Let it go! How Lockdown kids can cope with emotions.
Last week my son was delighted that he was going to have a Mental Health Day on Monday, which meant no Maths and English!
Sadly, there was still a lot of writing involved and the thought of writing his own meditation script caused more stress than normal. Despite my efforts to interest him with Pokemon and Minecraft meditation, he really wasn’t keen.
After some huffing and puffing, he suddenly happened to find the balloon machine and had great fun blowing up balloons and letting them go so that they whizzed around the room making funny noises.
I encouraged him to think of a feeling every time he blew up a balloon and then imagine that feeling whizzing away with each balloon as he let it go. He loved shouting out the feeling and watching the balloon bounce off the walls and fly around the room, which really made us laugh.
Luckily his teacher was impressed by the way my son had responded to the task as he had combined PHSE with Science. He also decided to fill the balloon up with water so that he could start a water fight and then filled a balloon with air and water and put it outside to see what would happen. It’s still hanging on a branch outside so we can see if it will freeze during the impending snowstorm.
I was interested to find a similar strategy suggested by an article in Psychology Today. The writer suggests stomping on the balloons which we might try another time.
This Balloon Rocket experiment also explores the science behind the balloons flying around the room.
After this experience, my son seemed much happier for the rest of the week of Lockdown learning. The best thing was that my son had dealt with his feelings in his own way, which had empowered him all the more. Perhaps this exercise is the perfect way of releasing the Monday blues.
As Crystal Andrus encouraged,
“Feel the Feeling but don’t become the emotion.
Witness it. Allow it. Release it.”
