Emotions In My Body
My body is regulated. This means that it feels like ____________.
Many answers-
My body is calm, is still, I can listen to the speaker/music, use my 5 senses, answer questions/respond to conversations, complete day-to-day activities without or with minimal support.
True or False
Executive functioning skills are located in the front of the brain and they help support everyday skills, including problem solving, response inhibition, metacognition, organization, and flexibility.
True
EF skills mature at the age of 21-25 years of age. This is why we may not react "appropriately" to a situation. It is imporant to have strategies to help calm us down.
A friend wants to play video games until 1am, and I have a sports game the next day. What should I do?
Undestand my priorities. Just because my friend can stay up, doesn't mean I can. Sometimes we have different rules.
Find out what time my hockey game is. If it is later, perhaps I can stay up. If not, I tell my friend I can only play until my curfew time because I have an early game. If they are my friend they will understand. I recognize that video games are a privalege and if I am not using them wisely, they can be taken away.
My parents ground me when I decide to join my friends after curfew. Why?
Your brain is still growing, front of brain is not mature, made an "impulsive decision." Parents help me mature, they help me with boundaries, expectations and ensuring I am/become responsible/make the best decision possible.
True or False
Some of the most common diagnosis in children include anxiety disorders, ADHD, depression, ASD and oppositional defiance disorder.
True
My body is dysregulated. This means that my front of my brain is having trouble working and usually means my body feels like ____________.
Multiple answers-
When bodies are dysregulated we are more likely to do or say something we are not proud of. Sometimes it looks like we are toddlers/little kids and we may need support of an adult to calm down. My body may start to feel tingly, I may feel like I was just "punched" in the stomach, my hands/feet may be hot, like I need to run/punch something, and/or my body will freeze and not feel like it wants to move. I may scream to feel better in my body, but it is not always the best choice.
A friend has made fun of me. Later that day, I hang out with him and a few other friends. He does not see a problem with the way he treated me, and I pretend like it didn't happen. Is he my best friend? How do I handle this situation?
This situation depends on the situation, and what your friend did. If it hurt your feelings, you may want to say something to your friend quietly, when there is a time privately between the two of you. If it is something little, like laughing at you when water flows out of your nose, it is not a big deal. I know I need to be careful and trust my gut if my friend is laughing at me at my expense and pretending like he is my friend when around everyone else.
My friends are all going out for lunch and they want me to come with them. My parents didn't sign the permisison to leave school at lunch. What should I do?
Safety is key- parents didn't give permission. If my friends are friends, they will understand and not continue to "push me/influence" me to do something I could get in trouble for. I want to be responsible and it is hard to navigate, stop and think, when I am given some responsibiliites/privalege.
My parents go to 3-way conferences at school. Why?
True or False
Risk taking behaviours are a helpful coping strategy for children and youth.
False
Risk taking behaviours can get children/youth into further trouble. What are some risk taking behaviours?
Name 3 other emotions than happy, sad and mad. How do I know I feel these in my body?
Loved, hungry, scared, ashamed, embarassed, proud.
I feel loved in my heart/upper body
I feel embarassed in my gut, as though someone dropped an egg on my head and I want to turtle.
Something happened at lunch and now I can't concentrate. It is math class and I can't think. What should I do?
Ask the teacher for a break, go into a safe place to calm down, and come back to class when ready.
Breathe
Give myself a time out from the situation. Now I am in math class and I need to focus on the lesson.
If I can't leave the class, I am going to distract myself using my 5 senses. I may also doodle or read a book if that helps.
My friends are making fun of me, and are using a tone with me that I dont like. What is the tone they are using? Do I ever use this? What should I do when I feel like I am not being talked to nicely? How should I react when someone tells me I don't sound nice to them?
Think of my priorities- should I let people talk to me like that? Am I hearing them properly? Is my body upset with the situation or with the person? Do I need a break? If I am talking to someone meanly, perhaps I apologize, and ask for feedback? What did it sound like, so I can fix it?
I am continually being bullied at school- this means that kids continue to be mean to me, multiple times after I ask them to stop. My parents get involved. Why?
They want the bullying to stop, and they know it should not be happening.
They don't like that I am going through this and are struggling like I am.
True or False
Proper nutrition and sleep are two ways children/youth can work towards having good mental health.
True. Can you name anymore?
What does name it to tame it mean? How can I use this as a skill to help me understand what I am going though?
Name it to tame it means that I am labelling my emotions and how I feel. For example, I am fighting with my parents and I tell them I am so disappointed I don't get to stay out later tonight. I wish you would change your mind.
When I "name it to tame it" it can help me understand why I feel a certain way and why I feel so out of control. When I feel out of control I can name it to tame it and find a strategy that will help me become calm.
Problem solving can be hard when it comes to relationships. Sometimes I don't have all the answers. Who can I trust/go to when having a problem? What would make the problem "big enough" to go to someone?
Any answer is acceptable.
What is a risk that I would take to be with my friends? How do I navigate what my friends want to do with what I want to do and what my friends want to do?
Learn and listen to my priority.
Will what I do affect what happens in the future? Example: If I sneak out tonight, will I be grounded? Will I lose things I enjoy? Will I be happy with the consequences? Will I continue to get to see my friends if I don't go with them? Does that mean I am a follower, if I go with them? How can I lead in my own way?
My parents give my sibling something and I don't get anything.
I dont know the situation. Before reacting, I should stop and think and find out more about why this is happening. If it is a big deal, perhaps I can ask them why my sibling got the item and I didn't.
True or False
Doing things for others is a great way to support my mental health.
True.
Random acts of kindness, doing things for someone (chores, etc.) can support "feel good" hormones in ones body.
True or False
I have to be happy all of the time?
False
We experience happiness like we do with every other emotion; however, we often feel more uncomfortable when we are unhappy. This is time for us to connect with us, reflect why we feel this way. Perhaps we are "content" with the way we feel, but it may not be happiness. Situations and events do not always bring us happiness. It is what we do with these events, emotions, etc. that reflect on how happy/content we can be.
Someone said something to me, and it is making me feel really mad. Most times I want to scream at that person. I recognize that I may not listen when I am upset, and may do something or say something that I may regret later. What do I do when I start to recognize "anger/frustration?"
Take a break
Say nothing, walk away
Write it down/draw it out
Breathe
Let the person know that you can't talk right now.
I am gaming and someone does something unacceptable? What is that thing that is unacceptable? How do I fix it, and will it be okay? Do I get "stuck" when bad things happen to me online? How do I let this go when things happen? Do I do things to other people too?
The front of my brain is still growing and I need some guidance/support. I can take a step back, ask for a break and come back with a solution to help solve the problem. Sometimes my parents are good with this, and sometimes they are not. I can understand this can be a value thing- where they value my safety and I sometimes value other things, like my friendships/autonomy. It's not always fair, but they have my best interest at heart.
True or False
Video games can have a negative affect on mental health
Video games can support increase in cognition (thinking/patterns); however, gaming for excessive periods of time, without proper body breaks, nutrition and sleep, can lead to negative effects on mental health. I can learn to recognize how my body is feeling (similar to mindful eating) when playing vidoe games. If my body is saying it needs to move, or it needs to sleep, I should honour it.