Coping Strategies
What is a coping strategy?
An action or thought that can help someone manage challenging or stressful situations.
What does it mean to be in the Green Zone? Name at least 2 emotions.
Body is ready to learn, play, and be safe. Feeling okay/content, focused, calm, happy, relaxed, and proud
What is a body scan?
A mindfulness activity that involves noticing sensations throughout your body.
What does it mean to feel activated?
Body has a lot of energy, heart rate and breathing rate fast, and moving body. Examples include running, jumping, and playing on the playground
What is an Inner Coach?
The voice in your head that makes you have positive thoughts about stuff. Your inner coach encourages you to keep trying, do your best, and believe in yourself. Your inner coach amkes you feel calm and confident.
What is a positive coping strategy?
A healthy way to manage stress or challenging feelings.
What does it mean to be in the Blue Zone? Name at least 2 emotions.
Sad, tired, sick, hurt/injured, exhausted, and bored
How might your body physically tell you that you are worried/anxious/nervous?
(brain, heart, lungs, stomach, and skin)
Brain: negative thoughts, difficulty focusing
Heart: beating fast
Lungs: breathing fast, hard to breathe, tight chest
Stomach: butterflies, nauseous, painful, not feeling hungry
Skin: hot, scrunched up, getting red, headache
What does it mean to feel deactivated?
Body is moving slower, less energy, heart rate slower, breathing slower, eyes tired or closed. Example include: feeling tired, bored, sad, sick
What is your Inner Critic?
The voice in your head that makes you have negative thoughts about stuff. Your inner critic can cause you to give up easily, feel sad, mad, or like you cannot do something.
What is a negative coping strategy?
An unhealthy strategy used to deal with stress or challenging emotions that may result in harm (to yourself or others)
What does it mean to be in the Yellow Zone? Name at least 2 emotions.
Body is a little out of control.
Frustrated, worried, energetic, silly, excited, and annoyed
How might your body physically tell you that you are calm?
(brain, heart, lungs, stomach, and skin)
Brain: focused, positive thoughts
Heart: beating slower or normal rate
Lungs: breathing slower or normal
Stomach: full
Skin: normal or comfortable temperature, relaxed muscles
What does it mean to "Match" our body with the situation? Use the Activation Meter if needed.
Matching your level of energy/how your body feels to the situation or expectations.
Inner Coach or Inner Critic?
Jacob raises his hand to share an answer in class but his teacher picks someone else. He thinks to himself, "Oh well, maybe I'll get picked next time!"
Inner Coach
Name 5 coping strategies you used last week.
Playing catch, using noise-cancelling/minimizing headphones, sit disc (bumpy cushion), getting a drink of water, asking for a break, using a visual timer, deep breaths, fidget, etc.
What does it mean to be in the Red Zone? Name at least 2 emotions.
Body is out of control.
Angry, mad, out of control, furious, overjoyed/elated, and terrified.
Body may be yelling, hitting, running away, and hiding.
Anytime! Body scans can be anywhere between a few seconds and a few minutes. They can be done at home, school, or out in the community. Body scans are good to do throughout the day to help you identify how you may be feeling or during times you are experiencing bigger feelings/emotions (mad, frustrated, sad, etc.)
What do we do if our body does not "Match" the situation?
Use coping strategies!
Inner Coach or Inner Critic?
Ben is playing basketball with his friend, and his friend is beating him by 1 point. Ben stops playing because he thinks to himself, "I'll never catch up."
Inner Critic
Name 1 new coping strategy you would like to try.
Answers may vary...
What Zone are you in right now? What emotion are you feeling?
Answers may vary...
How does your body feel right now?
Do a body scan and identify how your brain, heart, lungs, stomach, and skin feel.
Answers may vary
What is your activation level like right now? Use the Activation Meter.
Answers may vary
How does your Inner Coach help you when playing competitive games with others?
Encourages you to keep playing by saying things like: I believe in myself, I can do hard things, I am a good friend, I am having fun spending time with my friends.