E is for Emotions (Secondary)

How emosh was that?!?

Being aware of how we’re feeling is a really helpful skill. What’s fascinating is that our minds & bodies are connected in more ways than we realise - so when we feel an emotion, it’s normally accompanied by a bodily sensation.

What’s also really important, particularly when we’re noticing difficult emotions, is to be kind & understanding.

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Notice it, file it, deal with it

1. When we’re sad or worried, we aim to recognise the emotions & not push them away. We attend to them, we allow them gently & we embrace what’s here for us

2. Have a go at a Body Scan practice. This can be done lying down or sitting, where you use your attention like a torch, shining it slowly and gently up and down our bodies, noticing sensations, noticing how our bodies feel. When we notice sensations we don’t like, we have a go at accepting them rather than pushing them away

3. In prehistoric times, cavemen would gather round the campfire at night & chat over their day, connecting and celebrating together. This helped them to deal with any emotions from the day. What’s your modern-day version of the campfire, perhaps it’s chatting or playing games with friends online, playing music or exercising with friends, or just having family time

Final take

Emotions are simply messages that our minds and our bodies send us. Our challenge is to notice them, to understand them and to work out how to deal with them. Or sometimes just to let them be and they’ll go away all by themselves

“The science bit: emotions trigger the fight/flight/freeze part of our brain - the amygdala. In time the part of the brain that helps us focus - the prefrontal cortex - can send messages to our amygdala to settle down. ”

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The not-so-small small print

There is none! Simply return to this part of the website daily to get the next part of this program. No payment or subscription required. This is a resource we are sharing with all of you through the website and aiming to help our youngsters, in the various stages of their lives. This program contains information and practices that are aimed for two different age groups and we intend to mostly post the primary level information in the morning and the secondary level in the afternoon. Please leave us a comment and let us know how you are getting on or get in touch if you require additional support. If you want to be notified of new content, courses and free resources subscribe to our mailing list.

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