WELLBEING

Your Amazing Brain

This week some level 3 & 4 students have been learning about their amazing brains. More specifically, the parts of the brain that process emotions and feelings. When kids can understand their brain’s ability to grow and change, their perception of their own abilities starts to change. It becomes much easier for them to embrace mistakes, obstacles and challenges as well as understand how they can change their thought processes in dealing with emotions and feelings.

Like our muscles, the brain has the ability to get stronger the more it is used. Understanding our brains, helps children know which parts they need and want to strengthen. They are in charge of their brain and can learn anything they want to.

We used this graphic to learn where our emotions and feelings are formed, and how they are sent to the “thinking centre” which triggers their behaviours, reactions and responses. Students were quick to figure out that our responses to feelings are their own choices. All feelings are ok, but not all behaviours are.

While most parts of the brain we want to grow and make stronger, our stress centre – Amygdala - (lovingly known by the students as the “pea” we have in our brain!) is one area of our brain that we want to shrink and keep relatively small. Some students questioned if it would be best to just remove our pea altogether. However, the “pea” does serve us in positive ways. It is our alarm system that helps to keep us safe in dangerous situations. However, we need to train our brain to be able to differentiate between what is a real danger and what are re-lived thoughts, so that our Amygdala doesn’t become too big and impact our life in negative ways.

Students participated in meditation as a strategy for calmness and begun a gratitude diary to help develop a growth mindset. Next week we will talk about worries and ways we can keep our pea at a good size.

Nicki Chalmers

Mental Health and Wellbeing Coordinator