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Life is a Rollercoaster: Enjoy the Ride. A special program for Morgantown High School Students. ©Judith A. Sedgeman, 2006. What’s this about?. Why do I ride a rollercoaster of emotions? How can I help myself when I feel out of control?
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Life is a Rollercoaster:Enjoy the Ride A special program for Morgantown High School Students ©Judith A. Sedgeman, 2006
What’s this about? • Why do I ride a rollercoaster of emotions? • How can I help myself when I feel out of control? • Why do I sometimes have more trouble than others getting calmed down? • Am I OK if I’m angry or upset or sad a lot? • How can I stay calm when bad things are happening around me? ©Judith A. Sedgeman, 2006
Do you know…? • why we think the way we do about being stressed and upset? (It all started with rats) ©Judith A. Sedgeman, 2006
Hans Selye Hans Selye Alarm Acute Resistance Exhaustion Chronic ©Judith A. Sedgeman, 2006
What Selye didn’t research… • How the human mind works… ©Judith A. Sedgeman, 2006
Let’s see for ourselves ©Judith A. Sedgeman, 2006
(Is stuff in charge of your life?) Stuff Thoughts/ Feelings ©Judith A. Sedgeman, 2006
Does that make sense? • Does the same stuff always make everyone feel the same way? • Does the same stuff always make you feel the same way? ©Judith A. Sedgeman, 2006
Stuff (Are you in charge of your life?) Thoughts/ Feelings ©Judith A. Sedgeman, 2006
Does that make sense? • Do you notice that you handle life differently in different moods? • Do you notice that you respond differently from others to the same things? ©Judith A. Sedgeman, 2006
The human mind at work • Thinking is part of constant life energy: • Heartbeat • Breathing • Immune system • Digestion • Cellular activity • Mind ©Judith A. Sedgeman, 2006
Thinking is how we know • We know that we’re thinking • We know what we’re thinking ©Judith A. Sedgeman, 2006
Thinking is how we know And we all think in our own separate, unique, personal way, moment-to-moment. ©Judith A. Sedgeman, 2006
Our mood = special effects • We see our thinking as real, and we see it through the “color” of our mood at that moment. • We always know how we feel. ©Judith A. Sedgeman, 2006
Natural Flow of Thought Mood Tension Here’s how it works Upsetting Thought X I’m in a low mood and I’m tense! ©Judith A. Sedgeman, 2006
Low Mood = warning • A low mood or troubled state of mind is like the red warning light on a car dashboard. • When we’re in a low mood, or angry, or upset, we know that we … ©Judith A. Sedgeman, 2006
But, unlike cars… • We don’t need a mechanic. • We can self-correct. • We have innate health. • And with it comes • Common sense • Wisdom • Knowing what to do ©Judith A. Sedgeman, 2006
We have innate health • When we allow our thinking to “idle” and slow down, we naturally come back into balance. ©Judith A. Sedgeman, 2006
Summing it up • We think all the time. • We are aware of our thinking. • Our thinking looks real. • Our “reality” changes as our thinking and our moods change. • We’re always changing. ©Judith A. Sedgeman, 2006
Summing it up • Our moods are our natural guidance system. • They tell us how much to trust our thinking. ©Judith A. Sedgeman, 2006
Summing it up • When we can’t trust our thinking, all we have to do is leave it alone and it will change. ©Judith A. Sedgeman, 2006
Let’s look at the questions • Why do I ride a rollercoaster of emotions? • Because my thinking and my view of reality are always changing. ©Judith A. Sedgeman, 2006
Let’s look at the questions • How can I help myself when I feel out of control? • Recognize the feeling as coming from my thinking, not from the situation; allow it to pass. ©Judith A. Sedgeman, 2006
Let’s look at the questions • Why do I sometimes have more trouble than others getting calmed down? • Sometimes I take my thinking more seriously and have more trouble leaving it alone. ©Judith A. Sedgeman, 2006
Let’s look at the questions • Am I OK if I’m angry or upset or sad a lot? • Innate Health is part of you; you can’t lose it; you are always OK. ©Judith A. Sedgeman, 2006
Let’s look at the questions • How can I stay calm when bad things are happening around me? • Understand that others are acting according to their own thinking; don’t take it personally. ©Judith A. Sedgeman, 2006
You can’t scare yourself with your own puppet! ©Judith A. Sedgeman, 2006
Remember… • The life of a thought is as long as you think it. • Not a moment more. ©Judith A. Sedgeman, 2006
Please fill out the evaluation… Dear Participant, You are being asked to complete the questionnaire as part of a program evaluation of a series of 90-minute Innate Health assemblies for Morgantown High School students. The information generated by the study will be used to satisfy a course requirement and to present evaluation data to allow the high school to determine whether the program should be continued. Your participation is entirely voluntary. You may choose not to answer any questions. Your responses will remain anonymous and confidentiality will be maintained. Your job status or class status will not be affected in any way by refusal to participate or by withdrawal from the study. Thank you. Reagan Curtis, PhD Judith A. Sedgeman, MA