Great Bay Services

We’re all familiar with multi-tasking. In fact, these days it’s easy to become an expert at it, but have you ever wondered what the opposite of multi-tasking is?
It’s called mindfulness, and it’s a helpful coping skill anyone can practice to manage stress, decrease aggression and improve relationships.

In simple terms, mindfulness means slowing down to be present in the moment and putting your full attention on one activity at a time.

Mindfulness is a coping skill that takes practice, and it’s great to practice on days when you’re feeling good! One way to do this is to put your focus into doing something simple that you enjoy doing and bring your awareness to how you feel. Here are some ways to do that:

Take a walk (or drive) and put your attention on quietly noticing pleasant scenes, like leaves changing color, seasonal decorations, or the smell of fall air. How did you feel while you were out?
When you have your favorite warm drink on a cold day, don’t rush drinking it. Just appreciate how it feels to your body. How did this affect your mood?

Mindfulness can also help a person improve ways to manage emotions.
Try Mindful Breathing by putting your attention on the sensation of breathing. Put your hands on your stomach to feel the pace of your breaths, and then bring your awareness to one part of your body that holds tension. Gently slow down your breathing to begin to release tension from that area. This takes practice.
Other ways to bring the skill of mindfulness into your life are through activities which use your emotions and senses. The way to do this is to put your full attention and awareness on the task you are doing such as: raking leaves, cooking, or putting lotion on your hands. What other ways can you practice mindfulness?

For more information, visit https://www.pocketmindfulness.com/ and click on “Start Here” and scroll down to find 6 Mindfulness Exercises. Another online resources is: www.mindful.org

During times when everything seems to keep moving faster, taking time to slow down for gratitude can help us cope better.

For months, we've all been dealing with the challenges of the pandemic, worry about the health of our loved ones and ourselves, and uncertain financial situations. With busy schedules, turning our attention to what we appreciate and are grateful for in life can be something that's easy to forget about, but putting a little more focus on gratitude can help us feel better and be more effective in what we need to do every day.

Gratitude does not have to be complicated. Recognize simple things you appreciate in your life. For example, I recognized that I'm grateful for having enough food, for warm summer weather, good health, the beach, and even flowers where I live. What about you? Here are some other ways to practice gratitude

Gratitude Exercises
Every morning, take a few moments to identify at least one thing you are grateful for.
Once a week, write a list of ten things you are grateful for in your life.
Work with a friend or family member to write an A - Z list of things you're both grateful for. (What did you come up with for letter X?)
Share your gratitude by telling a friend something you appreciate about them.

- Jim Gorham, Clinical Supervisor

Learning remotely in full gear at Great Bay Services

4/4/2020

DOVER -- The halls are empty, but the building is far from quiet. A piano player leads a chorus of singing voices coming through computer speakers. In another room, a staff member runs a morning meeting, with laughing voices from a Zoom call.

This is what community participation at Great Bay Services looks like during the COVID-19 crisis. Great Bay Services provides support to more than 150 adults with disabilities and their families in Seacoast New Hampshire and Southern Maine. Programs include community participation services, job supports, independent living, and case management.

Community Participation Services (CPS) is typically based outside of the centers, with clients and staff making daytrips to different locations, volunteer sites, and other activities. It also includes educational opportunities, like music therapy, drama, and art classes.

With concerns of COVID-19 exposure, Great Bay acted quickly and moved their CPS program to remote learning, with staff conducting online classes, conference calls, and one-on-one calls so clients still receive daily services. They also connect with their peers to combat anxiety, depression, and isolation in a very vulnerable population.

The change is coming under the leadership of Great Bay Services' new Executive Director Pamela Layne, who joined the staff in the midst of the crisis. "We are living in highly unusual circumstances, and we are once again finding ourselves in the midst of change - this time having to find new and creative ways of providing vital services to the individuals we support while protecting everyone's health and safety," said Layne. "Great Bay has survived for 66 years, and I continue to be impressed by how resilient we are as an organization."

Layne has experience working for educational, non-profit organizations, and disability services in the United States and abroad, including the International OCD Foundation, the European League of Institutes of the Arts, and UNH's Student Accessibility Services.

Her relationship with Great Bay Services began when her brother David joined the Great Bay bowling team in 1979.

"It is with tremendous joy and pride that I join the remarkable team at Great Bay Services, an organization that has been an integral part of my own family's support system," said Layne. "To be joining the staff here is deeply meaningful to me." Layne will oversee Great Bay's operations from their Dover, New Hampshire and Sanford, Maine locations.

"All of our programs are still in operation, though at a reduced level," added Layne. "People don't always realize that individuals with disabilities make up part of the essential workforce. They are still working, and our job coaches are right alongside them."

Great Bay Services was founded in 1954 by a group of parents who refused to send their children with disabilities to the state institutions. The organization continued to be instrumental in the class-action lawsuit that shut down the institution system in New Hampshire. Today, GBS is still on the forefront of innovative and progressive care of adults with disabilities in New Hampshire and Maine.

Anyone looking to support Great Bay Services are invited to send their tax-deductible donations to Great Bay Services, 23 Cataract Ave, Suite 1, Dover, NH 03820.

Elizabeth Worboys Burr is the Director of New Hampshire & Maine Mission Advancement for Great Bay Services

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Learning remotely in full gear at Great Bay Services

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