“Be the Power of One” Building Character for Success

1. “Be the Power of One”Building Character for Success “Take a Breather” Lesson 6.12 Created By: Pam Gunter

2. Challenge for the Week – Follow Up Last week we discussed how important it is to make right choices, and when making wrong choices, we correct them. How did everyone do? Would anyone like to share an experience from last week’s challenge?

3. Preparation • Materials Needed: • None. • Classroom Setup: • Sitting at desks or on the floor.

4. The Activity • Explain to the students that anger is part of life and is a natural emotion. • The key to anger is learning how to control and manage it so it doesn’t cause harm to themselves or others. • There are three key ways to manage anger and people often need to consciously exercise them to develop effectively utilize them when under stress and extreme emotional conditions. • They are: • Express, Suppress, and Calm

5. The Activity - Continued • The most healthy methods are to express and calm. Suppressing anger over long periods of time can cause mental and physical conditions that are very damaging. • Can anyone tell me what you think it is meant to express to diffuse anger? • Communicate your feelings, using effective communication skills we’ve learned, can be extremely effective to diffuse anger. Talk to the person if they have offended you are caused angry and hurtful feelings.

6. The Activity- Continued • Often times situations are easier to cope with when the emotions of anger have been calmed and settled down. One of the most effective ways to manage anger is to learn self-calming techniques. Today we are going to learn some of those techniques. • Turn down the lights and have all of the students find a relaxed position. Maybe head on desk, laying on floor, or sitting up straight. Explain that relaxation techniques can be used in many positions, and can be used very discreetly. • Walk the students through a simple relaxation exercise.

7. The Activity- Continued • Once you have found a relaxed position, close your eyes and take three deep and controlled breaths. Inhale…one…two…three…and exhale…one…two…three. (repeat 3 times) • Envision yourself in a very relaxed place such as the mountains by a relaxing lake, or at the park relaxing under a comfortable tree. • Now, relax all the muscles in your face. Relax your scalp, now your forehead and eyebrows, relax your nose, your cheeks and now relax your lips and jaw. Feel your body relaxing. • Now relax your neck, allow your shoulders to drop gently, and feel all the muscles in your back starting to relax. • Relax your upper arms, your elbows, your forearms, now your wrists, and hands. Feel that relaxation spreading all the way to your fingertips. • Continue to breath deeply and comfortably. • Now feel your body continue to relax by relaxing your chest, stomach and hips. As you relax, feel the relaxation move to your thighs, your calves, down your ankles all the way down, through your feet and toes. • Take three more controlled breaths as we did at the beginning of the exercise. • Now slowly open your eyes.

8. The Object of the Lesson Points instructor needs to bring out: • Emphasize once again that anger is a part of everyone’s life. It is a natural emotion but we need to learn to control it appropriately. • When needed, express your angry feelings in a healthy and constructive manner, using the proper communication techniques (think before your speak, listen to their side of the story, speak using appropriate voice volume, tone and speed, and pay attention to your non-verbal language. • Learn to relax before taking action.

9. Challenge of the Week Have the students develop relaxing techniques for several environments. (Sitting at a desk at school, walking down the hallway, sitting on the school bus, etc.) Have them preplan a plan of action what the can do when they start feeling tense and upset to decrease the level of anger.