Emotions Matter
What is an emotion?
A feeling such as happiness, anger, or fear.
What are thoughts?
What you say to yourself in your head.
What is a situation that could happen at school or home that would cause someone to feel strong emotions?
Examples: Getting in an argument with a sibling or friend, being sent out of the classroom by a teacher, or getting in trouble with your parents.
What is the cycle of unhelpful thoughts?
You feel a strong emotions, have an unhelpful thought, make a negative decision, have a stronger emotion, which leads to the whole cycle again.
What is positive self-talk?
Positive self-talk means thinking positive thoughts.
What is sensory input?
Information the brain receives from our five senses.
How are emotions, thoughts, and decisions related?
Emotions can lead to thoughts which affect your decisions.
What is a helpful thought?
A thought that makes us feel confident, happy, and brave.
What are some ways to interrupt the cycle?
Use an emotional-management strategy or reframe the situation.
What is negativity bias?
Negativity bias means it's often easier to think of negative things than positive things.
What is the amygdala?
The part of the brain that is involved in experiencing emotions.
Sort these into thoughts or emotions: I suck as soccer, Maybe I should quit. Happiness because I got a good grade. I can't believe she did that, what a horrible friend.
Thought, Emotion, Thought.
What is an unhelpful thought?
A thought that makes us feel worried, nervous, or sad.
What are some emotional management strategies?
Examples: slow breathing, walking away, and counting.
Why can it be difficult to pay attention to the positives?
Our brains are wired to pay more attention to negative things than positive things
What is the cortex?
The part of the brain that is most involved in making decisions.
Maddox and his dad got into an argument. Maddox called his dad a name and his dad took away his phone. Maddox feels angry. What might Maddox think?
Maddox might think, “This is so unfair!”
How do helpful and unhelpful thoughts affect our decisions?
Unhelpful thoughts may cause us to make bad decisions that we do not want to make. Helpful thoughts can help us calm down and solve situations in a positive way.
What is reframing?
To reframe means to look at a situation from a different perspective.
Give an example of positive self-talk.
Examples: I have a strong support system, I am doing the best I can, I am really smart, My hair is beautiful.
Why is it difficult to make good decisions when you’re having strong emotions?
The amygdala works faster than the cortex, the cortex can get overwhelmed by emotions, and emotions can take over, causing you to say or do something you might regret.
Maddox and his dad got into an argument. Maddox called his dad a name, and his dad took away his phone for a week. Maddox feels angry. What decisions might Maddox make if he thinks, "This is so unfair!"?
If Maddox thinks, “This is so unfair!” he might storm off.
Nia has always been the best tumbler on her gymnastics team. But now Jasmine is mastering harder skills than Nia. Nia is feeling jealous. What is a helpful thought Nia might have? What is an unhelpful thought Nia might have?
A helpful thought could be "Great now I have someone to push me to work harder". An helpful thought could be "I suck, look how much better she is than me".
Reframe this thought: You studied hard for a test but you still got a low grade. You think "I will never be good at science".
Example: I can get better at science or I will ask my teacher to help me review.
How does positive self-talk affect negativity bias?
When you make positive self-talk a habit, you can rewire your brain to pay more attention to the positives.