When you are feeling worried, anxious, sad, angry or any other feeling and need help calming down, here are a few ideas to help you.  Remember what you are feeling is only temporary and will pass.  Some strategies to help when you are having big feelings could be the following: 

• big deep breaths

• count to 10

• visualization - picture your favorite place or thing to do; you can do this by closing your eyes and picturing all the details about this place or event

• muscle relaxation - tense up your whole body - every single muscle in your body starting from your head all the way down to your tippy toes - and gradually start to release one muscle at a time

• grounding  using your 5 senses - find something from each of your 5 senses and recognize each sensation; notice something that you can see, notice something that you currently are smelling, notice something that your body is currently touching, notice something that your hear, notice whatever taste might be in your mouth right now

• journaling - write down your thoughts and feelings

• fight off your STINKY THINKING - when you notice yourself talking not so nicely to yourself, this is called stinky thinking!  Talk back to yourself by changing your stinky thought into something more positive! Remember, what would you say to your best friend if they were going through what you are going through? Be nice to yourself, and be your own best friend!