Life Skills & Leadership: Unit 1, Session 6: Stress and Emotions | Page 71 of 93“There are both physical and emotional needs that we must have met in order to keep our ‘house’ well
maintained and strong. When you are feeling down, angry, or upset, you can figure out what you need
in the situation. Perhaps then you can find another way to have that need met. If you can’t, at least you
will have a better understanding of why you are unhappy and maybe you can make a plan to meet
those needs over the long term.”Note: If you have had a rich, lengthy discussion and think having a break would be helpful, it is possible to end the session
here and continue at the next meeting with the Application and Assessment activities. Let participants know that in the
next activity they will identify helpful ways to reduce stress and manage the emotions they have been discussing.IV. Application (30 minutes)
Materials:
Ball of string, yarn, or twine prepared with knots spaced randomly along its length
Flip chart 2: Reducing Stress
Trainer Material 1: Script for Relaxation Activity (“Relax and Chill”)
A. Tied Up In Knots
Participants invent alternative strategies to becoming angry about their pet peeves.
- Explain to participants that they can anticipate their feelings and reactions to troublesome situations
and be prepared to respond in more positive ways. Say:
“Most of us have things that bother us on a regular basis. This could be things people say to us, things
people do, or situations we often find ourselves in that make us feel angry or upset. Examples could be
a younger brother or sister using our things without permission, a parent ‘nagging’ us to do household
chores, a peer who says embarrassing things about us in front of others, or people who are pushy and
have bad manners.“We call these ‘pet peeves’ because they are small annoyances that seem to follow us around, like a pet
cat or dog. When an animal spends too much time in a house or building, it makes a big, smelly mess!
Similarly, if we let ourselves stay upset by small annoyances, our ‘house’ can become pretty unpleasant!
We need to be able to recognize things that upset us and make a plan to avoid them or ‘clean up’ after
them. In the next activity we’ll identify our pet peeves and come up with ways to deal with our anger so
our ‘house’ doesn’t become a mess.”- Demonstrate how to use a ball of string or yarn to make a list of pet peeves. Say:
“I have this ball of yarn. Each person will take a turn listing some of their pet peeves. As you speak,
unwind the yarn. Keep talking and unwinding the yarn until you reach a knot. Then pass the ball (and all
the yarn) to the next person who can take her or his turn.”- Demonstrate the process by taking the first turn. If someone unwinds the whole ball of yarn before
everyone has had a chance to speak, ask the next person to begin winding the yarn into a new ball,
starting with one end. As before, when the speaker reaches a knot, s/he passes the yarn to the next
person.