Brew Up Solutions for Self-Control

Many children would love to stay home from school all day to play Minecraft or Roblox video games.  They are well aware of the pause button and recognize that these games have trained them to make faster decisions.   But do they understand the power of the most amazing piece of technology known to mankind – THE HUMAN BRAIN?   This powerful REMOTE Control is in charge of the human mouth, feet, arms, legs, and emotions!  Self-Control is needed when feelings become STRONG.   Here are 4 steps when teaching children how to use their brain for self-control over strong emotions.

6 Solutions for Teaching Self-Control

1.  Pause: Hit the pause button of your brain and freeze.

2.  Notice:   Where do you feel strong emotions in your body?  You might have shaky hands, clenched fists, or a stomach ache.  Recognize how your body feels.  My Incredible Talking Body by Rebecca Bowen is a great book to explain this.  

3.  Name:  What strong feeling are you feeling?  Is it anger, rage, fear, worry, disappointment, frustration or depression? Go ahead and name it - “ I feel ________. “  

4.   Let it go:  Feelings are vibrations that often last 90 seconds. They change according to your thoughts. Anger can give you energy.  So take that energy and be productive with a walk, bike ride, or project to help release it.  Talking, writing, drawing, singing are just a few coping strategies that Pausing Pablo from Powerful You uses when he feels anger.  

5. Try Angry Panther Pose: Yes that’s right, get your body moving with this Powerful You pose.

6. Introduce In-Control Cal from Powerful You PRIMARY:  He teaches kindergarten students how to handle strong feelings.  Here is a short video of students using Cal’s strategies.  Get your copy of Powerful You Primary here.  

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