Hello friends,
Today we're going to take a little adventure inside our brains.
Did you know your brain is always thinking?
Kind of like how your heart is always beating,
Or your eyes are always blinking.
Sometimes your brain thinks helpful thoughts like look both ways before crossing the street,
Or always remember your epinephrine,
But sometimes your brain thinks thoughts that make you feel worried or scared,
Even if there's nothing dangerous happening.
These are called anxious thoughts.
Your brain is just trying to protect you.
It's like a little superhero,
Inside your head,
Always on duty,
But sometimes it makes a big deal out of small things,
And that's when we feel that fluttery,
Nervous,
Uncomfortable feeling called anxiety.
The fun part?
Just like your brain can think worried thoughts,
You can get it to think silly thoughts too.
And practicing silly thoughts is a great way to remind your brain to think in silly and fun ways,
And to remind yourself that all your thoughts are not true.
Get some paper,
Pencils,
And crayons ready in case you want to write down or draw what we're about to do.
Sit comfortably with your grown-up nearby.
Rest your hands on your lap or on your tummy,
Wherever it feels comfortable.
Take a deep breath in,
And blow it out slowly.
One more time together,
In,
And out.
Now we're ready to have a really silly chat with your brain.
First,
Let's see what is the silliest animal your brain can think of.
Maybe it's a pink giraffe,
A dancing octopus,
Or a spaghetti-eating penguin.
Next,
What's the silliest thing your animal could be wearing?
Maybe the octopus has a top hat on each tentacle,
Or the penguin has a tutu and roller skates.
And instead of walking,
Flying,
Or swimming,
How does your animal move around?
Maybe it does the moonwalk,
Or only does cartwheels.
It might bounce on a pogo stick or do somersaults everywhere it goes.
Instead of making its usual animal sound,
What is the silliest thing your animal could say to you,
And what's the silliest voice it could say it in?
Maybe the giraffe whispers,
I like spaghetti only on Tuesdays.
Or maybe the octopus sings a silly song in a robot voice.
Close your eyes,
And imagine your animal in all of its silliness.
Notice how your face starts to smile,
And your brain giggles a little as you picture it.
Then open your eyes and show your grown-up.
You can act it out,
Draw it,
Or write it down.
Ask your grown-up to share their silly animal with you,
Too.
Take turns being silly,
Acting out each other's silly animals,
Or maybe even having them have a conversation or do a little dance together.
Nothing makes us feel safer and more connected than laughing together.
Let's take another deep breath in,
And while we smile,
Blow it out.
Remember,
Your brain will always keep thinking thoughts,
Helpful,
Worried,
Or silly,
Just like your heart keeps beating and your eyes keep blinking.
The fun part is you get to notice them and choose which thoughts you want to play with.
Sometimes your brain might give you a what-if thought about something scary or worrying,
But you can always think a silly thought right after,
Or change the worried thought into the silliest thing you can imagine.
And that helps your brain settle down.
Have fun being silly together!
