BREATHING

BACKWARD
This is a wonderful breathing strategy that's so simple, it's

hard to believe everyone doesn't just think of it on their own!

In Breathing Backward, we reverse our typical breathing

pattern by starting on the exhaled breath and finishing on the

inhaled breath. The magic of this simple yet powerful strategy

is that it makes the mind focus on the breathing rather than

the stressful thoughts. Careful breathing can actually trick

your body into thinking it is calm! You'll find that as soon as

you let your mind wander from your backward breathing, your

body will automatically revert back to the inhale first-exhale

second breathing pattern, so you must always be focused on

the exhale-inhale pattern to keep it up! Because this is a new

type of breathing for most of us, give time to get used to it by

starting with just three to five times.

Here are the steps:

1. Purse your lips and hold up one finger.

2. Exhale through your mouth with pursed lips while you

hold up one finger.

3. Inhale through your nose while you hold up two fingers.

4. Repeat (exhale breath first, inhale breath second) four

more times.

Ball Junior High School

Skills to Chill: How to Manage Your Emotions
with Miss M & Ms. Nelson
 HAPPY
PLACES
This calming strategy involves using visual imagery (soothing,

pleasant images) to get the mind to relax and stop thinking

stressful thoughts. Before we begin, pick your favorite place -

make sure it makes you feel happy and calm. For example, you

might pick the beach, your grandma or grandpa's house, or

the park near your house!

Here are the steps:

1. To begin, sit upright in your chair. Make sure you feel comfortable.

2. Close your eyes and take 3 deep breaths: in through your nose, out

through your mouth.

3. Imagine now that you are in your special, favorite place - the place

that makes you most happy and calm. Take a moment to think of how

calm this place makes you feel.

4. What do you see as you look around? Notice all the beautiful things to

see.

5. What do you hear in your favorite place? Imagine hearing all the

sounds that make you happy.

6. Imagine now that you are reaching out to touch things. What do you

feel with your hands?

7. Take a deep breath through your nose and smell all the wonderful

smalls your favorite place has.

8. Now, take 3 more deep breaths in through your nose and then think

the world "calm" as you breathe out through your mouth.

Ball Junior High School

Skills to Chill: How to Manage Your Emotions
with Miss M & Ms. Nelson
 VENT IT!
This calming strategy lets you share your feelings about and

experiences with your emotions (anger, stress, anxiety) with

another person by using an "I" message. An "I" message is a

calmly spoken sentence where the stressed person tells

another person how he/she feels or what he/she wants

beginning with the word "I." For example:

- I feel really stressed right now and I'd like to talk to you

about it.

- I wish you wouldn't play your music so loud; it makes me feel

anxious.

- I need someone to talk to because I'm worried that my dog

is sick

Here are the steps:

1. Think about why you are feeling angry,

stressed, or anxious.

2. Now think of someone you trust and what

that person could do to help you feel

less stressed.

3. Use an "I" message to tell that person

how you feel.

Ball Junior High School

Skills to Chill: How to Manage Your Emotions
with Miss M & Ms. Nelson
 TALK BACK
This calming strategy uses positive self-talk to help you

reframe your thoughts. Positive self-talk is the positive self-

statements we tell ourselves, and negative self-talk is the

negative self-statements we tell ourselves. Examples of each

are below. In the Talk Back strategy, we are going to teach

you to trade your negative self-statement for a positive one!

The beauty of positive self-talk is that if you use it enough,

your mind will eventually believe in the self-talk.

Here are the steps to practice:

1. Find a blank piece of paper and something to write with.

2. Write something negative on the notecard that you tell yourself

and that causes you stress or worry. Here are some examples:

- I am terrible at math.

- No one likes me.

-I'll fail the test.

3. Turn the card over and write a positive statement on the same

topic.

- I do my best in math.

- I'm likeable.

- I'll pass the test.

4. Stand in front of a mirror and say your positive statement out loud

3 times.

Here are some other positive statement ideas:

- I can do this. - I am important.

- I am strong. - Everything will work out.

- I am smart. - Things will get better

Ball Junior High School

Skills to Chill: How to Manage Your Emotions
with Miss M & Ms. Nelson