Feelings
How I would feel getting a good grade on an assignment
What is feeling... happy, proud, relieved,
An activity that I can do at school to distract and give me a little mental break.
What is drawing, talking to a friend, going for a walk, getting a drink, taking a deep breath, squeeze and release my muscles
Give an example of a helpful coping thought
I know I can do this, I have done it before. This feeling always goes away, I just need to ride it out.
An unhelpful thought makes us feel worse
Ex. I can't do this, No one likes me, I always fail at everything
What is Mindfulness? How can it be helpful?
Mindfulness is about being present, in the moment and non judgemental. It can be helpful to slow down my mind and body, to focus on 1 thing at a time.
What are 2 healthy coping skills you can think of?
Talking to someone
Take a break and do something relaxing
Breathing practice or mindfulness
Self care/ self compassion
Go for a walk, do some physical activity
How would you feel if your friend invited you to go to Canada's Wonderland for the day?
Happy, Excited, Nervous, Scared, Loved, Worried, Accepted
Something I can do at home to relax
I can listen to music, play with my pet, go outside to play, bake cookies, paint/draw/craft
Give two examples of distractions that can take your mind off your worries for a little while.
Ex. watching a movie, playing a game, puzzles, reading a book, drawing/colouring
What do you do in the 5 things grounding exercise?
Name
5 things you see,
4 things you hear,
3 things you can feel,
2 things you can smell
1 thing you can taste
What is an example of an unhealthy coping strategy?
Eating too much, sleeping too much, running away from a problem, escaping into a video game for hours, breaking things (ie punching wall), hurting yourself or someone else
How I would feel if a couple of my friends had a party and I was not invited.
I would feel ... hurt, upset, angry, worried, confused, jealous
What is an activity that helps me to get out any tensions or energies in my body?
Exercise, running, jumping, stair climbing, yoga/stretching, playing sports
What is a balanced thought? Give an example.
Sometimes I get things wrong in math, but I don't fail my math tests, so I know I can do math and I can get better at it.
Visualizations can be relaxing and calming. How?
It takes you away to a happy calm and pleasant place in your mind. Maybe even a happy memory. Thinking about all the things you see, hear, feel, taste, smell in this place changes the thoughts in your brain and releases feel good chemicals. This feel good chemical helps slow your heart rate and breathing making you feel calmer.
Think of a time you used a healthy coping strategy. What happened?
Share about a time you used a healthy coping strategy.
What is one way to tell when your feelings are manageable and comfortable - or when they are too big and almost out of control?
What is a 5 point scale. All feelings come and go. They can also be small or big. If you are not sure how big a feeling is use a 5 point scale to help learn more about your feelings.
If you notice your feelings are getting really big, then you can chose actions that can help you feel better (ie taking a break). When do your feelings get really big?
Sweating, heart racing, breathing heavily, stomach upset, muscles tense, shaking. What is the system in your body that causes this?
What is your nervous system. This happens when your brain sends signals to your body that it need to get ready for something, or to alert it in case there is a danger nearby.
Sally walks into the classroom and a group of students, look at her walking in and stop talking. What coping thoughts can Sally say to herself.
I'm not a mind reader, I don't know what they are thinking. They just looked up because I walked into the room. I am wearing a trendy new jacket, maybe they may be looking at that. I can smile and say hi and walk to my desk.
What is Progressive Muscle Relaxation?
PMR is a guided exercise that helps reduce muscle tension.
Example
Imagine squeezing a lemon in your fist. Then squeeze your own hand and make lemonade
Is playing a video game a healthy or unhealthy coping strategy?
Healthy - if the game helps give you a little break and you don't play it too long. It should not be hard to get off the game and go back to other activities. Balance being on screens and off screens with other activities
Unhealthy - when you can't stop playing the game, and you get angry when someone asks you to get off. Getting angry while playing the game and yelling, swearing or breaking something. You need to play the game so bad that you sneak around to play more when you know you are not allowed.
Can we control out feelings?
Yes and No. All feelings are normal and healthy. We shouldn't try to stuff them or deny them.
But we need to be aware of how we will deal with our feelings. It is important to learn healthy ways to express our feelings. Unhealthy ways can hurt ourselves, hurt others, and may potentially worsen a problem.
A physical activity I can do anywhere to help relax myself, that doesn't interfere or distract others.
Squeezing a stress ball, Tense and relax my muscles, breathing exercises
Alex is sitting at his desk waiting to go up and say his speech. He is anxious waiting and listening to the other students do their speeches. What can Alex say to himself that would help him to feel better.
I've got this. I have practiced and I feel prepared to deliver this speech. Even if I make a mistake its ok because everyone makes mistakes sometimes. The teacher said that its the effort that counts. So I will speak clearly and loud enough for her to hear.
Give 2 examples of deep breathing activities to use when you need to calm down.
Ex. figure 8, square breathing, belly breathing, counting breathes,
Talking about my problems with a trusted adult or friend is a healthy way of coping with my feelings
Yes. Telling someone who loves you about your feelings can help you to feel better. They may also be able to help solve a problem or get more help when its needed.
Who would you talk to?