Found your superpower 👉

Dear friend, 
 

I've been saying, “Your attention is your superpower” ever since I started at CMP. At first, I thought I was drawn to this idea because I’m a mom, always looking for ways to stay inspired myself. But the more I speak to people that we partner with, and practice mindfulness alongside, the more it resonates with me—and with them.

Your attention is your superpower. 

Imagine this: You’re having one of those days when nothing seems to go right. You’re frustrated with your spouse, irritated by the burnt coffee, annoyed about the mistake you made at work yesterday—and now, even your smug cat is getting on your nerves.

Suddenly, those little frustrations stack up and turn into a big wave of rage.

Sound familiar?
 

How do you manage your emotions when they hit you all at once like a wave?

When we take back the driver's seat of our own attention, —by focusing on our breath, on how our bodies are feeling, or even on just being present with our own minds—we can:

Pause, notice the feelings, and, maybe even say “Welcome back, anger, it’s been a minute”

This subtle shift helps you regulate your emotions, which in turn, enhances your decision-making.

In a world where fast-paced thinking and quick-fix actions are celebrated, the most superhuman gifts we each hold are our innate abilities to:

Stop.

Take a breath. 

Observe your thoughts, emotions and sensations. 

Proceed with awareness. 

For the fellow science enthusiasts, this "superpower" is actually rewiring your brain through neuroplasticity, changing the part of your brain associated with attention regulation.

Yes, you read that right—mindfulness and meditation can unlock your superhuman strength and literally change your brain, no matter your age.

So why do we take time to pause and notice? This was exactly what we explored with our partners in Norwalk this month (and every month!)

About a third of our programming this year has been dedicated to the wonderful community of Norwalk, CT. Through partnerships with Norwalk Public Schools, the Norwalk Health Department, Norwalk ACTS, Liberation Programs, Family & Children’s Agency, the Norwalk Library, and more, we’ve been humbled and grateful to support this incredible community of caregivers, change-makers, and genuinely kind humans.

Sometimes the most unexpected moments can bring us the greatest joy. 

Take our friend Robin, MSW, DSW, Social Worker in Residence at Norwalk Public Schools. Robin is responsible for the district wide Curriculum & Instruction including the Comprehensive Mental Health & Wellness initiative and recently invited us to join a full day of professional development that she was leading for all school counselors, social workers, psychologists, and youth mental health professionals in the city (that support programs like Kids in Crisis, CALM, etc).

Alongside 120 professionals, our very own Erika Long ended a jam-packed day of intense mental health, suicide awareness and intervention trainings with 45 minutes of mindfulness didactic learning and meditation practice. 

 One participant shared with us in a survey, “At first I felt like mindfulness was unnecessary and I would have rather gone home early! But once in the workshop, it was run so well and I found the practices different from the run of the mill mindfulness practices I've had before. I really enjoyed the practice and was emotionally moved by a couple of them. Thank you so much!”

A bright light

We even welcomed a special visitor who stumbled upon our room after checking out books in the library. She decided to join the final meditation to close the day, and it was such a beautiful moment. Check out and click the video of it below! At the end, I thanked the parents for letting her brighten everyone's day, and they told me, “She already told us she wants to do this at home tonight!”

Click to view video of our suprise visitor (forgive the blurry iphone image, it was too good not to share!)

Norwalk ACTS (right and off-camera) x Norwalk Library Part 1 Panel  of Parenting Chat series:
Ricardo, (left) LMSW, LINC Clinician (Latinx Integrated Care) Program at Mid-Fairfield Community Care Center
Elizabeth Murdoch (middle left), LCSW, Manager of Counseling & Advocacy at Domestic Violence Crisis Center,
Ella Crivello, Executive Director, Community Mindfulness Project (middle right)

Last week, our partner Norwalk ACTS invited the Community Mindfulness Project, the Domestic Violence Crisis Center, and the Mid-Fairfield Community Care Center to participate in a panel discussion with Norwalk parents, guardians, and caretakers on managing family stress. For us, it was important to sit in a circle, rather than on a stage.

We’re all co-learners in this journey.

It goes without saying, but... I have stress, too. We all do. Even surrounded by the most mindful colleagues and practices every day, the goal of our work is not to eliminate stress—it’s too big a task for any of us. The real purpose is to feel more resilient, to adapt more quickly, and to stay connected to our emotions so we can strengthen the relationships in our lives.

During the panel, we made space to understand and become more aware of the different types of stress - acute, psychological and chronic. Our nervous system often can't tell the difference between them. So it was important to sit together and give each other space to share stories and kindness and compassion towards each other.

As each caregiver introduced themselves and shared stories, we met T.

T is a mother of three whose husband just died last month of brain cancer. She shared how difficult it has been navigate with how life just has to keep going on. She shared a story of incredible resilience and self compassion and how she models to her children that it’s ok to feel what we’re feeling, and to take time for what YOU need. 

We tend live in our heads, and even though stress is highly emotional and psychological, it also manifests in our body.

To support the evening, I lead an Embodied Awareness practice, which helps cultivate the healthy habit of listening to our bodies and noticing what they're trying to tell us.  

For 90 minutes we were there for each other, parents to children from infants to 38 yrs old; from first time empty nesters to parents to children with special needs...all recognizing that caregiving is just plain hard. And community support and seeking help matters. 

We also met A.  On top of the normal stressors of being a working parent in life she shared that her mom was suddenly hit by a car and died last year and that the family is having a really tough time with the grieving. 
Her kid suffered from depression, she suffered from panic attacks. Her doctor had told her to try Meditation but it never clicked until our session. 

While we can’t control external acute and chronic stressors, we can control psychological stress. 

Put another way… As the wise Jon Kabat Zinn says "we can’t control the waves... but we can learn how to surf"

Our community partnerships are the roots of our impact. Whether we are leading sessions at Public Schools or the Library; connecting with the collective of Norwalk ACTS or hosting workshops and trainings at Liberation Programs' Inpatient Families in Recovery facility, we could not do this work without their collaboration and could not sustain these relationships as a growing nonprofit without your support.

With deep gratitude,
Ella Crivello

Executive Director, Community Mindfulness Project

Ps. If you missed the launch of our Annual Appeal, Our Resilience, Our Community, you can read about it here.