SECOND STEPS PROGRAM

Our latest Social Skills lesson included tips for how we manage strong feelings.  We remembered the first steps in Calming-Down when we have a strong or uncomfortable feeling:

• Put your hands on your tummy.
• Say "Stop."
• Name your feeling

Then, we added belly breathing to the steps.

• That's when you take two belly breaths and catch your breath.

(It's OK to feel that the way we do, but now you're calm enough to move on.
Remember to use positive self-talk and think of a kind way to solve the problem.

It's important that we practice these steps to calm down, so that our angry feelings don't get us in trouble when we act impulsively, without thinking.  We also know that it's never okay to be mean or hurt someone else.

Here are some scenarios to practice at home:

• Someone called you a mean name and you feel angry.
• Your shoelace keeps coming untied and you feel frustrated.
• Starting today, you're going to attend a different school and you feel worried and scared.
• Someone cut in line front of you and you feel angry.
• It's your birthday tomorrow, you can't sleep, and you feel over-excited.
• A friend on your team doesn't score a basket, and you feel angry and disappointed.
• A friend yells at you because you missed scoring in the soccer goal, and the other team won.  You feel sad you didn't make the goal and upset because your friend yelled at you.