My daughter is studying to become a counsellor. She has an innate ability to connect with others, and in particular with children — I view her as a “child whisperer”. In her studies, they have been discussing microaggressions and she thought it would make a great blog topic. She was right!
Let’s start with a definition:
MICROAGGRESSION – A term used for commonplace daily verbal, behavioural or environmental slights, whether intentional or not, that communicate hostile, derogatory or negative attitudes towards stigmatized or culturally marginalized groups.
Remember, they can be intentional or unintentional slights. The important part is that they communicate negativity.
Today’s topic has both a professional and personal focus. I’m feeling particularly reflective and wanted to share my thoughts with you on a topic that is important to me.
My Boy
I have previously blogged about GRATITUDE … back in Oct 2017 (Gratitude- Happy Thanksgiving). Now, almost 5 years later I still think about it — actually, pretty much every day I try to find gratitude in things around me.
I want gratitude to frame a large part of my thoughts — as I believe this mindset builds my sense of hope, increases my resiliency and builds my optimism for tomorrow.
As I get older, I believe that I am seeing the world from a better vantage point. I find that having gratitude aligns pretty well with my degree of happiness. I look for opportunities to be grateful — certainly for what I have, but also for the new lessons that life provides, and for the people (and pets) who make my life better. There will always be stuff we need or want — it’s fun to have new shoes or a new pair of jeans. But, we know that material happiness is fleeting and certainly not related to gratitude.
I see and hear these catch phrases all the time. Just Google ‘COVID Learning Loss’ and you’ll see what I mean. Here’s a sampling of some articles that point out how learning has been affected during the pandemic:
The Power of Why 