b'Calm me - anxiety. What it feels like to be anxiousAmazing me - self-esteem. This is about mattering, this and worried. Where in my body and brain do I feelis about value, how I see myself and my capabilities, it and what sensations am I aware of, how does myand loveableness. We feel this from within from body and brain react, what is panic, fear and howthe perceptions of those nearest to us, our primary can I put images and words to the felt sense of it.carers, those who set us in a sense of being loved and Putting words to it begins to calm it and calm thethat we matter. If we havent had this we internalise amygdala panic state. Some of the activities are abouta lack of self-worth and self-belief and the scripts challenging our worries and link to CBT approaches,often become set for life. So this is about recognising scaling worries and managing the symptoms but alsoand celebrating our strengths, recognising how we offer ways to express and make sense of our worriescan build our own self-esteem, develop a sense of with mindfulness, self-care and compassion. self-worth and become assertive, to care and have Finding me - sadness. This is missing from PSHE butstrength to know inside ourselves that we matter.so vital. Permission to feel sad, how we as adults canMy friends and me - friendship. Children need sit alongside and not jolly children out of sadness,opportunities to talk about their friendships and the permission to grieve, feel sad, recognise losses.range of feelings and experiences within them and learn Sometimes we know what we are sad about andhow to navigate the tricky times through strategies sometimes it is too deep within this is the road toand activities. This is about qualities of friendship, depression unless we have chance to grieve, to feelthe beauty of friendship but also when friendship heard and that we arent alone with sadness. This themehurts, when we feel betrayed, what to say and how looks at what is under sadness, how we mask it, ourto communicate. Being authentic in what we feel and feelings on the outside and what is hidden. What toneed, the absolute importance of honesty and clarity say and how we offer comfort and care when someoneand strength in saying how we feel - this sets us on a is sad, sometimes we dont know what to do as adultspath for all relationships and in time intimacy where so how do we help children know how to respond. we can be our true selves and say what we feel whilst New beginnings and me - change and transition. Thisholding respect for another, problem solving too theme looks at changes in terms of end of year, newand how to navigate through the ups and downs.teacher, class or school but other changes too, andExploding me - strong and angry feelings. This is sudden change and unwanted change, situations thatvital in giving permission and validation for angry and can be a shock, the pandemic - unwanted and suddenexplosive feelings, challenging the sense of mad and change such as divorce and illness. These can bring hugebad and in fact celebrating the importance of anger feelings of fear, loss, uncertainty, anticipation, excitementin being our inner guard dog - signalling distress and so we look at hopes and fears how to plan for change,feeling unsafe. Anger is what we see but underneath begin to accept elements of change and how to managethere are very different feelings - hurt, pain, fear, anxiety. endings in order to move towards new beginnings. We need to help children know what is happening in Memories and me - loss, bereavement and grief.their bodies and brains and know that this is their in Looks at loss, grief and bereavement, cycles of loss,built amazing defense system of fight-flight. We need the range of feelings within loss, how to understandthis for life, for survival and need to cherish and nourish what is happening within loss and then how toit! Embrace it, recognise our triggers and then we need create memories, to help the healing journey. safe ways to expel it, to express it and regulate it.hamishandmilo.org 15'