Parts of the Brain
the part of the body responsible for learning and thinking.
True or false. Your amygdala knows the difference between feeling scared interpersonally and having a bear chasing you.
false
Why does deep breathing calm you down?
Because your body doesn't know the difference between a bear chasing you and feeling unsafe interpersonally, doing anything that you would never do while a bear is chasing you, is going to make your body confused about its safety, which in turn, will trigger your pfc to become curious and begin to take over again.
Give an example of a positive self-statement.
I can get better if I keep trying.
The part of the brain that acts as a security guard, alerting your body that there is danger.
What is the amygdala?
How do you calm your body down if you realize it is scared?
Deep breathing, mindfulness, talk to someone
Give a definition of mindfulness.
Paying attention to the present moment.
Anger is a secondary emotion (iceberg) to an underlying emotion. Name two emotions that trigger anger.
embarrassed, hurt, guilt, shame, fear, being disrespected, etc.
The part of the brain that stores all your implicit and explicit memories and determines how you will respond to new stimuli.
What is the hippocampus?
Give an example of a fight, flight, or freeze response.
Jumping backwards from a moving car: flight
lion example: freeze
yelling back at someone when they yell at you: fight
Give an example of a mindful response, as opposed to an unmindful reaction.
Your friend is giving you the silent treatment and instead of going around getting everyone to dislike her, you take some big breaths and plan out how you're going to talk to her about it.
What should you do if you realize you got your feelings hurt and that you are experiencing a fight response?
Take deep breaths to calm down before talking to your friend.
The part of the brain that acts as the secretary, choosing which external stimuli to let through for you to focus on.
What is the reticular activating system or RAS?
What does your hippocampus have to do with how you react if your teacher raises her voice at you? (hint: big dog running at you)
It informs you if that feels dangerous or not to you.
How do you create a new neural pathway of feeling calm and safe?
By practicing mindfulness over and over again.
How should you communicate to someone else if your feelings are hurt?
Figure out what emotion you are feeling and why. Plan out how to say your feelings and what you need.
Explain what "flipping your lid" means.
When you flip your lid, your amygdala is now in charge and you become reactive. Whereas when your pfc is in charge, you can choose how to respond mindfully.
When you realize that you're anxious or angry as you're being mindful, what way is helpful to respond to yourself or someone else in that state?
Be kind and non-judgmental and be curious.