Mindfulness
True of False: Mindfulness is about putting all of your attention and energy into the present moment. It means you notice when your mind is distracted and bring your attention back to what you are doing!
TRUE-mindfulness is all about using each moment and not letting our thoughts and worries about the past or future get in the way of accomplishing what we need to do! We can't change the past and we can't predict the future, but we are in control of what we choose to do in the present moment!
True of False: "I feel like I hate you" is a THOUGHT.
True! Even though it has the word "feel," it is our opinion about another person.
Name 3 different feelings we have talked about in this class.
Answers may vary
sad
happy
excited
nervous
scared
embarrassed
bored
calm
angry
annoyed
True of False:
There is only one truth and one way to think about a situation.
FALSE-we all have different perspectives. Two things that are opposites can actually both be true! You can love and hate NYC at the same time.
1) What are the Three States of Mind that we all experience?
2) In what State of Mind do we make our best decisions? Why?
!) Emotion Mind, Rule Mind, Wise Mind
2) WISE MIND-we pay attention to our emotions and the rules or facts of a specific situation. We use both the rules and our emotions when making a decision.
True or False:
Helpful thoughts lead us to feel more uncomfortable and stuck in the moment.
FALSE-helpful thoughts lead us to feel more comfortable or hopeful about a situation. They usually help us feel more safe and calm.
What is the difference between a thought and a feeling?
Thoughts are the words, ideas, stories we say to ourselves.
Feelings are usually one word that describes our mood.
What are the three C's for changing an unhelpful thought? Fill in the blanks...
1) Catch it
2) ________
3) ________
CATCH IT
CHECK IT
CHANGE IT
How can you use mindfulness when you are trying to find a joyful moment or do an enjoyable activity?
Mindfulness helps bring your attention to what you are doing in the present moment. It can be difficult to enjoy an activity when you have a lot of stress or are distracted by other things. When we use mindfulness, we can truly be in the joyful moment without distraction. We are free of distractions and judgments so we can find our joy! This joy (sonic rings) helps improve our mood for when we have to deal with stressors or tough moments in our life.
Which one of these statements is a helpful thought?
1) I'm the worst. I gonna fail."
2) "I already missed so much of this class, I just shouldn't even try."
3) "I know I missed a lot. I can still just give it my all and do my best. If I get some problems wrong, that's ok."
3) "I know I missed a lot. I can still just give it my all and do my best. If I get some problems wrong, that's ok."
Which of the following statements is NOT true?
a) Emotions help us communicate with others, give us information about how we feel in a situation, and can keep us safe.
b) Emotions last for 90 seconds but sometimes they feel longer because we "feed" them with our thoughts.
c) You can have more than one emotion at the same time
d) Sadness and anger are bad emotions.
d! There is no such thing as bad or good emotions. All emotions are important. We all feel sad or angry at times and it is important for us to listen to ourselves when we feel this way. Emotions communicate information to us.
Your teacher calls on you and uses the wrong pronoun. You have told this teacher about your preference many times and they continue to forget.
What would be an EMOTION MIND response?
What would be a RULE MIND response?
What would be a WISE MIND response?
answers may vary
emotion mind-screaming at the teacher, running out of the room, declaring the teacher doesn't care about you or is doing it on purpose (assuming worst intentions)
rule mind-The teacher is in charge and I have to go along with whatever they say. I shouldn't care that much. It's just a word. I'll stay quiet.
Wise Mind-this is really upsetting and frustrating for me. I have a right to feel this way. And, the teacher is in the middle of prepping us for a test so now is not the best time to disrupt the class. I'm going to ask to speak with them again at the end of class and share how I feel.
How does mindfulness help us RIDE THE WAVE of our emotions?
It is difficult to ride the wave of emotions if we are not aware of what our emotion is! Mindfulness helps us pay attention to what is happening in our mind and in our heart so that we can figure out what we are thinking and feeling. Once we know and accept that we are feeling some type of way, it is easier for us to ride the wave.
How can we use our thoughts to change how we feel?
We can notice when we are having unhelpful thoughts that make us feel unsafe or angry, or that get in the way of our goals. If we change this unhelpful thought to one that is more helpful, we have the power to change how we feel.
For example, if we think "everyone hates me," we may feel sad and depressed. We could try to think instead, "some people in this school may not like me, and I know my sister and grandma love me so much." This may lead us to feel a little more loved and calm.
How are our feelings similar to waves?
Can you come up with opposite opinions about ONE of these topics that can both be true?
1) Tik Tok
2) School
3) Summer vacation
answers may vary
TIK TOK: Tik Tok can make me people feel better and worse about the life.
SCHOOL: I hate going to school (hard, boring) AND I also like going to to school (learn, see my friends).
SUMMER VACATION: Summer vacation is so fun because we can be outside and play AND it is also boring because I dont see my friends as much and I don't have that much to do everyday.
During lunch, one of your classmates starts to taunt you and make inappropriate statements about one of your family members. You start to feel immense anger and rage.
1) What would be an EMOTION MIND response in this moment?
2) What would be a RULE MIND response in this moment?
3) What would be a WISE MIND response in this moment?
1) Emotion Mind- Scream, punch them in the face, throw your lunch at them, make inappropriate statements about their family.
2) Rule Mind- That kid is more popular than me. I'm not allowed to get mad at them (thinking about social "rules" and etiquette in school). I better just act normal and not say anything. I shouldn't be upset if I want them to like me.
3) Wise Mind - I'm really angry and sad about these comments and I have every right to be! I also know that if I scream or punch them, it will end up being worse for me. I'm going to tell them to stop, and if they don't, I will either choose to ignore them and hang out with my friends or tell a teacher.
Situation: Your friends are sitting together at lunch whispering.
1) What is an UNhelpful and a helpful thought you could have about this situation?
2) How would the UNhelpful thought make you feel?
3) How would the helpful thought make you feel?
answers may vary
Unhelpful: they are definitely talking about me.
Helpful: I have no idea what they are talking about. I’ll go over and say hi because they are my friends.
What are two ways you can RIDE THE WAVE of emotions?
1) Don't try to push down or get rid of your emotions-they will just keep popping back up!
2) Try not to "feed" your emotions with thoughts or actions. Try to just notice how you feel, acknowledge it, tell yourself it is "ok" to feel the way you do (validate), and wait until it gets less intense. Don't do something, say something, or think something to make you feel even worse! Try to just ride it out until it goes away (wave reaching the shore)
1) Describe a situation in school where it would be helpful to find the balance between different truths.
2) Identify these different truths and explain how they can both make sense in the situation.
answers may vary
e.g., your teacher starts screaming out of control at the class - my teacher is screaming really mean stuff at this moment and she is a good person who cares about us.
e.g., in gym you have to partner up and your bff tells you she wants to partner with someone else - my bff was just really mean to me AND maybe she was also trying to be nice to someone else in our class.