Breathing Exercises
What is deep breathing helpful for?
Calming down when we are feeling:
Angry
Frustrated
Silly or goofy
Lots of other feelings!
If you make a mistake on a math test and you think to yourself "I'M SO STUPID!!!!!!!!!!!!"
Unhelpful! Everyone makes mistakes, but thinking that you are stupid will make it harder to try your best next time.
Bonus points for replacement thought!
You played really great during your basketball game, but your team still lost.
Disappointed, sad, upset, frustrated
What do we use coping skills for?
To help us calm down when we are experiencing uncomfortable or big emotions
Your little sister keeps asking for a turn on your game, even though it is your turn right now. You're getting pretty annoyed. What would you do?
Tell her she can have a turn when you're done, ask her to stop asking you about it, tell her that you are feeling annoyed, go to another room, talk to parents about it
Is it more helpful to breathe QUICKLY or S L O W L Y?
Slowly - breathing slowly helps to slow our heart rate down, which makes our bodies feel calmer.
Your little sister keeps asking you to play with her and you're getting annoyed. You think to yourself, "I know she keeps asking because she loves me, not because she's trying to be annoying."
Helpful! You are reminding yourself that you little sister has good intentions and loves you - this can make it easier to not get annoyed.
Your mom and dad told you that you are going to have a new baby brother or sister!
Excited, nervous, happy
What is a coping skill that you like to use when you are angry?
Show an example!
Your friend steps on a rock and twists his ankle. He is crying and saying it hurts a lot. What would you do?
Help him up, try to make him feel better with jokes or funny faces, call for help if he is bleeding a lot or if he cannot walk
Complete one of the following:
4x4 breath
Candle breath
Cookie breath
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You are talking to a friend in class and the teacher asks you to please be quiet while she is speaking. You think to yourself "She never lets me do anything fun - she must hate me!!"
Unhelpful! Your teacher wants you to be quiet so that you can learn, because she cares about you and wants you to succeed.
Bonus points for replacement thought!
You are trying to ride your bike without training wheels and you keep falling down.
Upset, embarrassed, angry, defeated
What is a coping skill that you like to use when you are sad?
Show an example!
Listen right away and get out of the pool, tell your friends goodbye, ask nicely for more time (but remember to listen if she still says "no")
Hold your breath and say the ABC's in your head, stop when you need to take a breath! What letter did you stop at? Name 3 things that start with that letter!
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You are playing your favorite video game and you keep losing on a hard level. You think to yourself, "I'm never going to beat this level - I should just give up!"
Unhelpful! Losing can be frustrating, but that doesn't mean you should quit. If we quit every time we we didn't win, we would never do anything.
Bonus points for replacement answer!
You studied really hard for your spelling test and you got 100%
Proud, happy, excited
True or False: Only kids need to use coping skills.
FALSE! Everyone uses coping skills - kids, adults, teachers, grandparents, babies, and even astronauts!
You are invited to your friend's SURPRISE birthday party this weekend. Your friend asks what you are doing this weekend and if you want to hang out with him. What would you do?
Tell him that you have plans this weekend, but do not give away anything about the party!
Bonus points: what is the difference between helping with a surprise and lying?
What parts of the body help us to breathe?
Nose, mouth, lungs, heart, brain
What does it mean for thoughts to be helpful or unhelpful?
Helpful thoughts make it easier to feel good about yourself and others; they help us to get things done.
Unhelpful thoughts make it harder to be kind to yourself and others; they make it difficult to get things done.
You get up in the middle of the night to get a drink of water and you hear a strange noise coming from the kitchen.
Scared, confused, curious
Name as many coping skills as you can in 1 minute - ready GO!
1-5: 500 pts
6-10: 1000 pts
10+: 1500 pts
Say "no thank you" and find an adult you trust right away. Never go with someone you do not know.