1. THE ZONE THE FEEL GOOD ZONE Exploring positive emotions and savouring
Lesson 5+6

2. Let’s learn about our brains

4. Our brains
Look at the diagram of the brain on the previous slide. Discuss the 6 areas identified. 3 BRAINS IN ONE From the outside the brain may appear to be one great lump of bumpy gray matter, but hidden beneath the cerebrum are layers of the brain, or what might be called 3 brains in one.

5. The ‘Stone Age’ brain manages our automatic responses – such as eating and breathing.
The ‘emotional’ or limbic brain is responsible for generating emotions and turning on and off our stress responses. Deep inside our emotional brain is the ARMYGDALA, which acts like a guard dog at the gates of the brain. Watch this video to find out more. Watch all 3 or just choose one!
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6. 3. The ‘new’ or cortical brain plays a key role in memory, attention, perceptual awareness, thought, language and conciousness. The biggest part is the prefrontal cortex PFC. It is in charge of important jobs like: thinking, planning, reasoning, problem solving, decision making and impulse control – in other words our intelligence.

7. What is the amygdala? It is this part of your brain that decides if something is a threat to you or not and controls how we feel – our emotions.

8. Think of situations in your life that make you feel uptight, scared, anxious, nervous.

9. This release of hormones into your bloodstream stops you from thinking clearly and learning. When you are relaxed the data in your brain can move freely around and allow you to think and learn more.

10. The amygdala’s function evolved over millions of years, from the time of the saber toothed tigers when we had to make decisions whether to fight, take flight or freeze. It is this part of your brain that decides if something is a threat to you or not and controls how we feel – our emotions. Imagine the amygdala is a guard dog. When a guard dog sees a threat what does it do? It barks! Your amygdala fires up and releases stress hormones into your body which are very toxic and can stay in your systems for several hours. Think of situations in your life when your guard dog would start to bark. Write your answers on page 5 of your workbook. Think about situations that make you feel uptight, scared, anxious, nervous.

11. This release of hormones into your bloodstream stops you from thinking clearly and learning. When you are relaxed the data in your brain can move freely around and allow you to think and learn more. Can we control the guard dog in our brain to stop the hormones being released into our system? Discuss There are very simple ways to control the guard dog in our brains. Try taking deep breaths, stopping what you are doing, sit down, concentrate on your breathing, think about something nice, maybe somewhere you have been that is calm and relaxing like a beach. On page 5 of your booklet write down 3 changes in your body when you start to feel angry, upset, scared, nervous or uptight.

12. 3. The ‘new’ or cortical brain plays a key role in memory, attention, perceptual awareness, thought, language and conciousness. The biggest part is the prefrontal cortex PFC. Think of the PFC as the Wise Old Owl that observes, analyzes, and remembers information. It is in charge of important jobs like: thinking, planning, reasoning, problem solving, decision making and impulse control – in other words our intelligence.

13. HOMEWORK
This week when you feel yourself getting angry or scared or uptight try to concentrate on your breathing then write down how it made you feel – did it make you feel better what happened in you body when you did stop and concentrate on your breathing?