SEL 6th Online Session

Open Ended

Food Check-in: What did you eat for lunch yesterday?

Multiple Choice

Revisit: Last week, we talked about the roles of different brain parts in our reactions.

Quick question:

Imagine your sibling just broke your favorite video game controller, and you’re ready to explode. Which part of your brain is in charge in that moment?

• Brain stem

• Hippocampus

• Amygdala

• Prefrontal Cortex PFC

Multiple Choice

But when you stop and think, ‘Maybe it was an accident,’ which part is stepping in to help you calm down and make better decisions?

• Brain stem

• Hippocampus

• Amygdala

• Prefrontal Cortex PFC

Multiple Choice

Amygdala's Function is to..

• React

• think

• store

Objectives:
1. Revisit ​the brain parts.
2. Identify common unhelpful brain patterns (catastrophizing, mind-reading/assuming, overgeneralizing).
3. Learn and apply the 3Rs (Record, Rationalize, Replace) to manage distorted thoughts effectively.

Poll

“You miss one shot during a basketball game. What’s the first thing you think?”

• I’m terrible at sports.

• It’s just one shot; I’ll get the next one.

• Everyone must think I’m bad at this.

• I need to practice more to improve.

​What we think shapes how we feel and act. Sometimes, our thoughts can make a situation feel worse or better depending on how we respond.
Over the rest of the session, we’ll explore how to spot unhelpful thoughts and take control of them!

A general overview:
https://youtu.be/m2zRA5zCA6M?si=5NuX9etf_UPos1mt

​Common Unhelpful Brain Patterns:
1.Catastrophizing:
-Definition: Blowing things out of proportion and assuming the worst.
-Example: “I failed one test; my future is ruined!”
-Scenario: Imagine your coach criticizes your performance. Instead of hearing feedback, you think, “I’ll never make the team again.”

​Common Unhelpful Brain Patterns:
2. Mind-Reading/Assuming:

• Definition: Assuming you know what others are thinking without evidence.

• Example: “She didn’t sit next to me today; she must not like me.”

• Scenario: Your teacher doesn’t smile at you in class. You think, “They must be mad at me.”

​Common Unhelpful Brain Patterns:
3. Negative Brain Filter:

• Definition: Focusing only on the negative without seeing any of the positive or what is going well.

• Thinking about the one person you didn’t have a smooth conversation with at the party, rather than the three people with whom you had great conversations.

• Thinking about the question you couldn’t answer on the test, rather on the ones you could.

Multiple Choice

You trip in the hallway at school and think, “Everyone saw that and now they all think I’m clumsy and weird.”

• Catastrophizing

• Mind-Reading

• Negative Brain Filter

• None of the above

Multiple Choice

You make a good presentation in class, but after it's over, you only think about the one slide where you forgot to explain something.

• Catastrophizing

• Mind-Reading

• Negative Brain Filter

• None of the above

Multiple Choice

You overhear classmates laughing and think, “They must be laughing at me.”

• Catastrophizing

• Mind-Reading

• Negative Brain Filter

• None of the above

Multiple Choice

You mess up a cooking recipe for the first time and think, “I’m just bad at cooking. I’ll never get it right.”

• Catastrophizing

• Mind-Reading

• Negative Brain Filter

• None of the above

Multiple Choice

You receive compliments about your outfit, but you only notice and obsess over the crease in your shirt.

• Catastrophizing

• Mind-Reading

• Negative Brain Filter

• None of the above

Multiple Choice

You argue with your sibling and think, “This has ruined our relationship forever.”

• Catastrophizing

• Mind-Reading

• Negative Brain Filter

• None of the above

The 3Rs (Record, Rationalize, Replace)
as a step-by-step approach to counter unhelpful brain patterns.
Step 1: Record
What to Do: Write down an upsetting event in detail.
Example: “I got a C on my midterm today, and I feel horrible.”

The 3Rs (Record, Rationalize, Replace)
as a step-by-step approach to counter unhelpful brain patterns.
Step 2: Rationalize

• What to Do: Analyze your thoughts.

• Use a chart with three columns:

  • Column 1: Write each automatic thought (e.g., “I’m never going to graduate.”).

  • Column 2: Label the cognitive distortion (e.g., catastrophizing).

  • Column 3: Look for evidence and decide if it’s realistic.

• Relate to the Brain: The Prefrontal Cortex steps in here, calming the Amygdala and helping you reassess the situation rationally.

The 3Rs (Record, Rationalize, Replace)
as a step-by-step approach to counter unhelpful brain patterns.
Step 3: Replace

• What to Do: Respond to each irrational thought with a rational one.

  • Ask yourself:

    • What’s the evidence for this thought?

    • Is this believable or likely?

    • What would I tell a friend in this situation?

  • Replace: “The world won’t end because of one bad grade. I can improve on the next test.”

Multiple Select

Situation:
Your parent criticizes your messy room, and you think, “They never appreciate me and only see the bad things I do.”

• Record your thought and feelings: “My parent criticized me, but it’s about the room, not about me as a person.”

• Rationalize it by asking, “Is it true that they never appreciate me? Or am I focusing on this one moment?”

• Replace your thought with, “They’re frustrated about the mess, not about me. I’ll clean up and talk to them calmly.”

• React to it by yelling at your parent for being unfair and stop talking to them.