Managing Emotions - Stop and Name Your Feeling
This January, we start learning all about managing strong emotions in all the elementary grades during Guidance Class. Children learn that we feel feelings in our bodies! When we are upset or worries, we may feel a tummy ache; when we are really angry, we may feel tense in our muscles and our hearts may beat faster/breathe faster; when we are anxious, we may feel sweaty.
In addition to our bodies, our brains undergo a change too. Students learn that when we feel strong emotions, our brain "flips it's lid", and the thinking-part of our brain (frontal cortex) "goes offline". We learn a hand motion to show this transformation.
Second Step provides music videos to teach students what to do when they have a strong emotion called the Calm-It-Down dance. The main thing to do when we recognize we feel uncomfortable is to stop and name your feeling, for example, "I feel angry!" (fill in the blank). The act of naming your feeling, either out loud or in your head, starts to get your thinking brain back online, and helps you regain control of your strong emotion and feel more in control.
