COMMUNITY BODY MIND SPIRIT OUR HEALTH LEARNING ABOUT
COMMUNITY + BODY + MIND + SPIRIT = OUR HEALTH LEARNING ABOUT EMOTIONAL WELL-BEING & STRESS PART IV
Let’s Talk About My Spirit Namibian Proverb: “Learning expands great souls” 1 • • • When I hear the word “stress, ” I know what it means. I will understand the difference between “good” and “bad” stress. I will be able to tell others 2 ways I may experience spiritual stress. I will learn the importance of spiritual well-being and mindfulness. I will be able to think of at least 1 way I can help increase my spiritual well-being and feel less stressed.
Why We Are Here • We are here to not only learn about what stress is and how it happens, but to also learn how stress affects others. • We learn from each other by sharing experiences. We will share our experiences through an African form of storytelling called Ubuntu is an ancient African word meaning “humanity to others. ” It also means, “I am what I am because of who we all are. ” Bishop Tutu on Ubuntu: “A person with Ubuntu is open and available to others, affirming of others, does not feel threatened that others are able and good, for he or she has a proper self-assurance that comes from knowing that he or she belongs in a greater whole and is diminished when others are humiliated or diminished, when others are tortured or oppressed. Ubuntu speaks particularly about the fact that you can't exist as a human being in isolation. It speaks about our interconnectedness. You can't be human all by yourself, and when you have this quality—Ubuntu—you are known for your generosity. ” 2
Ubuntu Story: Sunday Dinner • Sunday Dinner has been an important practice in African American families. • Sunday Dinner allows for communication and spiritual connectedness among family members. • Can you recall a time where someone was not present? Perhaps there was a family dispute, or a family member simply had to work? • When a family member is missing from the Sunday Dinner, most agree the meal doesn’t feel the same.
What Does Stress Feel Like? • Can you remember what you were thinking and how you felt when one of your favorite relatives did not show up for Sunday Dinner? Did you start to feel nervous? Did you feel “empty” on the inside? Did you begin to sweat? Did your “nerves get bad? ” • If so, you know what stress feels like. But what does the word “stress” mean?
Survival & Stress • Stress is something that our bodies and minds are able to do, without permission, to help us protect ourselves from harm. • A long time ago, the human body learned to protect itself from harm or threat by using stress. When faced with danger, stress would help people run, fight, or make a quick decision. • Although we do not have to worry about being eaten by lions, tigers, or bears today, we do have to worry about getting to work on time, making sure we can pay bills, keeping our children safe and our loved ones healthy. All these issues cause us to worry. • Worry makes both our bodies and minds feel threatened…so our body, mind, and spirit respond with stress.
What is Spiritual Stress? 3 • Spiritual stress is a disruption of one’s beliefs or values. It affects a person’s entire being. It upsets one’s basic beliefs, sense of meaning, peace, hope, and connection. • Signs of Spiritual Stress are: ü ü ü Questioning the meaning of life or one’s belief system Being afraid to fall asleep at night or other fears Feeling a sense of emptiness or loss of direction Feeling abandoned or angered by God/higher power Having pain and/or other physical symptoms
What is Spiritual Well-being? 4 • Spirituality may be considered the breath of Life itself. • When we work on developing our spiritual senses, we begin to experience spiritual well-being. • We know that we are experiencing spiritual wellbeing when we can relax in the sure sense that Spirit claims us as loved and loving. • As humans, we are to work at developing our spiritual senses through honesty, trustworthiness, compassion, and loving one’s neighbor.
Strength in Spirituality? • One of the ways to decrease stress is through a practice of Mindfulness. 4, 5 • Mindfulness is a form of meditation that reduces stress by helping us to: ü ü ü Pay close attention Be aware of where we are in this current moment Learn that we are unable to change the past Stay in the “right now” and not the past Be aware we are only alive in one moment
More on Strength & Spirituality • Another way that African Americans may reduce stress is through the African American Helping Tradition. • The Helping Tradition is a form of community involvement that involves 8 dimensions: 1. 2. 3. 4. 5. 6. 7. 8. Support of historically Black institutions Support of institutions serving the Black community Mentorship of other adults of African descent Mentorship of youth of African descent Provision of financial support Provision of emotional support Engagement in self-care Provision of safety to the Black community
Activating My Spirit to Reduce Stress • Watch your thoughts. Listen and discern so they don’t muffle the Voice of the Spirit. • Listen to good ideas that elevate and nurture others. • Once a week, take a day for refreshing yourself. Walk, write a letter, arrange flowers, read, cook a special meal, or do something else that shows you love yourself and the life around you. • Practice breathing deeply. It’s free and can clear the mind, calm the soul, and create a sense of wholeness. • Do something for someone else. Our own spirituality can be found by connecting to others’ well-being. There is always something we can do for another. • Can you think of any spiritual practices that you can use to reduce feelings of stress?
