Weekly Values Focus - Resilience

Week 6: Footscray West students use positive coping strategies

At Footscray West Primary School, we use positive coping strategies to help us move through big feelings and challenging moments. Everyone experiences emotions such as frustration, worry, disappointment, excitement and anger. Our feelings are important, but sometimes they can feel very big and make it harder to think clearly or make good choices. Using a coping strategy can help us pause, settle our bodies and get ready to learn, connect and try again.

We can choose different strategies depending on what we need. We might take some slow breaths, have a drink of water, stretch our bodies, have a quiet moment, talk to someone we trust or take a short movement break. We can also use the coping tools we practise in our classroom, such as breathing exercises, positive self-talk or grounding activities. For example, if we feel frustrated because our work is difficult, we could pause, take a few breaths and remind ourselves, “I can take this one step at a time.”

Not every strategy works for everyone, and the same strategy might not work every time. This is why practising our coping tools when we are calm is so important. We can notice how our body feels before and after using a strategy and think about what helped. If one strategy does not work, we can try another. Showing resilience means recognising what we need and making a positive choice to help ourselves move through the feeling.

Next week, let’s become detectives of our own emotions. What strategies help your body feel calmer? Which coping tools help you get ready to learn or solve a problem? Can you practise one strategy when you are calm so it is easier to remember when you need it? 

Remember, we cannot always choose how we feel, but we can practise choosing helpful ways to respond.