Activity 1: Thinking Error Character Station Handouts

Group Members: ______________________________________ Advisor: ________________ Activity 1, STATION 1: Small group instructions Abby-­‐All-­‐or-­‐Nothing 1. Identify someone from your group to read the following character description aloud: Our first friend is Abby-­‐All-­‐or-­‐Nothing. She overgeneralizes; thinks things are either perfect or terrible! When Abbey gets an A on a test, she thinks, “Today is a perfect day!” Later, if things don’t work out perfectly, she tells herself “This is the worst day of my life!” and exaggerates by saying to herself “I’m a complete failure!” She’s on a roller coaster; her thinking is EXTREME. 2. As a group, discuss the below questions: a. Where have you seen similar behavior? b. What does this look like (based on personal experience or people that you know)? c. What WORDS may Abby-­‐All-­‐or-­‐Nothing use to describe situations and herself? d. Identify 2 EXAMPLES of all-­‐or-­‐nothing thinking from your personal experiences. e. In the box below, try to illustrate the wide range in her thinking patterns, while using the words and examples you have identified in Question C and D. 3. Please offer ONE recommendation to help Abby reduce her negative self-­‐talk/stress level: Attention: Please give your activity sheet to your Advisor before you leave today. Thanks! Group Members: ______________________________________ Advisor: ________________ Activity 1, STATION 2: Negative Nelly 1. Designate one member of your group to read the following character description aloud: Our next character, Negative Nelly, is at her friend’s house and has been all afternoon. Her dad called to remind her of a school project. She thinks, “They never let me hang out with my friends. They are always checking up on me.” She forgot about all the fun she had and focused on having to go home to finish work. Her thinking is focused on the NEGATIVE. 1. Let’s do an experiment! Read the scenario and follow the directions with your small group. Scenario: Your day goes fairly well at school, but something negative happens. At the end of the day, when someone asks how your day was, you answer “Terrible!” Directions: a. Invite each member to take a few stones. b. Each member identifies at least 3 statements of negative self-­‐talk about stressful school-­‐related situations. After each statement, put a rock in the cup. c. Select one person to fill the cup with water (without making it overflow). d. Reflect on how the stones have fallen to the bottom and the water dominates. e. Lastly, carefully take the cup of water and stones. Pour the contents through a strainer into a small bowl. Notice what is left in the strainer. 2. As a group, please discuss the below questions: a. What do the stones represent? What does the water symbolize? b. What do you think the relationship of the stones and the water tells us? c. What was the purpose of straining out the water? d. How does the comment “Terrible,” from the above scenario relate to this activity? 3. Our thoughts have power. Negative self-­‐talk influences the way we feel and what we do. For the last few moments, discuss your views on the following: a. Do you feel it is easier to focus on the negative or the positive? Why? b. When students only focus on the negative, how does this impact their day? c. What impacts a student’s ability to have a more balanced perspective? d. How can your friends help you reduce negative self-­‐talk and better manage your emotions? ATTENTION – BEFORE YOU MOVE TO THE NEXT STATION Please leave the supplies in the same condition as they were at the start of the activity. This demonstrates RESPECT and RESPONSIBILITY. Your attention to this request will help the next group and your advisor. Thanks! Attention: Please give your activity sheet to your Advisor before you leave today. Thanks! Group Members: ______________________________________ Advisor: ________________ Activity 1, STATION 3: Captain Catastrophe 1. Ask for a volunteer, from your small group, to first PUT ON THE SUPPLIES and THEN READ the following character description: When something happens, I “Captain Catastrophe” overreact. I assume the worst, even when there is no evidence of this. If I make a mistake, I assume that the same thing will happen in the future. So when I, “Captain Catastrophe” found out that I have to present in front of the class, I could hear myself saying, “I screwed up last time. What if I do it again? As I became more and more stressed, I was sure that “Everyone is going to laugh at me and I am going to get a terrible grade!” I see small events as Catastrophic and have a hard time letting go. 2. Catastrophic thoughts can also be called “What ifs?” One way to think about catastrophic thinking is by blowing up a balloon. Distribute a balloon to each group member. Every time you think “What If?” blow hard into the balloon. Try this experiment together and then discuss your experience: a. Think of a worry or “What if?” and each time, breathe into the balloon. The more anxious you get, the faster you blow until the balloon is ready to explode. Try it! b. Did your breathing change? (Note: When stressed, your breath may have gotten faster and you are more likely to breath into your chest. Natural, calm breathing is from our belly. c. Did you feel in control of your emotions? 