Resources ▪ ▪ ▪ ▪ American Psychiatric Association: (703) 907 -7300 / www. psychiatry. org Capstone Institute Center for Research on the Education of Students Placed at Risk: www. capstoneinstitute. org Center for Disease Control: (800) 232 -4636 / https: //www. cdc. gov Depression and Bipolar Support Alliance (DBSA): (800) 826 -3632 / http: //www. dbsalliance. org International Foundation for Research and Education on Depression: http: //www. ifred. org Lee Thompson Young Foundation: http: //www. leethompsonyoungfoundation. org Mental Health America: (800) 969 -6642 / http: //www. mentalhealthamerica. net/african-american-mental-health Mental Health First Aid: https: //www. mentalhealthfirstaid. org/cs/about National Black Nurses Association: www. nbna. org National Institute of Mental Health: (866) 615 -6464 / www. nimh. nih. gov Office of Minority Health: (800) 444 -6472 / https: //minorityhealth. hhs. gov/ Office of Behavioral and Social Sciences Research: (301) 402 -1146 / https: //obssr. od. nih. gov/ Suicide Hotline: (800) 273 -TALK (8255) / www. suicidepreventionlifeline. org The Association of Black Psychologists: (301) 449 -3082 / http: //www. abpsi. org/find-psychologists The Association of Black Social Workers: (202) 678 -4570 / https: //nabsw. site-ym. com U. S. Department of Justice Victim Assistance: (202) 514. 2000 / https: //www. justice. gov/actioncenter/find-help-and-information-crimevictims
References 1. 2. 3. 4. 5. 6. Miller, A. (Ed. ). African Wisdom on Leadership: A Calendar. Nairobi, Kenya: Paulines Publications; 2006. What Is Ubuntu? DTPFL. (2015, April 29). Retrieved July 25, 2017, from https: //www. youtube. com/watch? v=SMSq. Zck. ROf. A. Hospice and Palliative Nurses Association. Spiritual Distress and Spiritual Care. Nurses Learning Network. https: //nurseslearning. com/courses/hpna/CPFSpiritual. Existential/PT 37 ECPFSpiritual. Distress. pdf. Accessed July 18, 2017. Spiritual Practices from Dr. Weil. com. https: //www. drweil. com/health-wellness/balanced-living/meditation-inspiration/ten-spiritual -practices. Published January 6, 2017. Accessed July 18, 2017. Williams JMG. Mindfulness: Diverse Perspectives on Its Meaning, Origins and Applications. London: Routledge; 2013. Lewis, M. L. & Beasley, C. (2017) The African American Ubuntu Continuum of Stress. Unpublished Manuscript, Tulane University, New Orleans, LA. OTHER SOURCES 1. Stress: The Different Kinds of Stress. American Psychological Association. http: //www. apa. org/helpcenter/stress-kinds. aspx. Accessed July 18, 2017. 2. Carson C. The Autobiography of Martin Luther King, Jr. New York, NY: Grand Central Publishing; 1998. 3. Grayman-Simpson N. Black community involvement and subjective well-being. JPAS. 2012; 5(3): 26 -42. 4. Mandela NR. A Long Walk to Freedom: The Autobiography of Nelson Mandela. Boston, MA: Little, Brown & Co; 1994. 5. An Interview with Lynne Bundesen. Dr. Weil. com. https: //www. drweil. com/health-wellness/balanced-living/meditation-inspiration/aninterview-with-lynne-bundesen. Published September 23, 2016. Accessed July 18, 2017.
Ubuntu Program for Emotional Wellness • This program uses an integrative holistic approach to health that builds on cultural strengths. The balance of four key components— community, body, mind, and spirit—is integral to the daily functioning of African Americans required for their health and emotional wellbeing. This curriculum is distinct from other interventions in that it addresses the legacies of resilience and vulnerabilities from the historical trauma of slavery as unrecognized sources of stress in African American communities. 6
• The Ubuntu Program for Emotional Wellness is brought to you by Take Action for Health, a collaboration of Anthem, Inc. , City of Hope, the National Urban League, and Pfizer, Inc. , and was created by Marva L. Lewis, Ph. D and Candice C. Beasley, DSW from Tulane University. • For more information, go to takeactionforhealth. org.
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