May POWerful Words – COMPOSURE – Week 3
Now that we know what it looks like and feels like to be angry, scared, anxious or overwhelmed, let’s talk about what we can do in order to USE the Thinker (cortex) and CALM the Caveman (amygdala) in our brains. Interestingly,
the best way to do this, is by calming the body. And what’s the number one way to calm the body- do you know? It’s taking deep breaths. So, some people might call this “hot cocoa” breathing where we take a deep breath in and smell the yummy chocolate scent and then blow out to cool the hot liquid in our mug. You also can think of it as “Smelling the flowers & blowing away the clouds” or smelling the roses & blowing out the birthday candles. Let’s do that now, in 2-3, and out 2-3 (repeat 2x). What are some other ways to calm the body (i.e. exercise, color, bath, sing, wrap in a blanket). What works for YOU? Sometimes it helps to have a box of calming items ready for you (coloring, journaling, sweet notes). What would you put in it? You can also cry or talk it out. Before your big feelings become too overwhelming, these techniques can help.
If you have time: Certain music can calm people down. What kind of music calms you down?