Hi,
It's Abby here from the Mindful Bee.
We all know how it feels to be worried or scared or mad about something,
Don't we?
But how can we make ourselves feel better?
Well,
Here's one way you can try if you like.
First get yourself all calm and settled and close your eyes if that feels good.
Take a nice deep,
Slow breath in.
See if you can count to five as you breathe in.
Then hold for five and breathe out for five.
Lovely.
Let's do that one more time and this time I'll help you count.
So in for five.
One,
Two,
Three,
Four,
Five.
Hold for five,
Four,
Three,
Two,
One.
And breathe out for five,
Four,
Three,
Two,
One.
Great.
Now we're going to use our imaginations and try something that will help us when we are feeling worried or scared or upset.
Are you ready?
What I'd like you to do is try and picture a small deflated balloon in your mind.
You know how they look when there's no air in them.
Picture it lying in your hand.
Look how small it is and a little bit wrinkly.
Can you feel how rubbery it is?
Rub it between your fingers and thumb.
How does it feel?
Maybe bring it to your nose.
Can you smell it?
What does it smell like in your imagination?
Have a really good look at this little empty balloon and take the time to take in the detail.
What colour is it?
What shape is it?
Is it big and you need two hands to hold it?
Or is it small and fits snugly in one hand?
This right here is your very own worry balloon and there is no other one like it anywhere in the world.
Just like you.
Excellent.
Now that you have a clear picture of your worry balloon,
We're going to practice blowing it up using some lovely long deep breaths in and out.
Are you ready to try?
Great.
First take a big deep breath in,
Just like we practiced at the start.
See if you can count to six this time and then as you hold your breath for six,
Bring your worry balloon to your mouth as you get ready to blow into it.
Ready?
So breathe in for six.
Then hold your breath for six and bring your worry balloon to your mouth.
One,
Two,
Three,
Four,
Five,
Six and then blow a big breath into the balloon and watch it start to grow.
Wow,
Look at that.
We're going to do that a few more times to get the balloon as big as we can.
Ready?
So breathe in for one,
Two,
Three,
Four,
Five,
Six and hold.
And then out and into your balloon for one,
Two,
Three,
Four,
Five,
Six.
See how much bigger the balloon has got already.
Should we try one more?
Just to fill it to the very top and make it as big as we can.
Okay,
Take a big breath in for one,
Two,
Three,
Four,
Five,
Six.
Hold it and then blow into your balloon for one,
Two,
Three,
Four,
Five,
Six.
Now that your balloon is nice and big,
You can press the end you blew into and it will close like magic so that none of your breath can escape.
Fantastic.
Now we're going to attach our worries to the balloon and send them on their way.
Okay?
So try thinking about something that made you sad or worried or angry today.
Or maybe yesterday.
Something recent that is still fresh in your mind.
It can be anything you like.
There may be more than one thing and that's absolutely fine.
But just for now,
See if you can concentrate on just one thing and fix it firmly in your mind.
Think about you,
Where you were when it happened,
Or maybe who else was there.
Or think of the words that might have been said if you can remember.
Maybe you fell out with a friend.
Or maybe you had a bad day at school.
Or maybe your teacher was crossed with you.
Or maybe you had an argument with your brother or sister.
Notice if you feel a pain or an ache somewhere in your body when you think about what happened.
You might feel it in your hands or your tummy.
Maybe your throat has gone tight or you feel hot or cold.
Just see what you notice.
Now this is the important bit.
Imagine a piece of paper in front of you with a short length of string attached to it.
I'd like you to imagine putting these thoughts or feelings or words onto that piece of paper.
You might just touch the paper and the words appear there.
Maybe you write the words angry or sad or even the name of the person who was involved on that piece of paper.
Maybe you simply touch the paper to wherever you're feeling the sadness or worry in your body and it automatically moves from you onto the paper.
It doesn't much matter the worry comes out of you or how it comes out of you onto the paper as long as it goes there.
It may jump across or move across or words may appear on the paper you choose.
Then when the paper is full of your worry,
Take the string and tie it firmly onto your worry balloon.
Hold the balloon above your head and feel as the breeze tries to catch it and whip it out of your hands.
Can you feel the balloon tugging at your grip?
It really wants to fly away,
Doesn't it?
That's right.
Now open your hand and let it go.
Watch as it flies up high,
Higher than the trees,
Taking your worry with it.
Feel the lightness grow inside you the further away the balloon flies.
Can you feel that little place in your body where the worry was?
Has it gone?
How cool is that?
See if you can lift the corners of your mouth and smile as you wave goodbye to the worry.
Watch as it disappears out of sight.
Doesn't that feel so much better?
Wow,
You did such a great job.
You must be really proud of yourself.
Now you can do this little exercise anytime you like.
Whenever you feel sad or scared or worried or angry or any other feeling you can think of,
Tie each worry or fear onto another balloon.
Don't forget to use some deep long breaths to blow them up first.
And remember the bigger you can blow your worry balloon,
The faster it will get carried away by the breeze and the quicker your worry will disappear.
Watch them fly far,
Far away from you and smile as you wave them off.
And then take one more deep breath in just for you and relax.
Until next time,
Bye bye.
