Self Management Grade 6 – Lesson 1
Objectives:
- Students will recognize their personal stress triggers.
- Students will initiate conversations about effective approaches to deal with these triggers.
Introduction:
A part of mastering self-control involves becoming aware of situations that stir up stress and intense emotions, making it challenging to apply problem-solving techniques effectively. These situations are known as triggers because they set off strong emotional reactions and activate the body’s stress response, like fight/flight/freeze reactions. Often, these trigger situations disrupt our ability to focus on academic tasks.
Triggers can be events or actions that provoke feelings of frustration, annoyance, or anger. They can undermine our ability to remain composed. While trigger situations can vary from person to person, there may also be common triggers we share.
Activity 1: Identifying Everyday Trigger Situations
Encourage students to brainstorm various scenarios, things, or events that can easily provoke irritation, frustration, or anger in someone.
You might consider starting by sharing some personal examples to illustrate what trigger situations are – such as being stuck in traffic, waiting in a long line at the store, dealing with repeated questions, feeling ignored by friends or family.
Compile a list of trigger situations on the board as students contribute their ideas.
Why do you think we respond the way we do to trigger situations?
- How might human evolution have been affected if we didn’t have responses to trigger situations?
Every one of us, even the most courageous and resilient individuals, encounters trigger situations. It’s important for us to learn how to manage situations that scare or upset us.
TRIGGER SITUATIONS PROMPT US TO ACT IN DEFENSE OF OUR WELL-BEING.
Our bodies have developed mechanisms to respond to trigger situations with fight/flight/freeze reactions. These reactions were advantageous in ancient times when early humans needed to protect themselves from physical threats posed by other animals.
- Release of adrenaline.
- Increased respiration.
- Muscle tension.
- Elevated heart rate and blood pressure.
- Constricted blood vessels.
- Slowed digestion.
- The body readies itself to react.
In an era of constant peril, this was beneficial, as threats would swiftly pass, allowing the body to return to equilibrium. In our modern world, perceived threats and trigger situations are abundant in school, relationships, family dynamics, social media, and the community. The ongoing stress caused by these triggers can lead to complications.
- What sort of challenges might we face in school if our trigger situations provoke us?
- How can understanding our trigger situations – the circumstances that induce stress, disrupt our composure, and incite anger or frustration – be beneficial?
Share with a partner:
- Can you recall an instance when you felt like you lost control due to a trigger that made you upset or angry?
Identifying Trigger Situations for Others
- Recognize moments when the student could have been triggered.
- Record on paper the triggering situation and potential reactions that the student might have experienced.
- Were his reactions what you’d anticipate doing?
- What might have resulted from choosing a different response?
- How could fellow students have provided assistance?
Closing:
Review the list of stress-inducing situations on the board and ask students to raise their hands if they relate to any of these trigger situations.
Alternatively, draw a scale from one to ten on the board, representing from Calm to Extremely Upset. Have students “rate the trigger situation” in relation to each one. Share a trigger scenario mentioned earlier and inquire how distressed they’d be if confronted with that situation.
Further Practice:
Request that students document three trigger situations they encounter throughout the upcoming week. If possible, hold individual discussions with students to aid them in predicting and managing their trigger situations.
Lesson adapted from:
Social Decision Making/Social Problem Solving For Middle School Students: Skills And Activities For Academic, Social And Emotional Success (Book and CD)