Being aware, or mindful, of your feelings, thoughts, and actions can help you learn to slow down and make better choices in overwhelming moments.
When you are slowing down a car, you have to press the brakes. Feelings can speed up like a car. They can sneak up on you, and they can be big and scary. What can you do when your feelings move fast and feel so big that you just don’t know what to do? One thing you can do is BRAKE!
B—Take a deep breath. Breathing tells your brain to slow down.
R—Relax your muscles—shake ’em out!
A—Ask your fact mind to balance out the feelings.
K—Be kind to yourself and others with your words and actions.
E—Enter the situation when you are ready to make good decisions.
In activity 20, you learned about feelings, urges, and behaviors. Use BRAKE to stop and notice your urge before acting on it. This can help you make better decisions.Don’t Let Your Emotions Run Your Life for Kids