8.3 Mini Lesson on the Importance of Navigating Anxiety- Tools for Tough Times

This is a MINI LESSON focusing on the importance of Navigating Anxiety- Tools for Tough Times.

Kids learn 3 concrete tips for managing anxiety: deep breathing,  visualizing a happy place,  or filtering information. These tools help kids feel more in control and less overwhelmed. These are encouraged to use when stressed by a test, a game, a disagreement with a friend or when handling stressful news. 

The Breathing Practice for this month is Box breathing and the theme is Curiosity.

Intro/Outro music by Jef Shadoan

Transcript

Special Mini Lesson- Navigating Anxiety- Tools for Tough Times

Greetings! Bonjour and welcome to Big Belly Breathing, Bienvenue to health!  I'm Vanessa Hutchinson-Szekely, and I'm thrilled to guide you through today's special mini episode, where we'll explore the importance of learning how to navigate anxiety..

Today, we’re going to learn about managing anxiety, especially during challenging times like before a game, a test, after a disagreement with a friend, or when hearing stressful news. By the end of this lesson, you’ll have some strategies to help you feel calmer and more in control.

Have you ever felt your heart beat really fast before a big game or a test? Or maybe your stomach felt weird during a fight with a friend, or you got really worried after hearing something upsetting on the news? That’s anxiety—it's like your body’s alarm system when you're worried or stressed about something. It's perfectly normal to feel this way, but it’s important to know how to calm down.

Let’s start with a simple tool called deep breathing:

1. Sit comfortably and close your eyes.

2. Place your hand on your belly.

3. Take a slow, deep breath through your nose, feeling your belly rise.

4. Hold your breath for a count of three.

5. Exhale slowly through your mouth, feeling your belly go in.

6. Repeat five times.

Deep breathing helps slow your heart rate and sends a message to your brain to relax.

Now, let’s try something called positive visualization. This means picturing something in your mind that makes you feel happy or calm.

1. Close your eyes and think of a place that makes you feel safe and happy. It could be your room, a beach, or being with your favorite pet.

2. Imagine what it looks like, what it smells like, and what you hear.

3. Stay in this place for a few minutes, enjoying the peaceful feeling.

Visualizing a happy place can distract you from what’s making you anxious and switch your mood.

When we hear stressful news, it can make us feel really anxious. Let's practice filtering information:

1. When you hear something upsetting, write down or tell an adult what you heard.

2. Together, discuss what is fact and what might be an opinion or assumption.

3. Decide one positive action you can take or remind yourself of something good happening around you.

This technique helps you focus on what you can control and reduces the impact of upsetting news.

Everyone feels anxious sometimes, but remember, you have the tools to handle it. Whether you use deep breathing, visualize a happy place, solve a problem, or filter information, you’re taking steps to manage your anxiety. You can practice these techniques anytime you start feeling stressed.

Let’s take one more deep breath together. Remember, these tools are here whenever you need them, just like the tools in a toolbox. Next time you feel anxious, you'll know what to do because you’ll have simple, actionable strategies you can use in everyday situations to feel more in control and less overwhelmed.

Tonight, teach someone at home the deep breathing exercise. Share how it helps you and when you use it.

Until next time, remember the BBB motto:

Breathe Move Eat Rest

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