Our brains are constantly thinking. Given any situation, at any point in the day, we’re going to be analyzing what is going on around us. When a problem arises, both big and small, taking charge of our thoughts can drastically improve the outcome. Learning how our thoughts, feelings, and behaviors are connectd is a major step in this process!
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As many of you know by now, I have been working with an increasing number of students dealing with anxiety. They have all really enjoyed the What is Anxiety video, but even after watching the video, I have found myself explaining a few things in more detail. So… I made this sheet/activity to help my students understand the difference between real (the owl) vs. perceived (bear or fox) threats.
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How annoying is it for you when you’re really upset and someone says, “Don’t worry, everything will be fine,”? I don’t know about you, but for me, this tends to just make me feel worse because everything doesn’t feel fine in that moment. Our students are the same way. Simply dismissing their anxiety or worry often just spirals them. If everything was fine for them, then they wouldn’t have the big feelings in the first place.
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Anxiety is a BIG feeling with MANY feelings wrapped up inside, and it often manifests itself in so many ways from child to child. There are an increasing number of students in my building that are experiencing some symptoms of anxiety on a day-to-day basis. I found myself on repeat discussing what anxiety is and how it works, and thus, this video was created!
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Schools play a huge and instrumental role in creating a strong support network for students. My teachers are great at building relationships with kids. It is seriously one of the things that they’re best at! Because of this, my students typically have a pretty strong support network in place during their school day. However, I find that some of my students truly do not recognize all of the supportive people that surround them until I point it out.
Continue readingI recently had a SEL Sketches community member reach out to me regarding their SEL needs in their building (you can do this too lindsey@SELsketches.com!). Her administrator wanted her to run a 2 hour long PD on student SEL for her teachers (2 hours?! – WHAT?!).
Continue readingIt was hinted at before, but now it’s finally here! The activity bundle (Identifying Feelings: Using a Feelings Scale) that goes along with the Size of Feeling video is up and running!
Continue readingI love a good tool for students. I love it even more when the tool is able to provide students with a visual and tactile way to show how they are feeling. I know I have said it before, but I feel like it bears repeating – it is so important for us to teach our children how to recognize the emotional state they are experiencing AND how to accept that moment “as is”.
Continue readingBeing able to tell the difference in the intensity of our feelings is one of the first ways we can learn to cope. It’s not only important for students to be able to name their feelings, but also notice how their bodies change and react based on the intensity of the emotion.
Continue readingIt is so important for children to not only be able to name their feelings, but also be able to recognize the different intensity and body cues that are associated with them. A feelings scale provides a concrete tool to students, and gives them a logical way to monitor their own feelings. Bonus – it’s also an evidence based tool as well!
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