3. Off-­‐the-­‐mark thinking can be extreme. Sometimes, however, our self-­‐talk is only slightly off-­‐the-­‐mark – meaning not so exaggerated. (Remember: On-­‐the-­‐mark thinking is realistic and helps you better manage your emotions. Discuss the below questions as a small group: a. Where would you place Captain Catastrophe’s comments on the target? b. Choose a couple of the “What Ifs” that you used during the experiment. Where would you put these comments (on, off-­‐the-­‐mark, or way off-­‐the-­‐mark)? 4. Suggest a couple of on-­‐the-­‐mark things that Captain Catastrophe could say to himself to help reduce his stress level? a. ________________________________________________________________________ b. ________________________________________________________________________ Attention: Please give your activity sheet to your Advisor before you leave today. Thanks! Group Members: ______________________________________ Advisor: ________________ Activity 1, STATION 4: Polly Personal 1. Identify someone from your group to read the following character description aloud: Our next friend, Polly Personal, assumes everything is a personal reaction to her. For example, if someone has an irritable tone of voice, she immediately assumes they are angry with her and says, “Why are you upset with me?” She forgets that people may do things or feel things that have nothing to do with her. Polly thinks its’ ALL ABOUT HER. The other day, Polly walked into class. She noticed two students talking and laughing. They both looked at her when she walked by. “Why would they be laughing at me?”, she thought. After this happened, she was upset. 2. Give one member of your group a small mirror, and then follow the below directions to conduct a ROLE PLAY: a. Hold the mirror up to another member of your group and ask, “What do you see?” (Myself.) Then say, “now, let’s pull the mirror back and get the bigger picture. What else might your classmates be talking about? (Someone or something else.) b. What does this have to do with the above scenario? 3. As a small group, discuss the following: a. What emotions may Polly be feeling? b. Could she be afraid of something? If so, what? c. Is here thinking on-­‐the-­‐mark, off-­‐the-­‐mark, or way off-­‐the-­‐mark? Why? d. How might her thoughts impact her? 4. With your group members, identify 2 or 3 situations involving off-­‐the-­‐mark personalization, drawing from your personal experience or things you have seen with other students. Write these examples below. a. ________________________________________________________________________ b. ________________________________________________________________________ c. ________________________________________________________________________ 5. Identify evidence to challenge these negative thoughts. For each one, please suggest a statement of positive self-­‐talk to help the student see the bigger picture and reduce stress: a. ________________________________________________________________________ b. ________________________________________________________________________ c. ________________________________________________________________________ Attention: Please give your activity sheet to your Advisor before you leave today. Thanks! Group Members: ______________________________________ Advisor: ________________ Activity 1, STATION 5: Sam Should 1. Designate one member of your group to read the following character description aloud: The next character, Sam Should, has a long list of his own rules about how others should be! At the same time, he has rather unrealistic expectations about himself. When other people don't live up to his expectations, or he experiences challenges, it really shakes Sam up. He gets frustrated, annoyed, and over-­‐whelmed about how he and others SHOULD be. For example, Sam often says: “Real friends should always contact me first to do things!” He has difficulty understanding that it’s normal and healthy to get together with a variety of people. Also, when called on in Math class or he makes a mistake, Sam uses negative self-­‐
talk: “I should know the answer and be able to learn this as quickly as the others!” a. Are Sam’s “should” statements on-­‐the-­‐mark, off-­‐the-­‐mark or way off-­‐the-­‐mark? Why do you feel this way? b. Have you experienced these thoughts or do you know of students who feel this way? c. What emotions might Sam be experiencing? d. What do you think Sam will do if his friend does not respect his wishes? e. Does Sam’s way of thinking help him do his best in Math? Why or why not? f. What could he say to himself that that would be on-­‐the-­‐mark? 2. With your group members, and from your personal experience, identify 2 or 3 EXAMPLES of off-­‐the-­‐mark thinking using the word should. a. ________________________________________________________________________ b. ________________________________________________________________________ c. ________________________________________________________________________ 3. Identify evidence to challenge the accuracy of the above negative thoughts and write this evidence below. Finding evidence to challenge negative self-­‐talk can help reduce stress and better