26 • MODULE SIX: COPING WITH EMOTIONS
Experience from the field
While talking about sadness, some children became emotional and narrated many of their life stories
and incidents. Some had experienced death of their parents, brother and others relatives. Some did not
know what death was. The children also narrated what they felt like when sad. Some experienced loss of
appetite, headache and light feelings in the chest. They also talked about how they console other children
who are sad. They wanted to have a “jaddoo” (magical character from a movie) who could make the
impossible possible. The facilitator explained that we can manage our sorrow even without ‘jaddoo.’
(PCI Delhi)
Chitoor District (where Tirupati is located) has one of the highest HIV prevalence rates in India, and
children had experienced what havoc HIV can cause in their families. The children were silent when I said
that we would discuss how to manage sadness. To change the environment, I took the children to the
local zoo, and then under a tree we talked about sadness. The children really opened up and the session
was wonderful. I realized that changing the environment helped all of us. The children came up with
many suggestions on how to help each other, such as holding hands, embracing, patting on the back.
This is what some said, “I could think of other’s sadness instead of my own,” “It is easier to advise when
the sorrow is not mine,” “I could think of death and what happens after that.” (WINS Tirupati)Tips for the facilitatorTips for the facilitatorTips for the facilitatorTips for the facilitatorTips for the facilitator
It is very important that the session ends on a happy note! An end of the session activity that ends in play
and laughter is helpful.ACTIVITY SIX
Fear Not
1 Introduce by saying that all of us have fears. Fears also change with time and age. For
example, a young child may be afraid of thunder but lose that fear as s/he grows up. Ask
children to share what they fear. They can talk about it or they can draw something they are
afraid of now or were afraid of once.- Children share their drawings and realize that there may be common fears. If there are any
imaginary fears, the facilitator must make a distinction between real fears like an accident or
a fall and a fear like a ghost. - Ask some of the children to describe what they felt when they were really scared. Some of these may be:
- Heart pounding;
- Palms sweating;
- Legs feel stiff or tingle or weak;
- Breath is short and quick; and/or
- Feel like there is a heaviness in the stomach.