Looking Back at 2021 - Top 9 IG Posts

RDLeslie

Looking forward to a wonderful year ahead; grateful to share some space with you all here within our @arcs.solutions community!

I've been looking back at Instagram posts from 2021 and these are the top 9 that have resonated with you all the most. I’m so thankful that we can share a common focus on safety, attachment, healthy relationships, sensory needs, nervous system regulation, and a love of reading! It informs me that we’re heading in the right direction- trying to collectively learn about care in community, deepening our knowledge of how stress affects each of us, & connecting with some other amazing accounts out there doing some incredible work!

Here are our top 9 posts from 2021:

1- Anita from @wholeheartedschoolcounseling has a wonderfully unique way of sharing information that’s captivating, inclusive, and informative! This breakdown of the fight-flight-freeze responses in kids was popular (and helpful). Keep your eyes open on the @wholeheartedschoolcounseling account because Anita is so generous in sharing free tools and creating new resources!

2- My early teacher training in attachment & trauma was hugely influenced by Dr. Gabor Maté, Bruce Perry, and Gordon Neufeld. Maté was part of creating the incredible film The Wisdom of Trauma that came out in 2021. The vision behind making the movie was to create a more trauma-informed society at large. It does an excellent job of looking at trauma through an intergenerational lens and considering steps towards healing as a communal effort.

3- Of course our weighted animals were a HUGE hit and a big reason why we created our online sensory shop! We’re so happy that families throughout the GTA have benefited from the soothing & calm that come with proprioceptive input! Plus the weighted lizard is so stinkin’ cute! Our weighted snakes and weighted frogs were also popular options and made their homes within many Toronto families. (Fun fact: our weighted frog even made a cameo on a popular Toronto podcast!!) Thank you for trusting me to curate sensory solutions that make sense when considering individual differences, product quality, and based on my experience in the classroom, within homes, and in community.

4- Sal from @mindful_kin created this brilliant idea for sorting through tricky mixed emotions - incorporating sensory input from coloured play dough. We love that she was willing to share her idea with our community! I’ve tried this activity multiple times now with students and my own boys!

5- Bruce Perry and Oprah Winfrey published the book What Happened to You? They cover trauma, resilience, and healing in such a comprehensive way. I strongly recommend this book! Much like The Wisdom of Trauma, this book is heavy. Be mindful to pace yourself, take plenty of breaks, and seek support as needed. 

6- One of our favourite deliveries of 2021: compression shirts from @mollyfuller.design! I have to wash my youngest son’s shirt multiple times a week because he wears it so often. And my adult size shirt is a new favourite - with compression at the waist and discreet wrist fidgets embedded in the fabric!

7- I’m especially proud (and thankful to all of you) that one of my original quotes was one of your favourite @arcs.solutions posts this year! That’s humbling! I have been so hesitant to share my own writing but you’ve given me a friendly nudge...thank you! Apparently, this community is just as interested in the nervous system as I am - so we’ll continue to learn more together in the new year.

8- I was surprised this photo made the cut of top posts but I’m incredibly pleased! We’re a bookworm family through and through, and nothing makes me happier than encouraging local libraries and independent book stores! Toronto Public Library (@torontolibrary) has done a phenomenal job of providing resources for families throughout the past 22 months. Having access to so many free books has enriched our family experience more than we can express!

9- Finally, I am a HUGE Kristin Wiens (@kristin.wiens) fan! She’s able to translate words & theories into bite-size visuals in the best of ways! Incidentally, I’m also a huuuge fan of Dr. Mona Delahooke (@monadelahooke) so when Kristin redid her coregulation visual with these autonomic flags (red flag= their upset & green flag= our calm that supports their self-regulation)… I mean, brilliant! I’ve used this in conversations with parents & school staff- sooo helpful!!


✨Here’s to another year of learning and sharing within this wonderful community! Thank you for being here. It means so much!

Let me know in the comments below (1) what you’ve enjoyed the most this past year within @arcs.solutions & (2) what you’d like to learn together in 2022!
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Cheers,
r.