define the problem so that we are not feeling overwhelmed. a. ________________________________________________________________________ b. ________________________________________________________________________ c. ________________________________________________________________________ Attention: Please give your activity sheet to your Advisor before you leave today. Thanks! Group Members: ______________________________________ Advisor: ________________ Activity 1, STATION 6: It’s-­‐Not-­‐Fair Claire 1. Read the following character description: Meet It’s-­‐Not-­‐Fair Claire. Whenever things don’t go the way she wants, she says, “It’s not fair!” She thinks that anyone who can’t make what she wants happen is not on her side. When her parents decide not to go to her favorite restaurant, she proceeds to stick her lip out and becomes very upset. She is upset so often, you might say that she thinks that life is JUST NOT FAIR. 2. Discuss the below questions with your group: a. What type of behavior would you expect Claire to display when she says “It’s not fair!”? b. Do you feel Claire’s thinking is on-­‐the-­‐mark, off-­‐the mark, or way off-­‐the-­‐mark? Why? c. How may others (parents, teachers and friends) react to her comment/behavior? d. In this scenario, what emotions do you think Claire is feeling? e. What could she say that would express her feelings in a more positive and realistic way? (Hint: Do you think this is the last time she will ever go out to eat with her parents?) 3. With your group members, identify 2 EXAMPLES using the negative self-­‐talk/statement “It’s not fair!” Afterwards, list some of the feelings that may be hidden in each off-­‐the-­‐mark statement. Lastly, suggest a more realistic and less stressful way of communicating. Negative Thought: ___________________________________________________________ Possible Feelings: ____________________________________________________________ On-­‐the-­‐Mark Thought/Comment: _______________________________________________ ___________________________________________________________________________ Negative Thought: ___________________________________________________________ Possible Feelings: ____________________________________________________________ On-­‐the-­‐Mark Thought/Comment: _______________________________________________ ___________________________________________________________________________ 4. Lastly, please offer ONE suggestion to help Claire reduce her overall stress level: ___________________________________________________________________________ ___________________________________________________________________________ Attention: Please give your activity sheet to your Advisor before you leave today. Thanks! Group Members: ______________________________________ Advisor: ________________ Activity 1, STATION 7: Blamin’ Byron 1. In your small group, designate one person to read the following character description aloud: Finally, we have Blamin’ Byron who sees problems everywhere – it is never because he did something wrong or made a mistake, however. It is always someone else’s fault! Blamin’ Byron is upset with others all the time. When his school group science project failed to work, he was quick to point his finger at his group members, scolding them: “Why didn’t you glue this right!” and “It’s because you didn’t mix the compounds correctly.” He thinks it’s always SOMEONE ELSE’S FAULT. 2. With your group members, identify 2 EXAMPLES of the negative thinking pattern of blaming others, using your personal experiences. Blaming is off-­‐the-­‐mark thinking. a. ________________________________________________________________________ b. ________________________________________________________________________ 3. Follow the below directions to conduct a ROLE PLAY: a. Give one member of your group a small mirror. Instruct them to point the mirror at another person in the group and then make a blaming statement. b. After making the blaming comment, they should turn the mirror to look at themselves and rephrase the comment so that it is on-­‐the-­‐mark. c. Pass the mirror a different group member and repeat the process until everyone who would like to try this exercise has done so. 4. As a small group, discuss the below questions: a. How does blaming others impact a student’s stress level? How do you know this? b. What do you feel are the primary emotions impacting Byron’s thinking and behavior? c. How did it feel to hold the mirror in front of another group member and blame them? d. Did you notice any tension in your body? e. For the students who had a blaming comment directed at them: How did it feel to have the mirror and blaming comments directed at you? 5. Discuss with your group members: Do some of you blame others? If so, in what situations does this happen most often? Do you recognize any patterns (types of situations, certain people, etc..) that blaming occurs more frequently? Identify one thing you could do to reduce the tendency to blame others and write your idea below: ___________________________________________________________________________ ___________________________________________________________________________ Attention: Please give your activity sheet to your Advisor before you leave today. Thanks!