Calming Skills
What calming skill involves breathing in through your nose?
What is 478 Breathing? This breathing technique helps calm the nervous system and reduces stress. By slowing down your breath, you can activate your parasympathetic nervous system, which helps bring your body back to a state of calm.
What is an important quality in a friendship that involves being able to rely on someone?
What is Trust?
Explanation: Trust is foundational in any friendship. It means believing that the other person will keep their word, be there for you when needed, and not betray your confidence. Trust builds security and safety in relationships.
This technique involves focusing on your breathing to help you calm down when feeling overwhelmed.
Answer: What is Bubble Breathing?
What is Bubble Breathing?
Explanation: Bubble breathing involves imagining blowing out bubbles as you exhale, which helps regulate your breath and calm your mind. It’s a fun and effective way to practice deep breathing, especially for younger kids.
This type of thinking happens when you get “stuck” in a feeling and have a hard time moving forward.
What is Stuck Thinking?
Explanation: Stuck thinking occurs when a person becomes fixated on negative emotions or thoughts, preventing them from moving past a difficult situation. It’s important to recognize this pattern and practice flexible thinking to break free.
This skill helps you focus on what is within your control, like your own actions or reactions.
What is Circle of Control?
Explanation: The Circle of Control helps you focus on things you can control (like your behavior and reactions) and let go of things you can’t control (like other people's actions). This promotes a sense of empowerment and reduces stress.
Which calming skill involves using your muscles to tense and then relax them to help reduce stress?
What is Progressive Muscle Relaxation?
Explanation: Progressive muscle relaxation (PMR) involves tensing each muscle group in your body and then relaxing it. This helps release built-up tension and allows you to feel more physically and mentally relaxed.
When you need to resolve a disagreement with a friend, it’s important to think about the size of the problem and this.
What is Compromise?
Explanation: Compromise is finding a middle ground in a disagreement where both people give a little to reach a solution. It’s a vital skill in friendships to maintain harmony and ensure that both parties feel heard and respected.
This technique helps you ground yourself by focusing on your senses, like feeling your hands in water.
What is Hands Under Water?
Explanation: This grounding technique involves placing your hands under cold or warm water, helping you reconnect with your body and calm your nervous system. It’s a great way to regain focus in moments of high stress or anxiety.
This emotion is typically felt when something doesn’t go as planned or when things are unfair.
What is Frustration?
Explanation: Frustration is a common emotional response when expectations are not met. It can arise when things don't go the way you hope, but learning to manage frustration can lead to better problem-solving and resilience.
This phrase helps you express your feelings without blaming others, using “I feel…” instead of “You make me…”
What is I Statements?
Explanation: Using “I Statements” helps you express your emotions in a non-blaming way. For example, instead of saying "You make me angry," you would say, "I feel upset when..." This helps foster healthier communication and reduces conflict.
This calming skill can help you manage strong feelings by taking a break from a situation.
What is Taking Space?
Explanation: Taking space means stepping away from a difficult situation to give yourself time to calm down and collect your thoughts. It's important because it can help you avoid reacting impulsively in stressful moments.
This type of thinking helps you focus on solutions and not just problems in social situations.
What is Flexible Thinking?
Explanation: Flexible thinking helps you adapt to new situations and change your perspective when things don’t go as planned. It’s a key skill for overcoming obstacles in friendships and relationships, as it allows you to stay open to different possibilities.
When you feel upset, you can use this technique to bring your focus to something peaceful, like a rainbow.
What is Search for the Rainbow?
Explanation: The "Search for the Rainbow" technique encourages you to mentally search for something positive or calming when you’re feeling overwhelmed. Whether it's a rainbow or a peaceful memory, it helps shift your focus away from stress.
The skill of identifying how big or small a problem is helps you manage how upset you feel about it.
What is Size of the Problem?
Explanation: This skill helps you assess how big or small a problem is and respond accordingly. By understanding the size of the issue, you can prevent yourself from overreacting to smaller problems or underreacting to more significant ones.
This ability allows you to recognize and counteract negative thoughts, such as “I’m not good enough” with a more supportive message.
What is Inner Coach vs. Inner Critic?
Explanation: The Inner Critic is the negative voice in your head that undermines your confidence, while the Inner Coach is the supportive, encouraging voice that helps you grow. Learning to counteract your Inner Critic with
This technique involves a soft tapping motion on your body, similar to a butterfly’s wings, to calm down.
What is Butterfly Tap?
Explanation: The butterfly tap is a calming technique where you tap your fingers gently on your chest, creating a soothing rhythm. This helps regulate the body's stress response and brings a sense of comfort and control.
This skill helps you manage different behaviors in social settings, like knowing what’s expected and unexpected.
What is Expected and Unexpected Behavior?
Explanation: Understanding the difference between expected and unexpected behavior helps you navigate social interactions with greater ease. It helps you act appropriately in different settings and recognize how your actions might affect others.
This technique involves regulating your emotions.
What is TIP (Temperature, Intense Exercise, Paced Breathing, Progressive Relaxation)?
Explanation: The TIP skill is a DBT technique used to quickly regulate intense emotions. It involves using temperature (like holding ice), intense exercise, paced breathing, or progressive relaxation to reduce the body’s stress response.
This technique involves focusing on positive things you can say to yourself to fight negative thoughts.
What is Positive Self-Talk?
Explanation: Positive self-talk involves replacing negative, self-critical thoughts with supportive and encouraging ones. It helps build self-esteem and resilience, especially when facing challenges or setbacks.
This quality of a friend is about being understanding and forgiving when mistakes happen.
What is Forgiveness?
Explanation: Forgiveness in friendships is about letting go of grudges and being able to move past conflicts. It’s essential for maintaining healthy, long-lasting relationships.
Which caming skill involves focusing on positive things in life, like your friends or family, when feeling upset?
What is Gratitude?
Explanation: Gratitude involves acknowledging the positive aspects of your life, even in challenging moments. It helps shift your focus from problems to the things you're thankful for, which can improve your mood and reduce feelings of stress.
This social skill focuses on being kind, caring, and forgiving toward your friends.
What is Friendship Qualities?
Explanation: Key friendship qualities include caring, kindness, trustworthiness, and forgiveness. These traits help build strong, supportive relationships where both people feel valued and understood.
This technique involves visualizing your legs up against a wall to help your body feel more relaxed.
What is Legs on Wall?
Explanation: "Legs on Wall" is a relaxation technique where you lie on your back with your legs up against a wall. This position helps relax your lower back, reduce stress, and promote a feeling of calm throughout the body.
This emotion can be intense when dealing with a teacher you don’t like, and it’s important to practice acceptance.
What is Dislike (or Frustration)?
Explanation: Disliking someone, like a teacher, is a natural emotion. However, practicing acceptance involves acknowledging that not everyone will be your favorite, and learning how to manage those feelings in a healthy way.
This skill encourages you to focus on your strengths and achievements to improve your self-esteem.
What are Positive Affirmations?
Explanation: Positive affirmations are statements you tell yourself to boost your self-esteem and confidence. Repeating affirmations like "I am capable" or "I can handle challenges" helps to reframe your mindset in a positive light.