Sometimes we have anxiety or worrisome thoughts about stressors in our lives. Often these thoughts grow and fester to the point where our brain is no longer thinking logically about the situation. Sometimes it helps to just break down your thoughts and reactions and see if you can get a different perspective. Use the linked […]
1. Practice Deep Breathing – During periods of anxiety, the body triggers a stress re- sponse. Breathing becomes shallow and rapid, heart rate increases, and the body be- comes tense. You can combat the stress response by triggering the relaxation response with deep breathing. Breathing becomes deeper and slower and the symptoms of anxie- ty fade […]
Download or draw your own bingo card. In each square, write a coping skill that could be used when times are stressful. Here are some examples of coping skills: Listen to music Talk to someone Write Take 10 deep breaths Watch a movie Use a stressball Clean Read Say positive affirmations Paint or draw Laugh […]
This is a great self-care exercise for adults and children to focus on their strengths and not their weaknesses! We all know that who we are as individuals includes both our strengths and our weaknesses. Too often, adults and children can more easily identify their weaknesses than their strengths and may need help refocusing on […]
To ease anxiety and to calm yourself down, practice this grounding technique. This self-care tool helps you become aware of yourself and your surroundings. Identify: FIVE things you see FOUR things you can touch THREE things you hear TWO things you smell ONE thing you can taste Take deep breaths while you are using this […]
Gratitude has been shown to improve our lives in several areas. Showing gratitude opens the door to better relationships, improves physical and mental health, enhances empathy and reduces aggression, helps us sleep, improves self-esteem, and increases mental strength. Gratitude reduces stress and helps us overcome difficult situations. Grati- tude is not always our first response […]
Emotional regulation is the ability to effectively manage and respond to an emotional experience. When children become dysregulated they sometimes aren’t able to appropriately respond to their negative emotions, which can lead to over-the-top reactions. Many of us begin our days with exercise. It helps to get us moving and start our days morefocused. Exercise […]
This is a quick and easy game you can play one-on-one or with the whole family. You can create this game using printed characters from the movie Inside Out, hand drawn emoji’s, or just written feeling words on an index card. Each player will randomly pick a card for another player and tape it on […]
Self-regulation involves learning how to control your own behavior, emotions and thoughts. Really this means learning how to calm down or self-soothe. This is a skill we each have learned over time and that looks different for each of us. You might find yourself taking several deep breaths, sighing when you are feeling frustrated or […]
Boys and girls of all ages enjoy this activity. It is an opportunity to move around and do something fun while still engaging in conversation. When children are actively doing something they are more likely to open up without feeling pressured to talk. This activity can be played inside or outside with any sport the […]