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Hello everyone and welcome back to Mindful Moments with Miss Harrison.
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I'm Miss Harrison and I'm so happy you're here for another episode in our Understanding Anger series.
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Last time we explored what is my anger telling me.
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We discovered that anger can sometimes be like the top of an iceberg, with other feelings like hurt, disappointment, worry, or embarrassment underneath.
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Did you try your mindful moment challenge this week?
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Perhaps once you were calm, you asked yourself, what else might I be feeling?
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Today we're exploring one of the most useful skills we can learn when anger arrives.
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The pause before we act.
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By the end of this episode, you'll understand how creating even a tiny space between feeling angry and acting on that feeling can help you make a better choice.
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Let's begin.
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Have you ever done something when you were angry and wished you could take it back?
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Maybe you shouted, slammed a door, threw something.
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Or said words you didn't really mean.
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Anger can make us want to act quickly.
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Our body says, Do something now.
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But remember what we've already learned.
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Feeling angry is okay.
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The action we choose is something different.
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That's where the pause comes in.
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A pause gives our thinking brain a little time to catch up with our angry feeling.
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It doesn't have to be long.
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Sometimes just a few seconds can help us move from react to what do I want to do next?
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Let's hear about someone who discovered the power of that tiny pause.
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Ben had been working on a painting all afternoon.
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He had mixed the colours carefully and was almost finished.
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Then his friend Amira reached across the table.
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Her arm caught Ben's pot of water.
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Splash! Water spread across the paper.
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Ben jumped up, his face felt hot.
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His fists tightened.
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He was about to shout, Look what you've done.
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But then he stopped.
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Ben remembered his anger thermometer, hot face, tight hands, fast heartbeat.
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His anger was rising, so Ben took one step back, he breathed in and slowly out.
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Amira looked horrified.
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I'm really sorry, Ben.
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It was an accident.
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Ben was still angry.
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The pause hadn't magically changed that, but now he could think.
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I worked really hard on that, he said.
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I'm really upset.
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I know, said Amira.
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Can I help you fix it?
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Together they carefully lifted the wet paper and found another sheet.
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Ben was still disappointed.
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But he was also proud.
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He had felt his anger and chosen what happened next.
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What do you think Ben learned about pausing before acting?
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Just like Ben, we can practice creating a pause when anger appears.
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Here are three simple steps.
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One stop.
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When you notice your anger signals, don't immediately act.
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If you can, stop your body for a moment.
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Two breathe.
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Take one slow breath in and out.
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You aren't trying to make the anger disappear.
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You're giving yourself time.
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Three choose ask.
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What do I want to do next?
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Maybe you need to step away.
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Use calm words, ask for help or tell someone.
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I'm too angry to talk about this yet.
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The pause gives you choices.
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Let's practice together.
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Imagine someone has just done something that makes you angry.
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You feel your anger rising.
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Ready?
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Stop.
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Now breathe in.
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One and breathe out.
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Two.
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Ask yourself what do I choose?
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Three.
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Perhaps you choose to speak calmly.
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Perhaps you step away, perhaps you find an adult.
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Three seconds won't solve every problem, but those three seconds can sometimes stop anger from choosing for you.
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You've done such important work today learning about the pause before we act.
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Let's remember anger can make us want to react quickly.
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A pause gives our thinking brain time to catch up, and we can feel angry while still choosing a safe and thoughtful action.
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Here's your mindful moment challenge for the week.
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If you notice your anger thermometer rising, practice.
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Stop, breathe, choose.
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Even if you remember after the moment has passed, that's okay.
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Noticing is part of learning.
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Next time on Mindful Moments with Miss Harrison, we'll explore expressing anger safely because anger needs somewhere to go, and there are ways to express it without hurting ourselves, other people, or the things around us.
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Thank you for joining me today.
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Keep pausing, keep choosing, and as always, keep shining brightness.