session 5 Emotions (feelings) Included in this session are: Activity 1. Introduction to emotions Activity 2. Recognising emotions Activity 3. The feel good factor Reflection Home tasks beyondblue session 5 51
activity 1 Introduction to emotions 1. Think about an emotion (a feeling). Work in pairs. Either draw the emotion you are thinking about or mime it. Have your partner guess what emotion it is you have drawn or mimed. Take it in turns. If there is time, draw or mime another emotion. You can draw your emotion here. 2. As a class, discuss what emotions/feelings are. 3. List as many emotions as you can in the space below. 52 beyondblue session 5
Strength of emotions We feel emotions more or less strongly at different times. For example, it is possible to feel intensely angry or furious, or just a little bit angry or annoyed. In this program, you will use the Feelings Thermometer (over page) to rate how strongly an emotion is felt. You can use the thermometer to show different strengths of emotion using the example above, if you felt intensely angry you may rate the feeling 9 or 10, if you felt just a little bit angry/annoyed, you may rate it 2 or 3. There are no right or wrong answers when using the thermometer, it s to do with how you feel. Key messages There are many different types of emotion both positive and negative. Emotions can be felt in different strengths. beyondblue session 5 53
Feelings Thermometer 10 Very strong feeling 9 8 7 Fairly strong feeling 6 5 Moderate amount of feeling 4 3 Little bit of feeling 2 1 0 Not much feeling at all 54 beyondblue session 5
activity 2 Recognising emotions 1. Choose one of the following stories A day in the life of James or A day in the life of Anna (over page). 2. Read the story and try to identify the emotions experienced by either James or Anna. Write as many emotions as you can for your chosen character in the space below. List the body language/cue that gave you clues about the way the character was feeling. Estimate the strength of the emotions using the thermometer. James EMOTION BODY CUES STRENGTH Anna EMOTION BODY CUES STRENGTH beyondblue session 5 55
A day in the life of James It s Maths class, last period on Monday and James isn t looking forward to it. He s not very good at Maths and usually gets all the answers wrong. The teacher is giving back a test today, and James sits frowning and fidgeting, waiting for his results. He can hardly believe it when the teacher gives him his paper there is only one mistake and he s got one of the highest marks in the class! James can t help smiling. He decides to try harder in class today. Later on, James gets carried away and shouts out an answer he thinks he knows. Some of the other students laugh and the teacher is annoyed with him for shouting out instead of putting his hand up. James sits with his head down and his arms folded for the rest of the class. James doesn t like Nick, who sits behind him he s always winding James up. When the class is packing up to go, Nick nudges James and has a go at him about his good test mark. James grits his teeth and tries to ignore Nick. He avoids making eye contact, but Nick keeps going on whispering comments to James until James finally gives him a shove. The teacher turns around only at this point and James ends up getting detention. He has to stay back. It s a great day, and James had arranged to meet some friends for a game of football after school. With his chin resting on his hands, James stares out of the classroom window he imagines that the others will be at the park by now. 56 beyondblue session 5
A day in the life of Anna Anna is looking forward to going to the movies with Michelle and the others today. She s arranged to meet them at 1 pm, and is humming to herself as she is getting ready. At 12.15 her mum calls out to her and asks her to watch her brother, Stuart, while she goes to her doctor s appointment. Anna s face drops and she sighs. As Mum gets ready to walk out the door she says, I ll be back in an hour. As soon as Mum s out, Stuart starts acting up. Anna phones Michelle to say she ll be late, but the whole time she s talking to Michelle, Stuart keeps interrupting and asking her to make him a sandwich. Eventually she scowls and yells at him to go away. Anna is still chatting when she hears a loud crash from the kitchen. She rushes through and finds that Stuart has pulled things out the fridge looking for food. Two jars have smashed all over the floor, the milk s spilt, and the kitchen s a mess. Anna shouts at Stuart and tells him to clean it up, but he runs up to his room crying. Anna cleans it up, then puts a video on and calls up to Stuart to come and watch it, but he s sulking and won t come down. It feels like it takes forever for Mum to get home. By 1.15 Anna can t sit still she paces the house and keeps looking out the window. Her mother doesn t arrive until nearly 2 pm. Anna, with a red face and clenched teeth, is just about to blow her top when her mum says she was in a car accident. She says everything is alright. She just got a shock and isn t hurt. The car s not too badly damaged either. Mum thanks Anna for staying back to look after Stuart and gives her a big hug. Anna hangs her head and can t look at her Mum. She says, That s OK, and runs out the door. Anna runs for the bus and just makes it. She falls into the seat with a sigh. She smiles with relief when she sees her friends waiting in the foyer at the movies. Key message Body language can give us clues about the emotions other people are feeling. beyondblue session 5 57
activity 3 The feel good factor 1. What activities do you do to make yourself feel good? What do you do to enjoy yourself? Write as many as you can in the space below. 2. In groups, discuss the feel good activities listed on pages 60 and 61. Which of these activities do you enjoy? Circle them. 3. Add any additional activities that you identified in the blank spaces provided on page 62. 4. On the next page, make a menu of your preferred feel good activities. Only include the things that you are able to do, and that you can afford to do. Do a price list for your menu as well. Key message You can increase positive mood by planning and doing enjoyable activities. 58 beyondblue session 5
My feel good menu Activity Price beyondblue session 5 59
Feel good activities Play sport See a movie Walk the dog Listen to music Go shopping Read a book or magazine 60 beyondblue session 5
Feel good activities Watch your favourite TV show Go swimming Have a relaxing bath or shower Go bowling Have a hot chocolate Go out to eat beyondblue session 5 61
Extra feel good activities (Write or draw your own feel good activities) 62 beyondblue session 5
Reflection Think back, over the past week, of times when you have done any of the activities from your feel good menu. Can you remember how you felt at the time? You may want to record the emotion in the space below, and to rate the strength of the emotion using the Feelings Thermometer as a guide. Activity What feeling Rating (1 10) Home tasks 1. Over the next week, you need to complete an Activity Diary. An example of a completed diary is given at the end of this section. You are asked to record what you were doing when you were feeling your best and when you were feeling your worst. You also need to record the emotion you felt, and the strength of the emotion, using the Feelings Thermometer, as shown in the sample diary. 2. Pick one activity from your feel good menu to do over the next week. Does engaging in the pleasant activity affect your mood? If so, how? beyondblue session 5 63
Message bank There are many different types of emotion both positive and negative. Emotions can be felt in different strengths. Body language can give us clues about the emotions other people are feeling. You can increase positive mood by planning and doing enjoyable activities. Your own text 64 beyondblue session 5
My activities and feelings diary (example) BEST feeling of the day Day What were you doing? What feeling? Rating (1 10) WORST feeling of the day What were you doing? What feeling? Rating (1 10) Monday Shopping for new skirt with my sister Happy 8 Arguing with my sister Angry 7 Tuesday Watching TV with my parents Happy 7 Washing up Bored 5 Wednesday Playing soccer after school Happy 9 Trying to write an assignment for English Worried 9 Thursday Eating Chinese take-away with my family Happy 6 Tidying my room Nothing much 5 Friday Watching TV with my friends Relaxed 8 Handing in my English assignment Worried 7 Saturday Playing soccer for school B team Excited 8 Going shopping with Gran Bored 3 Sunday Going to the movies Happy 9 Going for a family walk Bored 4 beyondblue session 5 65
My activities and feelings diary BEST feeling of the day Day What were you doing? What feeling? Rating (1 10) WORST feeling of the day What were you doing? What feeling? Rating (1 10) Monday Tuesday Wednesday Thursday Friday Saturday Sunday 66 beyondblue session 5