Hello,
This is Carrie.
Now you might be in your bed or you can even be sitting in a chair wherever you are at.
I'm sure it's perfect for you.
You can be here in this moment,
Closing those eyes and going within,
Going within to a place inside of you that is so calm and relaxed,
Like a body of water that is smooth as glass.
And you can just float as the muscles relax and the breathing is slow and deep.
And you just want to float here,
Fully supported by this water.
And at times it feels really good to just let go,
To be quiet and still,
Like you are right now.
And so as you relax and listen,
I want to talk to you about your feelings today.
Feelings,
We all have.
Because as humans,
We do get angry.
Even animals get angry.
And that's why our emotions,
Our feelings are so important.
They can keep us safe.
They can tell us when we're afraid or when we're overwhelmed and we need to take a break.
Our feelings can make us feel special,
Liked and loved.
Our feelings are amazing things.
And like most people,
I'm sure there's times where you like to feel in charge of some things.
Am I right?
Wow.
And I'm sure there are times when you might feel sad or frustrated,
When things don't go your way,
Or when you can't have or do something you want.
Maybe there's times when you want to play with someone,
But they don't want to play with you.
And that can make you feel sad and frustrated and left out.
Or you might feel hurt when someone doesn't show respect.
Like if they cut in front of you or they push you aside.
It's not nice when people are rude or disrespectful.
And there might be times where you can feel anger too.
You might have a hot face.
Your muscles get tense.
Your heart beats faster.
Your breathing gets louder.
Even your voice.
And sometimes you might even feel like exploding with your mouth,
Your hands,
Your feet.
But you and I both know,
Sweetie,
Hitting,
Kicking and using mean words can hurt people and their feelings.
And that's not okay.
You wouldn't like it if someone hit or kicked or used mean words to you.
And yes,
We all do lose our temper.
And losing your temper won't help you or anyone else.
It only causes more anger and hurt in the long run.
And keeping your anger bottled inside,
It doesn't make things any better either.
All of your feelings are okay.
And it's healthy to omit when you feel angry or when you feel mad.
You can learn from your anger and find a more positive,
Healthy way to work through it.
First,
You can take some deep breaths.
Or you can count to 10 to calm down.
You can stop and think before you say or do something you may feel sorry about later.
And what I like to do is I like to actually take a step back,
A physical step back.
I take in some deep breaths.
I count to 10 in my mind.
And I just stop.
I stop before I say anything.
Because I don't want to hurt anyone's feelings or make someone else mad or sad or frustrated.
You know,
There are lots of ways to cool down when we get angry.
You might want to go somewhere quiet to relax and think.
You might want to go to your room or sit outside in the backyard or the front of the house.
You might want to listen to some music.
You can draw a picture.
You can read a book or even sing along to a song.
You might also go outside and run and play and spend time with others that you know help to lift your mood.
And then when you feel calm and you can think more clearly,
You might think about your part in the problem and what you can do to change it.
Maybe,
Just maybe,
Talking things over with someone you trust may help you understand and work through your anger.
Talking to an adult is always a good choice.
And you can also talk calmly with the person who was there.
And you can show respect as you tell them how you feel and what you want.
And you can always do your best to listen,
To not interrupt and really listen.
And as you listen,
You can try to understand the other person's view.
Because their view and feelings are just as important as yours.
And when you've been angry and you've said or done something unkind,
It is always important to come back and say,
I'm sorry.
I'm sorry.
I'm sorry.
Because we both know it doesn't help to blame anyone else.
Because we all get angry.
We all have feelings and thoughts.
And so you can be patient and forgive people.
And you can remember that everyone makes mistakes.
And that's okay.
Even mommy and daddies make mistakes.
Brothers and sisters.
Teachers,
Grandparents.
Everyone in life has made a mistake.
And so when you can't change something,
You can choose to accept it and make the most of it.
Because at least you know you have a choice.
And you can look for the best in everyone.
Changing the way you think about someone can change the way you feel inside.
And so you can find ways to get along with people.
For when you can,
Cool down and work through your anger.
You can feel calm,
Relaxed and peaceful again.
Just like you do now.
And so you can go to sleep now.
Remembering the tools of how to cool yourself down when you feel angry or frustrated.
And how you can work through it in a safe,
Healthy and helpful way.
And so sleep.
A deep,
Peaceful,
Sound sleep.
Sweet dreams.
And goodnight.
