided the opportunity to "repair the harm" to the victim and community by paying restitution to victims and completing community restitution hours. In addition, youth may be assigned informational classes/counseling to build the skills they will need to effectively navigate in society. Program Eligibility Youth are referred by the Thurston County Prosecuting Attorney’s Office in accordance with Washington State law. In order to participate in the program, the youth must admit to committing the offense and be willing to cooperate fully with the Diversion Unit.
So far I have found working with youth to be just as rewarding as I imagined. I know that I will not be able to make a difference in every child’s life. But if I am able to touch just a few, I will have made a difference. Working with youth it is about rehabilitation, not punishment. In order for children to learn right from wrong, they must make mistakes. I want to help youth to get on the right track. The youth just need someone to help them find the good in them. I know just from the little time that I have been doing diversion, parents and children have been very thankful for the community volunteering and for their experience in working with the CAB.