Q is for Question (Secondary)
it’s all about the questions we ask
When we’re open & curious to our experiences, we’re much more likely to be flexible about things that happen to us & around us, we might even be intrigued by them! And get this - although our brains are super complex, they find it difficult to be curious & unhappy at the same time so the world around us might be challenging or uncertain, but we can get curious about it & deal with things as skilfully as we can.
1. Try this exercise in noticing how you’re feeling be like a deer & approach how you’re feeling with curiosity, with gentleness ask yourself how am I feeling today? Notice when you have good feelings! Notice when you have difficult feelings! Notice how to tell the difference between the two! Ask yourself how can I be curious about how I’m feeling, how can I bring some curiosity, some warmth to this feeling? There’s no need to work things out or solve them, just see what’s here for you today? Once you’ve asked the questions, you might want to talk to someone about your feelings, someone you trust who will listen to you
2. You can go one step further & have a go at this SIFT exercise, where we pay attention to what’s going on inside
S - what sensations do you notice in your body? Paying attention to how our body’s feel is a great way of also noticing how we’re feeling
I - what images are you paying attention to? We’re constantly surrounded by images 24/7! They can affect how we feel and how we see the world
F - what words can you find to describe your feelings? Our emotions can be complicated, how can we express how we’re feeling fully?
T - what thoughts are here for you today? Paying attention to our thoughts can help us notice where our attention is & what we’re focussed on each day
3. Finally, it’s helpful to remind ourselves of how strong we are! We can start by thinking about the things that we’re good at, although our amazing brains might also want us to think about all the things that we’re not so good at!
FINAL TAKE
Write down the things you’re good at, your strengths and ask yourself each day - which strength did I use yesterday and which strength do I need to grow today? Recognising our strengths regularly by asking these questions is a great way to grow our resilience
“growing our resilience is also about getting curious - asking ALL the questions, turning towards situations with interest, exploring all aspects of them ”
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.
Z is for Zzzzzz’s. Summer Resilience Program Final Entry (Secondary) with thanks to Karen Bluth, to the Sleep Foundation & the Greater Good Science Centre at UCLA Berkeley Youth for their ‘zzzzz’ advice & to Education Scotland for their inspiration for this programme x