IGG INTEREST BADGE Brownie Healthy Mind Option 04 (Mental remix)

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Description

Practise one relaxation technique that you particularly like.

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Laptop/Screen

Instructions

Developing a positive mindset/Mental remix

Through this activity, we teach Brownies about the power of perception – with this being conveyed and communicated in a way that the 7-10 age group can grasp, of course.

You can start the activity by asking the girls if they have ever used - or seen their parent/family member or friend - a filter on an image taken on the camera. You can demonstrate this by showing a picture of nature, let’s say a sunset, on your phone. Now, apply a filter and see how the colours, tones and the overall image become enhanced as a result.

Explain to them that in the same way, how we see things can impact our mindset — which means it can impact how we respond to stressful/difficult situations -- and relax at large. Inculcating this simple - yet powerful - understanding that we have control over how we respond to things, and how we can actively put in efforts towards developing a positive mindset, among girls at this young age is important.

Tell them that through this activity, we learn how to ‘remix’ our feelings about something.
This activity helps the girls understand that the way they see things isn’t necessary the “truth” about the way they are.

Now, encourage a discussion around this. For instance, ask them to describe how they would feel if their favourite teacher in school saw them at a mall outside when they were with family, but the teacher merely nodded at them and walked away, and didn’t smile, wave, or engage as the Brownie would have liked/expected them to.

How would they feel? The Brownie is likely to say she felt let down, disappointed, and/or that the teacher didn’t like them much. Encourage the Brownies to express how they would feel.

Tell them it is okay to feel those feelings. But gently urge them to consider if those feelings in fact describe reality or the truth. Ask them: “Could the teacher have merely been in a rush? Could she have been on the way to an important appointment and hence couldn’t pause and talk to you? In this way, there could be any reason why she couldn’t stop and smile, wave and talk to you as she normally would have or as you would have liked or expected her to.”

Pause and let them take this in.

Then, tell them, “Now, do you understand that your FEELING of “Oh, my teacher doesn’t like me so much,” or “I don’t matter enough for her to have stopped and talked to me” doesn’t necessarily mean the TRUTH or the reality?

Encourage a discussion around this. If need be, explain this concept once again if the Brownies are confused.

Feelings aren’t facts — teaching this at an early age can help them put distance between themselves and their feelings/emotions such that they won’t be overwhelmed or consumed by negative feelings. It will encourage the habit of pausing before responding/reacting.

Now, let’s move on to another way to reinforce the same thought. Ask the Brownie about their favourite recent cartoon or movie. Ask two of them to express their feelings around the same. Now, put forth the following questions:

-Why is it that two Brownies can see the same movie and describe it totally differently?
-Or why is it that when they watch the same movie more than once, they notice different things each time?

Tell them that the truth is that our minds shape our experiences, our memories, and we can learn to influence our minds to see things differently. This is to convey to them the simple truth that we can train our minds to see things differently – that we can learn to develop a positive mindset.

Now, urge the children to imagine the following scenario: That they got an F for a math test in school that they had worked very hard for.

Urge the Brownies to talk about how they would feel or react.

It is very likely that at least one or some or all of them would have the following response, or something along these lines:

Feelings of disappointment and hopelessness, feeling of being a failure and how they might never pass such tests in the future too.

Now, explain to them that their reaction could be different, using the technique of mental remix. Instead of deeming themselves a failure, consider the following —

Maybe this could be a way to learn that they need to study harder next time — reflect on how they could have studied better or differently. They could ask the teacher and explore ways to make up for this - like an extra credit activity.

Show this video, from 2:17, to further reinforce this message:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WZ27b1wbyxU

Now, urge them to discuss how the second way of reacting can actually pave the way for a positive mindset and outcome — in this case, they identify the ‘F’ as a way to come up with a different way to study, so that they get a better score next time. In this way of looking at it/reacting to it, they feel energised and inspired and treat what happened as a learning lesson. Whereas, in the first way of responding, they feel hopeless, disappointed and deem themselves a failure.

End the activity/discussion with the following thought: “You can’t always control what happens to you, but you can control how you respond to it.” Developing such a positive mindset and practising this ‘mental remix’ can prove to be a great relaxation technique in the long run.

Show the attached poster to the Brownies and ask them to reflect on the same. It would also be useful to have this stuck on the wall at the weekly Unit meeting venue.

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IGG INTEREST BADGE Brownie Healthy Mind Option 04 (Mental remix)

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