Flexibility 101
Flexible or inflexible: Taylor is supposed to build a fort with her dad outside, but it rains. She thinks that is ok, we can play a board game instead.
Flexible
It is important to know our _____ so we can using coping strategies to calm strong emotions.
Triggers
feelings
What type of thinking are we doing when we can control own thoughts by coming up with more positive/helpful statements?
Flexible Thinking
Name 1 way that having a back-up plan helps you?
Allows you to keep an open mind, have choices, avoid getting stuck, and accomplish your goals.
Flexible or inflexible: Jesse's mother forgot to buy her favorite snack so she refuses to eat anything else and screams while running out of the room.
Inflexible
When I am feeling inflexible, I have strong emotions, like ______.
frustrated, angry, sad
If you see a dog and your thought is "he looks" mean, how might you feel? What might you do?
Scared, run away
What are 2 benefits of flexible thinking?
You feel more calm, get to have fun and try new things, family will be proud of you, people will want to be around you
I was supposed to go with my mom to the movies this week, but she has to work. What is a good back up plan?
Go to the movies another weekend, ask my mom if she can do something else before work, ask my grandma to go to the movies with me instead
Learning flexibility skills will make my life easier because I will ______.
have fun, feel calm, get to try new things
Name 2 body feelings we can experience when feeling inflexible
Feeling hot, turning red, shaking, butterflies, confused mind, tense shoulders, clenched fists,
If you see a dog and have the thought "he is so cute", how might you feel? What would you do?
Excited, ask to pet the dog
Jack did not do well on a math assignment. He thinks, “I am stupid and will never be good at math!” What is a more flexible thought?
I did okay on the test, but maybe I can ask for help from the teacher before next test.
____ problems do not last long and only impact one or two people. They are mildly annoying, may require a small change in plans, and do not really change anything important.
Small
Being inflexible has caused me problems because I ____.
feel upset, get in trouble, do not get to have fun
Name 2 strategies that you use to in order to feel more relaxed
Praying, reading, listening to music, going for a walk, art, playing with Gerard
Getting stuck on negative, unhelpful thoughts is called ______ Brain.
Rock Brain
TRUE or FALSE: Understanding someone else's perspective or what they feel or think helps us be more flexible.
TRUE: there is more than one way to think about a situation.
Our response or reaction should match the size of the _______.
Problem
Joey's friend did not want to play the same game as him. He started to get upset and wanted his friend to leave. Flex-O-Meter score?
4 - Not at all flexible
Name 2 relaxation strategies that we learned in sessions that can be used in any situations.
Praying, reading, asking for help, jumping on trampoline, asking for a hug, progressive muscle relaxation, quiet and calm sitting
What thinking trap occurs when predict we know what others are thinking without figuring out other more likely possibilities ("Jack did not talk to me this morning, so he does not want to be my friend.")
Mind reading
Tara feels very strongly that math is the best subject, but Brandon thinks history is the best. They are not able to compromise at all despite trying. What might be the next strategy they should try?
Agree to disagree
Josh wanted to go on a bike ride, but Ann wanted to go to the park. They ended up playing on Josh's climbing tower instead. What do we call this?
Compromising
Bonus point---what specific type of compromise is this? (Pick something new, each person gets part, or take turns?)