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Lesson 3 The Difference Between Emotion and Thought & The Internal Journal

Lesson 2 REVIEW: Discover Emotions Take a few minutes and review your practice from last week . You can check your progress from the practice plan you created last week .

What skills did you practice?

How many times did you practice?

Name what you experienced in doing this practice.

Emotions On the scale next to each emotion, put an X that shows how you experienced each emotion on average this past week. Which emotion might be your protector?

Joy Too much ------------------------ Just right ------------------------ Too little

Sadness Too much ------------------------ Just right ------------------------ Too little

Fear Too much ------------------------ Just right ------------------------ Too little

Disgust Too much ------------------------ Just right ------------------------ Too little

Anger Too much ------------------------ Just right ------------------------ Too little

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Three-Part Breath

Why?Mind Matters teaches several different focused breathings practices in order for you to select the one you prefer . Sometimes we need 5 or more slow, deep breaths to soothe ourselves and get calmer . The Three-Part Breath Exercise ensures that we take a deep enough breath to soothe ourselves .

How: This Three-Part Breath exercise involves three parts: (1) expanding and contracting the diaphragm; (2) extending the ribcage; (3) and filling the chest up to the throat with air . During Three-Part Breath, you first completely fill your lungs with air, as though you are breathing into your belly, then ribcage, and lastly, upper chest . Then, you exhale completely, reversing the flow . Stop this exercise if you become faint or dizzy . You can easily find an online resource to guide you through Three-Part Breath .

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Lesson 3 The Difference Between Emotion and Thought & The Internal Journal

Identifying Thoughts and EmotionsWhy?After learning to recognize and name emotion, you are ready to learn how your emotion is different from your thinking . An emotion comes into awareness as a sensation in the body: a feeling in the chest, head, back, stomach . Emotion has names: joy, sadness, fear, anger, disgust . Thought shows up in awareness as talk, expressing an idea, opinion, plan, a judgment, evaluation, or showing a picture . When thinking, you are listening to thought . Thought wants to be logical, reasonable, accurate, solve a problem, do something . Thought can start emotion or emotion can attract thought . Notice this cross-over in your own experience .

How:Here are some examples of thought expressed as emotion . Working with a partner, see if you can match an emotion (joy, disgust, sad, anger, fear) to each statement below . More than one emotion-name can work in each statement.

You may do this exercise on your own if your instructor did not cover it .

1 . I feel you are mad at me! Name the feeling: __________________________________________________________

2 . I feel I am getting really good grades . Name the feeling: _______________________________________________

3 . I feel you think I’m ugly! Name the feeling: ___________________________________________________________

4 . I feel this will be the worst year ever! Name the feeling: _______________________________________________

5 . I feel my teacher hates me! Name the feeling: _________________________________________________________

Now, work with your partner to complete the chart below, revising each one of the above statements . Rewrite each statement so it is an accurate expression of thought, not an inaccurate statement of emotion . Repeat to yourself several times the statements revised as thought . Notice if you can now sense any change of sensation in your body . The first one has been completed for you .

Correct the statement below. Replace with. . . .

I feel you are mad at me! I think you are mad at me .

I feel I am getting really good grades! I think

I feel you think I’m ugly! I think

I feel this will be the worst year ever! I think

I feel my teacher hates me! I think

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Emotions or Thoughts ChartTake a look at the Emotions-Thoughts Chart below . Note when you recently experienced any one of the five emotions (Joy, Sadness, Anger, Fear, or Disgust) . Then, recall the thoughts you had when you noticed your emotion . Add that to the chart . It is not important that you fill in all of the squares . You will not be asked to share your written responses in class .

Emotion When What Were Your Thoughts?

Joy

Sadness

Fear

Disgust

Anger

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Lesson 3 The Difference Between Emotion and Thought & The Internal Journal

The Internal Journal

Why?The purpose of the Internal Journal is to help you develop and learn to use your Observing Self . The Observing Self is that part of you who watches, notices, and is aware of what it is you are thinking, feeling, sensing, and doing . By developing and using your Observing Self, you will be able to pause before you act and react . Then, you can make the response that is right for you .

How: 1 . Event: Pick an emotional event .

2 . Five Senses: Notice what you sense (see, hear, touch, smell, taste) .

3 . Body Sensations: How does your body physically respond?

4 . Emotions: What emotions do you experience?

5 . Thoughts: What thoughts do you have?

6 . Memory: What memory does this event bring up for you?

7 . Behavior: What do you do?

8 . Rate: Rate the event with the SUDS scale (0–10) .*

9 . Do a self-soothing exercise.

10 . Check in on your SUDS: Did your SUDS rating (0–10) decrease?

11 . More self-soothing: Decide if you need to continue the self-soothing activity or not .

*Definition of SUDS: SUDS = Subjective Units of Discomfort Scale . It is a scale from 0 to 10 on degree of discomfort . A ‘0’ means a person is completely relaxed and a ‘10’ is the highest degree of discomfort that someone could experience .

Remember you can keep practicing self-soothing techniques until you feel better.

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The Internal Journal Chart

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Lesson 3 The Difference Between Emotion and Thought & The Internal Journal

Lesson 3 PRACTICE PLAN: The Difference between Emotion and Thought & The Internal Journal

In this lesson we learned the difference between emotion and thought . We also learned a tool called the Internal Journal to help us think through the many ways that we respond to a trigger . Complete the chart to plan which Mind Matters exercises you will practice this week .

What skills will you practice?

How many times daily?

How many times weekly?

When/where will you practice?

How will you remember to practice?

Focused Breathing

Peripheral Vision

5-4-3-2-1

Coloring

Body Scan

Internal Journal

Homework: Your teacher will give you a copy of a blank Internal Journal for you to complete this week . When will you complete your internal journal? How will you remember to complete it?