Evolve Resources for Root Strength, 1st Edition

About the Author

Preface:

Who is this Book for?

How can you use this book?

Part I: Identifying via the Research

CH 1. Introduction: Humans First, Caregivers Second

Human First

Caregivers Second

The Fallout of Burnout

Why it Matters

Root Strength: Sense of Coherence and Congruence

Vision for a Deep-Rooted World

Spirituality in the Roots

The Journey Ahead

Making the Most of The Journey

Practices are not Prescriptions

CH 2. What Does it Mean to Thrive?

Engaging in Thriving

The Meeting of Human Needs as a Precursor to Thriving

Congruence: Reconciling Our Real Versus Ideal Selves

Weaving in the Science of the Heart

Strengthening Practice: Cultivating Social Coherence

The Dance: Navigating Obstacles to Congruence

Role Transitions.

A Hidden Curriculum that Promotes Incongruence

Not Knowing Our Self

Digging Deeper into Sense of Coherence and Thriving

The Journey Ahead

CH 3. Stress

Where Does Stress Come From? How Does Stress Work?

Biologically, the stress response works like this:

Empathy and Vicarious Trauma: Hurt Too Close to Home

Attuning Practice: Empathy and Me, Harmful or Helpful?

Strengthening Practice: Escaping the Empathy Trap

Emotional Labour in the Workplace: Fake it till you Can’t Take It?

Attuning Practice: Deep Acting with THAT thing that makes your Heart Sing

Effort-Reward Imbalance: Not Worth the Effort

Workplace Hostility: Eating Our Young

Shame: When We Don’t Measure Up

Perfectionism: The Pressure to Perform

Homogenization: No Snowflakes Allowed

Physical Violence: A Disturbing New Normal

Heavy Workloads: Too Busy to Breathe

Impacts of Chronic Stress

Burnout

Deflated Morale

Taking Personality into Account

A Recap

PART II: Identifying and Reframing via Intuitive Intelligence

CH 4. Assessing Root Strength and Stability

Attuning Practice: How are your Roots?

Attuning Practice: Connecting Emotional States with Congruence

Attuning Practice: Incongruent Tendencies

Strengthening Practice: Developing Awareness through Mindfulness

Clearing Practice: Chakras

Aligning Practice: Dropping in to Set a Goal/Intention

The Journey Ahead

CH 5. Nurturing Congruence with Self-Compassion

Unconditional Positive Regard in Relationships

Requirements, Qualities, and Facilitators of Unconditional Positive Regard (UPR)

The Power of Self-Compassion

Brain Chunking: Helpful or Harmful?

Emotional Management at Work

Mindful Super Powers: The Necessity of Curiosity and Self-Compassion

A Fresh Look at Self-Care/Self-Kindness

Attuning Practice: Relating to Self-Compassion

Attuning Practice: Self-Kindness Assessment

Strengthening Practice: Take a Self-Compassionate Break

Strengthening Practice: Body Scan Strengthening Practice

Clearing Practice: Dealing with bodily tension – Softening into Sanctuary

Attuning Practice: A Meeting with your ‘Real’ Self

Strategies to Remember our Essence

Strengthening Practice: What do you ‘Really’ Desire?

The Journey Ahead

CH 6. Navigating Stressors: Managing the Weather

Recognizing the Fight-Flight-Freeze Response

Stress Busters

Reversing Chronic Sympathetic Response

Interrupting Fight and Flight via Breathing Techniques

The 4-7-8 technique

The 4x4 technique

Breath of fire

Sighing

Breath counting

Working with the Freeze Response

Clearing Practice: Interrupting the Freeze Response

Cortisol Lowering Activities

Forest bathing

Emotional Freedom Technique (EFT)

Sustained stretches

Shaking it off with self-induced tremors, intense bouts of exercise or dancing

Exercise

Acupuncture

Aromatherapy with massage

A Warning on Using Humour to Manage Stress

The Disconnected Self

Substance Use: Using to Escape or to Heal?

Soaking in the Inner World: Moving through the Layers

Attuning Practice: What soil are you growing in? From Enculturation to Emancipation

Clearing Practice: Managing Thoughts and Uncomfortable Emotions

Emotional management

Clearing Practice: "Shake it Off" or "Stretch it Out"

Navigating Hostility/Horizontal Violence among Co-workers

Attuning to Self

Clearing Practice: Coping with Bad Weather

Strengthening Practice: Finding Sanctuary in your Roots

Strengthening Practice: Generating Unconditional Positive Regard

Strengthening Practice: Using Music to Stir and Deepen

Strengthening Practice: Reconnection to the body

Clearing Practice Tip: Using ‘I’ Statements

Attuning Practice: Distinguishing Signal from Noise

Desire as Signal, Obligations as Noise

Grounding and Centring through Heart Breathing

The Journey Ahead

CH 7. Sense of Coherence and Mindfulness: Deepening Roots through Re-orientation

Sense of Coherence and Mindfulness

Judging the Judger

Gravitating to activities and substances to cope

The Science of Mindfulness

Mind over Body: The Healing Power of Mindfulness

Training the Brain to be Mindful

Attuning Practice: Observing the Breath

Making and Breaking Habits/Rituals

Attuning Practice: Creating a Habit/Ritual

Attuning Practice: Breaking Habits with Mindfulness

A Mindful Meal

The Raisin Exercise

The Why and How of Meditation Practice

Technology: Supporting Mindfulness

Mindfulness Tools: Neurofeedback and Binaural Beats

Attuning Practice: Awareness through Mindfulness

Strengthening Practice: Mindfulness in a Pinch

Strengthening Practice: Improving Concentration with Breath Counting

Strengthening Practice: Improving Restraint by Working with Discomfort

Shannon Dames, RN, MPH, EdD, Professor, Bachelor of Science in Nursing, Hath Professional Investigator for the Michael Smith Foundation for Health Research/Lotte and John Hecht Memorial Foundation, Director of Research and Development for Roots to Thrive, Vancouver Island University, Nanaimo, British Columbia