It's mine time.
Take some time now to just relax.
Get yourself into a comfortable position.
When you're ready,
Close your eyes.
I want you to just take some deep breaths.
Make sure your breath is going all the way down to your belly button.
Breathe the oxygen in all the way down.
Hold for a few seconds and breathe out.
It's mine time.
This is time for you now.
So just relax.
You are standing outside and it is a beautiful clear night.
You look up and you see thousands of stars scattered over the entire sky.
They're all different shapes and sizes.
But there is one in particular that grabs your attention.
As you gaze at this star,
You notice it is getting brighter and brighter.
The star that is shining the brightest tonight is green.
This green star is going to teach us about the different masks we wear and explore why we wear them.
There are so many emotions.
Emotions are what we use to describe what we feel.
Some emotions make us feel good,
Like happiness,
Joy,
Excitement and love.
Other emotions make us feel not so good,
Like anger,
Worry,
Fear and sadness.
However,
No emotion itself is either good or bad.
It is just how they make you feel that matters.
I want you to picture a large house in front of you.
You walk towards the house and notice it has a big red front door.
You open the door and step inside.
As you enter,
You find yourself in a room with lots of shelves covering one wall.
On these shelves are lots and lots of different masks.
You notice that some masks are smiling,
Some are laughing,
Some look excited and some look silly.
Other masks are frowning,
Some look mad and angry.
There is one that looks scared and one that has tears.
You realise you have felt some of these ways before.
You choose a mask and pick it up off the shelf,
Putting it on your face.
What mask have you chosen to wear?
How does it make you feel?
Can you remember a time when you felt this way before?
And what was it that made you feel this way?
I am going to give you a minute to think about this now.
Music Music Music Well done.
You place the mask back on the shelf and pick up a different one.
You put the new mask on your face.
Which mask is it?
How are you feeling when you wear it?
Do you have a memory of feeling this way before?
And what was happening for you at that time?
Have a think about this one for another minute.
Music Music Music Music Music Music Music Music Music Good job.
Remember that our feelings,
Our emotions,
Are always changing depending on our experiences.
Whatever the feeling,
You know that it will not last forever,
Whether it be good or bad.
A feeling does not define who you really are inside.
It does not define you as a person.
Feeling angry does not make you an angry person.
It's just a feeling.
It will go.
It will change.
Our emotions are always working for us,
Not to us.
Say for example you are feeling angry.
Imagine you have the angry mask on.
Anger is the feeling,
But what is the reason why you are feeling angry?
Has someone hurt you?
Been mean to you?
Did you have to do a job or a test that you didn't want to do?
Finding the reason behind what is making you feel angry helps you to understand what is happening in your body right now.
It helps you to learn how to cope and manage the feeling.
Once you have the answer,
You can take the mask off and place it back on the shelf.
Sometimes we may have worn a certain mask for so long that we are scared to take it off.
We get scared to show people who we really are underneath.
If you ever need help with removing a mask,
You can always ask the people that love and care for you to help you.
Or ask yourself what do I need to do for me right now so that I can feel safer with who I am.
It's okay to try on any mask you feel you need to,
As long as we know how to cope with and manage that emotion.
If we are not coping,
We might do or say things that make both us and other people feel bad.
We might yell or say mean things.
We might even hurt somebody.
You have to take full responsibility for the masks you choose to wear.
These are your feelings,
Your emotions.
Don't try to make someone else feel the way you do.
Just as other people cannot make you feel a certain way.
If they are sad,
You do not also have to be sad.
If they are angry,
You do not need to put on your anger mask.
No one can force you to put on masks that you don't want to.
You always have a choice with which masks you choose to wear.
You are choosing how you want to feel.
You are your own person.
You are responsible for you.
The wall of masks is a good way for you to remember that all emotions and feelings will come and go.
They do not define who you truly are.
This wall of masks is available anytime you need it.
Just close your eyes,
Look at the masks and see yourself trying on or taking off any ones that match the way you are feeling.
Before you leave the house,
Think about what mask,
If any,
You are wearing now.
Is this how you want to feel in this moment?
Or do you need to change your mask or remove it completely?
It is now time to leave.
You turn around,
Walk back out the red front door and close it behind you.
Think what?
