How it works
Every feeling is okay, and what we do next matters.
A feeling is like a balloon. When we hold it in, it grows bigger and bigger.
Slow breaths and moving calm the body, and telling someone lets the rest of the air out.
Worked examples
Slow breaths
- Breathe in slowly, as if you are smelling a sweet flower.
- Breathe out through your mouth.
- Do it again and again, nice and slow.
- Slow breaths tell the body it is okay to calm down.
Move your body
- Kit runs round the yard, fast and then slow.
- The wind blows through his fur.
- Moving helps the big feeling out, and the balloon gets smaller.
Tell someone
- Kit goes to his grown-up and says out loud, "I am mad that I lost."
- His grown-up says, "It is okay to feel mad. I have felt that way too."
- Kit knows he is not alone, and the balloon is tiny.
Squeeze a pillow
- Squeeze a soft pillow, and let go.
- Your body lets go with it.
- It is a safe way to let a big feeling out.