Be the boss of your feelings Student: Verónica Riveros Galdames

Introduction This lesson is about feelings and how to control them. It is directed to first year high school students. According to the official program, topics should be connected to their period of life, to their needs, in this case adolescence, period in which they are developing into an adult. This lesson gives the students some tools to control their reactions, to not overreact in front of some situations, and also teach them to respond to their feelings in a way that is kind to themselves and to others. It will last 45 minutes and is oriented to be taught in a class of personal development.

Objectives:  Identify and name feelings.  Strengthen their vocabularies for expressing feelings.  Calibrate their feelings.  Feel empowered to manage their feelings.  Change their feeling states.

Pre activity (10 minutes): Show to the students the following pictures and ask them to recognize the feeling, and also in which situations they feel like that. Who wants to speak can raise his or her hand.

While activity (25 minutes): 1. Give to each student the following sheet, which contains a chart with feelings, ask for any unkwown word, if there is one, try to explain it, putting it into context.  Example: Guilty.  Answer: When you do something, and after you feel and think it was not correct, and you regret having done it.

Chart:

2. Then begin the activity, give to each student this sheet with a draw that is called “The feeling guy”.

Instructions: A. Name your feeling: Let's look at the list of feeling words. Is there a relevant feeling you see that you felt yesterday or today? write it in the heart of your Feeling Guy. B. Draw your feeling face. Now draw a face on the Feeling Guy to match how you felt inside. Does your face match how you felt inside? C. Rank your feeling. On your Feeling Guy’s left hand, write the number 1, 2, 3, 4, or 5 to show how much you felt this way. D. Share the feeling. Think of someone you might want to share your feeling with. Write down the name of the person in the Feeling Guy's right hand.

Instructions: E. Take responsible action for your feelings. Make sure to stress the idea that they can make choices. Did you know that you can choose how to respond to feelings? Remember to respond in a way that is kind to yourself and others. Write or draw your idea.

3. This following activity shows students that they have the power to choose their responses to a feeling. It also gives them the opportunity to calibrate, within this safe social setting, if their behavior is acceptable or not. Thumbs Up/Thumbs Down (TU/TD) Now let's help each other. Let's play TU/TD: Read the following and play the TU/TD game.  When I get angry, it helps me feel better if I yell at my brother.  When I feel sad, it helps me feel better if I bounce a ball.  When I feel tired, it helps me feel better to close my eyes and listen to music.

 When I feel mad, it helps if I pick on someone.  When I feel jealous, it helps me feel better to put someone else down.  When I feel lonely, it helps me feel better to go play with my friends. Invite the students to create their own sentences.

Post activity (10 minutes): Pass out the following sheet. Explain that you are not going to collect it, but that everyone will fill it out. After it is completed, provide students the opportunity to share one thing they have written. Play TU/TD, if appropriate.

I am the BOSS of my feelings! When I get angry, it helps me feel better if I _________________________________________________________________ When I feel sad, it helps me feel better if I _________________________________________________________________ When I feel anxious or nervous, it helps me feel better if I _________________________________________________________________ When I feel grumpy, it helps me if I _________________________________________________________________ When I feel lonely, it helps me if I _________________________________________________________________ When I feel embarrassed, it helps if I _________________________________________________________________ When I feel sick, it helps me feel better if I _________________________________________________________________ When I feel silly, I like to _________________________________________________________________ When I feel disappointed, it helps me if I _________________________________________________________________ When I am honest, I feel _________________________________________________________________ When I feel ____________________, it helps me feel better if I ______________

Extra material: You can give the students a handout with some useful information to help them express and manage their difficult feelings.

Handout:  The Breathing Challenge: Who controls how you breathe? That's right, you do! So here is a challenge. Next time you are upset, feeling nervous, or can't get to sleep, take your hand and put it on your heart or your tummy. You may like to close your eyes as we count five breaths. With each full breath, that's one breath in and one breath out, press one finger, and then the next, against your tummy. Let's do this five times with long, slow, easy breaths." After the five breaths, say, "Open your eyes. Do you feel better?

 The Smile Challenge: Next time you are feeling sad or grumpy, smile at someone or try to make someone laugh. Notice how making someone laugh or smile makes them and you feel better.

 The “Bee Breath”: If you start to feel angry or upset, sit quietly with your hands in your lap. Close your eyes and make an angry face. Then take a deep breath in and as you breathe out, hum or buzz that angry bee out. Keep buzzing using all your breath. Now make a happy face, breathe in again, and make a happy humming or buzzing sound as you breathe out. Keep buzzing until you feel that the angry bee is gone.

References: Mineduc Official programs. My imagination /how-can-a-teacher-guide- adolescents-for-proper-emotional- development.html