The kids are OK? Make mental health a priority at home.

The kids are OK? Make mental health a priority at home.

Before the pandemic, Jessica Drew de Paz, PsyD and director of mindfulness services at the Susan Samueli Integrative Health Institute taught a mindfulness workshop to a group of nurses at UCI. The exercise was simple handwashing. “I told them to think about what they’re doing,” she says. “You’re doing this to remove the germs, to protect yourself, your families and your patients.” Once they had the tools, it made the task more meaningful and they performed it better because they were concentrating on that task.