World Day of Bullying Prevention

#BlueUp

Sun = Inclusion     Salt = Bullying

On Monday October 7th, World Day of Bullying Prevention, Stomp Out Bullying invites us all to #BlueUp, and use our voices to make bullying history. Be the Sun, Not the Salt joins Stomp Out Bullying in standing Up Against Hate, Racism And Discrimination. Changing The Culture With Inclusion, Equality, Civility And Unity Becomes Our Destiny. We are proud to join Stomp Out Bullying and share this message from our friend JC.

When Dr. Cohen coaches and speaks to people/groups he puts a lot of emphasis on the damaging effect of being the Salt. Poorly-managed negative emotions are not good for your health. Negative attitudes and feelings of helplessness and hopelessness can create chronic stress, which upsets the body’s hormone balance, depletes the brain chemicals required for happiness, and damages the *immune system. Chronic stress can actually decrease our lifespan. (Science has now identified that stress shortens our telomeres, the “end caps” of our DNA strands, which causes us to age more quickly.) Bullying causes stress both for the person doing the bullying and the person who is being bullied.

Be The Sun, Not the Salt is a clear and honest guide to finding your best self. The message is intended to help you develop intentional practices to choose to be kind, positive, grateful, helpful, over being angry, hateful, rude and negative. Positive emotions have a scientific purpose-to help the body recover from the ill effects of persistent negative emotions. Thus cultivating positivity over time can help us become more resilient in the face of crisis or stress. Just like Dr. Harry Cohen says in the book Be The Sun, Not the Salt, Practice Practice Practice to build your DO IT ANYWAY muscles, being Heliotropic isn’t easy, but it becomes easier when you intentionally practice. Resilient people are able to experience tough emotions like pain, sorrow, frustration, and grief without falling apart. Resilient people do not deny the pain or suffering they are experiencing; rather, they retain a sense of positivity that helps them overcome the negative effects of their situation. In fact, some people are able to look at challenging times with optimism and hope, knowing that their hardships will lead to personal growth and an expanded outlook on life.

JC and his family are resilient. They intentionally focus on looking at their challenges with optimism and hope. Laura, Lee and JC spend a lot of their time intentionally being the Sun, helping create awareness for the importance of inclusion and kindness. They are making a difference and working daily to drive change. They are part of a large community of people in the Portland Oregon Metro who all work to drive positive change and create inclusion for all.  

In February 2015 Laura, Lee, and JC were chosen as the presenters of the Heart Of Gold banquet. They were nominated by the Providence Neuro Development Center because of their ability to always Be the Sun through all of JC’s coaching and learning sessions. They chose the Traw family for this honor, because they are Positive Energizers in everything they do.

JC and his team of Doctors from Sunset Pediatrics work closely to help him develop socialization skills, physical strength and confidence. This is a recent photo of JC at a scavenger hunt put on by their office.