I can help myself to cope better when things are difficult Year 8 – Solving problems I can help myself to cope better when things are difficult © Leeds South and East CCG

Learning outcomes Knowledge Skills I have an understanding of the way that the brain can be trained to cope better with difficult situations including mindfulness, self-limiting beliefs and reframing I can use reframing to support another student to see the positive in a situation or in themselves 2

How we will work together Can you remember the ground rules we have already talked about, let’s take a minute to think about them Teacher notes Read these through with the children. Hopefully the ground rules will be displayed in the classroom already. 3

What do we already know? Read out the following statements and ask learners to identify which are feelings, which are behaviours and which are thoughts: I hate cheese I am always eating cheese Where is the cheese? If I am brilliant at maths I will get a good job I love doing maths Solving equations 4

Let’s get started Watch the video clip https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IocLkk3aYlk Watch the video: We’re the superhumans. Initiate a discussion using questions such as the following: When someone first suggested that the Paralympians should run, swim and cycle to international competition level do you think they all thought they would be able to? What kind of negative thoughts might they have had about their abilities? Think of other famous people or characters that went on to do something they probably didn’t think they could do. Watch the video clip © Channel 4. All Rights Reserved. 5

Self-limiting beliefs A limiting belief is a false belief… Examples are: I’m rubbish at … I can’t … If I … something bad will happen Identify a self-limiting belief about yourself …that a person acquires as a result of making an incorrect conclusion about something in life. For example; a person could acquire a limiting belief about his ability to succeed as soon as he fails. Pupils to do this individually. Remind them there are things we are better and worse at and there is nothing wrong with being realistic about the things you find hard, however, if we start to label ourselves in this way it can really hold us back in life (as the next slide shows). 6

Sometimes the thing that is holding you back… Hopefully an amusing illustration of the power of our thoughts …is all in your head 7

Thoughts, actions, results! Explain that there are reasons why we have these sorts of responses as follows: The human race has survived by collecting data and storing it –asking questions such as “is that good or bad?” “Is that safe or dangerous?”… If something is ‘bad’ or ‘dangerous’ (or rather if we perceived it to be bad or dangerous because of how it made us feel and behave), we label it as a negative event, and store it in our brain with an instruction to respond in a particular way when next faced with a similar event. These responses might include becoming stressed, avoiding doing that thing again, and so on. BUT if we don’t challenge these views we can get stuck. The cycle on the PowerPoint shows a simple of example of what might happen if you already have a self-limiting belief caused by a previous experience, what others have said, cultural norms and so on. Ask pupils in pairs to come up with an example of a triangle like this for themselves or for a character from books film TV or an imaginary person 8

Principles of reframing Events do not have meaning Use milder words such as ‘not yet’ rather than never We can challenge our thinking or beliefs The negative thoughts are trying to help (e.g. by protecting you) Pause Reappraise Reframe (PRR) Reframing is a technique in Cognitive Behavioural Therapy. It is not just pretending that unpleasant and difficult things do not happen but rather a way of moving on/learning from them. Some of this may sound complicated but the key thing here is to use the principles in a practical way as the learners will be doing later in the lesson. 9

Reframing practice Practical ways to reframe Check if there is evidence for the thought, if it is true Ask if there are times when it is not true, less true etc. Ask if the thought is accurate Ask what can you do An example of a reframe: ‘I am stupid ‘ Is there evidence? ‘Well I failed the test’ Do you always fail tests? ‘Often I do’ When do you not fail? ‘When I am feeling confident’ What can you do to feel more confident? ‘I can practice tests online’ Reframe I am more likely to pass tests if I have practiced online first Now give paired pupils an opportunity to practise reframing again either for themselves or characters from TV books film etc. 10

Mindfulness Pays attention to thoughts, feelings and body sensations to become directly aware of them, and better able to manage them; Has deep roots in ancient meditation practices and also draws on recent scientific advances; Is of potential value to everybody to help find peace in a frantic world This definition is taken from the Oxford Centre for Mindfulness. If reframing challenges and changes are thoughts then mindfulness helps stand back from them and see them for what they are, just thoughts. Mindfulness is useful in the pause and reappraise part of the PRR 11

What does mindfulness do? It makes changes in the brain such as decision- making, attention and empathy It increases the area of the brain linked to regulating emotion, and improves people’s attention, job performance, productivity and satisfaction; It increases blood flow, reduces blood pressure, and protects people at risk of some diseases The full text is: Neuro science finds that changes in those areas of the brain associated with decision-making, attention and empathy in people who regularly practice Mindfulness meditation; that meditation increases the area of the brain linked to regulating emotion, and that it improves people’s attention, job performance, productivity and satisfaction; that meditation increases blood flow, reduces blood pressure, and protects people at risk of developing hypertension: it also reduces the risk and severity of cardiovascular disease, and the risk of dying from it 12

Mindfulness and thoughts https://youtu.be/7xAeJKgupPI Click on the image to watch a video on the relationship between mindfulness and thoughts Watch the video clip © Headspace. All Rights Reserved. 13

Let’s have a go Watch the video clip © Headspace. All Rights Reserved. https://youtu.be/PFZ6C2XhJAc This is a very short example of a Mindfulness practice (1min 10s). Be careful not to overhype it, it is probably not going to make them calmer but it will show them that it is a simple thing to do. Watch the video clip © Headspace. All Rights Reserved. 14

How has our learning progressed? Read out the following statements and ask learners to identify which are feelings, which are behaviours and which are thoughts. You could of course use more complex examples here. I hate cheese I am always eating cheese Where is the cheese? If I am brilliant at maths I will get a good job I love doing maths Solving equations Then/or ask them to create their own triangle 15

Taking the learning away Practice using reframing with family and friends Tell them what you are doing and why Look at more videos on mindfulness on the internet Give it a go 16

Want to know more or get help? www.mindmate.org.uk/ im-a-young-person www.childline.org.uk/ get-support Contact: Call, email or go online 17