Thoughts: ETR/Thought Holes
T/F: Events always lead to the same reactions.
False: Two friends can experience that same event like getting a bad grade on a science quiz. One friend may react by saying “It is what it is”, and studies the quiz with the textbook. The other friend might become enraged yelling “This is not fair! The teacher totally has it out to get me,” the shoves the quiz into their bag & pouts.
When practicing the problem solving steps how many ideas should you come up with before you pick one idea to execute to solve the problem?
A. 1-2
B. 2-3
C. 4-7
Correct Answer: B
T/F: All forms of coping exercises give you high amounts of energy.
False: Some exercises like running, walking, and jumping can give you more energy when trying to focus on tasks, however walking, singing, deep breathing, planned stemming, and finger counting/tracing can help calm you down.
Fun Fact: Did you know different breathing techniques can give you energy or help you calm down.
Kiki is having the thought ‘I’m so not ready to climb this wall’ when it is Kiki’s turn to practice climbing the rock wall. What type of thought is this?
A. Appreciation thoughts
B. Positive future thoughts
C. Violation of personal rights thoughts
D. Future threat thoughts
Answer: D. When we face a challenge and view it as a threat to either our safety, physical self, or reputation we are experiencing Future Threat thoughts.
For an extra 100pts: What emotion does Future Threat thoughts provoke as a reaction?
Scenario: You are walking down the hallway after you left the bathroom you see an older student physically shove a younger student. What is the size of the problem?
A. Very Big
B. Very Small
C. Medium
D. Big
Answer: A
For another 100pts: name 2 solutions to the problem or name the type of bullying in the problem
Scenario: Mark is learning how to do Slap Shots for hockey. When Mark’s puck fails to shoot into the goal he yells “I hate this stupid sport. I’m Never going to get this stupid game.” Does Mark have a:
A. Growth Mindset
B. Failure to Thrive
C. Mantra Moment
D. Fixed Mindset
Answer: D. Mark is feeling frustrated & is experiencing a fixed mindset believing that he is never going to be able to do the shot so he states that he’s never going to play again.
For an extra 100pts: What is one growth mindset exercise Mark can practice?
Jaden threw his PlayStation controller and yelled “My teammates freaking suck! I would never I have lost my rank because of them.” Can we predict Jaden is having?
A. Future threat thoughts
B. Violation of personal rights thoughts
C. Positive future thoughts
D. Appreciation thoughts
B. Jaden perceives that he has lost a personal right- his rank that he earned through merit & hard work.
What is the name of a situation where there is no correct or right answer to solve the problem?
A. Situation over 9000
B. Murphy’s Law
C. Ethical Dilemma
D. Moral Jinx
Correct Answer: C
Scenario: Diane felt tension in her hands balling into a fist and sparks in her throat wanting to yell when her brother took the tv remote. She noticed her body then placed her hands on elbows and hymned a tune. When she no longer felt the sensations she used a calm tone of voice to say “Xavier, I don’t like it when you take the remote while I’m watching my show.” What skill did Diane practice?
Urge Surfing! When you have the urge to yell, hit, or run away practicing Urge Surfing can help you pause before you react to your fast thoughts. Place your hands on your elbows when you want to hit; sing or hum a tune when you want to yell; and if you feel like your feet want to run away tap your heels or Pretend to hit the emergency brake in a car with your foot.
Double points: Scenario: Josie & Ariel are in class when Mr. Rodriguez says “Please pass up your homework assignments.” Josie says “Ugh my Mom forgot to put my English folder in my bag.”
Isaiah’s hand bums into Ariel’s head as he passes his paper to her, Ariel says “Ow, sorry I should have been paying attention.”
Is Josie & Ariel experiencing
A. Josie is Leapfrogging (jumps to conclusions) & Ariel is Keyholing thoughts (focuses on the negatives)
B. Josie is Blanketing (exaggerating/overgeneralize one bad situation) & Ariel is Moodeasoning (making up facts based on her mood)
C. Josie is Pushing (It’s them not me of blame) & Ariel is Pulling (It’s me not them of blame)
D. Josie is Pulling (It’s me not them of blame) & Ariel is Pushing (It’s them not me of blame)
Answer: C. Remember Pushing and Pulling are the Twin thought hole of accountability. Pushing the blame is when you say it’s their fault not my fault even though it is their responsibility. Pulling the blame is where it’s my fault even though there is no evidence that is their fault.
Scenario: Zeke and Greg both want to go to the movies and do takeout for dinner. Zeke wants to do pizza and watch the new video game movie. Greg wants to have sushi and wants to watch the new horror movie. Zeke said ”How about we do sushi tonight and we watch the new video game movie?” What strategy of problem-solving is this called?
Answer: Compromise. People will think about what they most want to do and sacrifice a part of what they want so that their friend also gets something they want too. Remember in compromising you do not get 100% of what you want, you compromise and sacrifice a little bit of what you want so that everyone is happy.
Double points! Can you name the part of the brain that is responsible for fight, flight, and freeze. Hint: Emotions & Stress can hijack this part of brain & is one of the oldest parts of the brain.
A. Frontal lobe
B. Cerebellum
C. Amygdala
D. Pons
Answer: C, It is the Amygdala. It is a part of your brain that’s existed since the caveman times. If you feel stress throughout the day even the smallest problem can have a big reaction this is known as a Amygdala hijack.
Which of these phrases is a Gigantifying/Bigifying thought?
A. “Huh the bus is getting here kinda late.” ‘Maybe it got stuck at a traffic light.’ ‘What if it got into an accident, No wait worse what if I missed the bus because it came here early. Oh man Mom is going to kill me for missing the bus.’
B. “Ugh I can’t draw this hand” ‘I’ll never be a cartoon artist’ throws away sketchbook.
C. “Ouch, yeah that fall was no biggie” leg is limping.
B. Gigantifying/Bigifying thoughts are an exaggeration of a small problem. Using the words always or never is a sign of exaggeration. A, was a leapfrogging thought where a person was going from conclusion to conclusion without any evidence. C, is an exaggerated in the opposite direction than Gigantifying, a very big problem treated with a small reaction.
Scenario: Liam is nervous about how his dad will react because he wants to quit the football team and join the theater club. Liam uses his journal and writes down some causes/thoughts about his problem then he creates a bubble he pulls causes/thoughts that he can control. Is this using a
A. Sphere tool (identify things you can & can’t control)
B. Map tool (making a plan to solve the problem)
C. Identify tool (identify the problem & its size)
Answer: A. The Sphere tool can help you to identify what you can control about a problem versus what you can’t control. For example, Liam can’t control that father might react upset about Liam wanting to quit the team, however Liam can control talking to his dad about how he feels about football.
Optimistic/Positive thinking can produce what types of benefits?
A. Stronger Muscles & Hair
B. Better Immune System & Improved Sleep
C. Stronger Relationships w/others & Increased Motivation
D. A & B are correct except C
E. B & C are correct except A
Correct Answer: E. Not only does your immune system and sleep improve by practicing Positive/Optimistic thinking you are more likely to develop stronger relationships with your peers and have increased motivation towards your short term and long term goals.
For an extra 100pts: name 2 ways we can practice Positive/Optimistic thinking.