Hello and welcome!
Shelly Mermaid here.
I wanted to ask you to take a moment with me to learn some new skills.
Can you do that with me?
Thank you so much.
Why don't we start off by laying down on our backs and taking a moment to get nice and comfy.
Maybe even do a humongous stretch.
Pointing your toes and spreading your arms out super wide.
Spread your fingers as far as they go.
Good job!
Now,
Lay on your back with your arms at your side,
Palms up.
Take a deep breath in and let it out.
Close your eyes gently when you feel comfy and safe.
Good job!
Try to breathe nice and slowly,
Letting your belly rise and fall.
Very good.
I wanted to talk to you today about fear and being afraid.
I was feeling afraid today and used some of my skills to make myself feel better and thought I should tell you about it in case you ever get afraid too.
Have you ever been scared?
Maybe you did something that scared a grown-up near you because they were afraid you weren't safe and it scared you too?
Sometimes that happens.
Grown-ups and big kids get scared all the time.
I'm not sure if you knew that.
Sometimes it's good to be scared.
Something inside us says,
That's dangerous!
And the fear helps us to get away to safety very quickly.
This is why I love fear sometimes.
It can really help me stay safe.
Sometimes we can be afraid of things we don't understand,
But there really isn't anything to be afraid of.
Maybe you think a movie is super scary,
But movies are pretend,
And even monsters in movies are fake and can't get you.
You may feel afraid,
But it's not very helpful.
Let's practice some ways that we can balance our emotions when we're scared.
I love practicing things like this.
It's so helpful.
Take a deep breath in,
And blow it out,
Making the sound of a scary ghost.
Ooooooh.
Oh my goodness.
That almost scared me,
But then I remembered you're not really a ghost and it's just pretend.
Let's do it again.
Big breath in,
And out like a scary ghost.
Ooooooh.
I know we're being silly,
But did you notice how you feel after your big breaths?
Think about it.
Nice and relaxed,
Right?
Sometimes,
Even when something has really frightened us,
The best thing we can do to feel less afraid is to breathe.
I have an idea.
Next time you feel scared,
First check,
Am I in danger?
Check your surroundings and make sure you're safe.
If you are safe,
But you still feel scared,
Try the scary ghost breathing to help you relax.
You don't have to make the sound either.
You can make the sound in your imagination if you're shy.
How do we do the scary ghost breathing?
Remember,
Breathe in deep,
And then out.
Ooooooh.
Big breath in,
And out.
Ooooooh.
Good job.
I did this today when I was scared.
I took long,
Deep breaths and let them out all the way.
I made sure I was in a safe place and thought about how I didn't have to be afraid anymore.
I thanked my body for helping me know about danger.
Then I thanked my brain for helping me to calm down and to do my ghost breaths once I was safe.
I think you're so brave.
The bravest people I know can be afraid and know how to use tricks like the ghost breaths to be calm and courageous even when they are scared.
Sometimes the only thing that we can control is our breathing.
Even when everything might seem so scary all around us,
We can do our ghost breaths and feel less afraid.
I love you,
And I want you to know how to feel less scared in your life.
Let's practice those ghost breaths a few more times,
Okay?
Are you ready?
Breathe in.
And out.
Breathe in.
And out.
Breathe in.
And out.
I'm so proud of you.
You are so good at being brave and balancing tough emotions.
Thank you for listening to me today and helping me practice my ghost breathing skills.
You can open your eyes now and take one more big giant stretch.
I'm so happy you joined me today.
See you next time.
