How Full is Your Bucket?

1. Except where otherwise noted, content is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution – Non-Commercial License How Full is Your Bucket? CHEO Mental Health Information Committee

2. THIS IS ONLY A DRAFT! Send feedback via contact form on www.drcheng.ca

3. Goldilocks and the Three Bears • Once upon a time, there was a girl named Goldilocks

4. She went for a walk in the forest, and came upon a house….

5. She went into the kitchen, and there were three bowls of porridge

6. The first porridge she tried was ___?

7. The first porridge she tried was TOO HOT

8. The second porridge she tried was _____?

9. The second porridge she tried was TOO COLD!

10. The last porridge she tried was ____ ?

11. The last porridge she tried was JUST RIGHT!

12. Goldilocks and the Three Bears • The last porridge is JUST RIGHT! Image from http://www.public.asu.edu/~atbrl/goldibowls.gif

13. “Just right” • Just like Goldilocks, there are times when you feel “Just right”

14. In order to properly • Learn • Work • Play • You need to be “just right”

15. You Have a Bucket! • To feel just right, you have to have “just enough” going inside your Bucket!

16. What do you mean, a bucket? • Our bucket holds all our sensory stimulation/input as well as the stresses, frustrations, worries, and basically everything that we have to deal with each day

17. Some people have large buckets; others small….

18. Different Things Fill Our Buckets • What fills your bucket might not fill another person’s bucket

19. Different Things Empty Our Buckets • What empties your bucket might not empty another person’s bucket

20. Getting “just right” is about getting just enough senses* in your bucket • Touching • Hearing • Seeing • Taste • Smells • Movement * sensory input, sensory stimulation, etc…

21. Getting “Just Right” is also about Life being Balanced Demands / Expectations / Stresses Coping Ability

22. Typical demands/expectations • Physical • All the physical expectations that our body has to cope with to get by every day • Medical, psychiatric and developmental conditions (e.g. sensory processing disorders) can all make it tougher on our bodies • School/work • Teachers / schoolwork • Other students, bullying, peer pressure, etc.

23. Typical demands/expectations • Friends • Friends • Boyfriends/girlfriends • Drug Use • Peer pressure • Home • Parents • Separation/divorce • Brothers / sisters

24. Q. What happens when demands/stresses >> coping? Coping Ability Demands / Expectations / Stresses

25. When overwhelmed, people may have problems with… • How they feel physically • Their emotions • Fight (e.g. anger) • Flight (e.g. anxiety) • Freeze • Sadness • Etc… • Their behaviours • Withdrawal • Aggression • Controlling • ETc…

26. There are two solutions to restore the balance... Demands / Expectations / Stresses  Coping Ability

27. Q. What happens when coping >> demands/stresses? Demands / Expectations / Stresses Coping Ability

28. The underwhelmed individual may have: • Complaints of boredom and even… • Depression / anxiety / anger, etc.. • Do things to stimulate him/herself to keep from being bored!

29. Life is like Weightlifting

30. Life is like Weightlifting Life is best when you can lift what life gives you, i.e. when your lifting ability matches the weight you have to lift 50 kg 50 kg

31. Life is like weightlifting Child’s Coping: Ability: what the child can lift Demands: what we are asking the child to lift 5 kg 100 kg

32. Question What would happen if you could only lift 5 kg, but someone forced you to lift 100 kg? 5 kg 100 kg

33. Answer You’d get hurt, injured, bruised, and be extremely stressed! And your nervous system would get angry [“fight”] or scared, anxious [“flight”], etc… 5 kg 100 kg

34. Q. So what is the solution? 5 kg 100 kg

35. 5 kg 6 kg Answer 1. Reduce expectations lower and lower until child is successful 2. Once child is successful, then gradually increase expectations again over time

36. Answer 1. Reduce expectations lower and lower until child is successful 2. Once child is successful, then gradually increase expectations again over time 7 kg 6 kg

37. Q. When are you feeling “Just Right” ? • (Usually its doing the things you like to do, like a favourite subject/class, activity, having fun with family/friends…) 1. _____________________ 2. _____________________ 3. _____________________ 4. _____________________ 5. _____________________

38. Our Bucket Can Be Empty, Just Right, or Too Full!

39. When our Bucket is Full, We Can Feel… • Frustrated • Sad • Worried / Nervous (“Flight” response) • Irritable / Angry (“Fight” response), etc…

40. Its easier to empty our bucket if we can do it BEFORE it gets completely full

41. What fills your bucket is different for each person, and includes sensory things • Touching, some people don’t like touch • Hearing, some people don’t like sound • Seeing, some people don’t like bright light • Taste, some people are sensitive to tastes • Smells, some people are sensitive to tastes • Movement, some people are sensitive to movement

42. Q. What Fills Up Your Bucket? • (Usually its times when you’re mad, sad, scared, stressed, frustrated…) 1. _____________________ 2. _____________________ 3. _____________________ 4. _____________________ 5. _____________________

43. Q. What Fills Up Your Bucket? For those with sensory issues, it might include… 1. Sensory such as too little/muchSounds • Touch • Movement • Smells • Light 2. Motor issues, e.g. fine motor such as handwriting, gross motor such as gym…

44. Q. What Fills Up Your Bucket? It might include… • Even the slightest changes / transitions • School (teachers, schoolwork, students) • Home (parents, sisters/brothers) • Friends and relationships, etc…

45. Q. What empties your Bucket? • (It might be the things you like to do, but includes soothing and ‘self-regulation’ strategies…) 1. _____________________ 2. _____________________ 3. _____________________ 4. _____________________ 5. _____________________

46. Q. Things which Empty Everyone’s Bucket Are Usually… • (So-called soothing or modulating strategies…) • Telling someone else! • Time outs when stressed/upset • Sleep • Proper nutrition • Sensory things (e.g. deep pressure, rocking, soothing smells, soothing music, etc…)

47. Other Ways of Talking About the Same Thing

48. Ross Greene’s Collaborative Problem-Solving Approach • Using the baskets is about reducing excessive demands/expectations, and reducing them to a level where the child can cope

49. How is your Engine Running™? Just right Too Low / Underwhelmed Too High / Overwhelmed

50. Using your thumb! • You can ask your child to put his/her thumb in 3 positions • Thumb up – “just right” • Thumb down • Thumb horizontal • NEED TO FINE TUNE THIS ONE!