Building Self-Efficacy Through Coping Skills: Peace Begins With Me
We teach girls how to increase their self-efficacy through our Six Cs (Collaboration, Critical Thinking, Communication, Coping Skills, Creativity, Confidence). Self-efficacy is a girl’s belief in her ability to succeed. Our Peace Begins With Me activity helps girls build coping skills, where girls can practice self-regulation and mental health awareness, here they will learn a mantra that helps them meditate.
A mantra is a word or sound repeated to help with concentration during meditation. It can also be a phrase or slogan. We use mantra’s as a coping skill because positive psychology supports the idea that positive mantras, like positive affirmations or gratitudes, said aloud can increase happiness and rewire the brain. Mantras can help a wandering mind and quiets thinking about the past or future, helping you be more present.
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Now, let’s relax our bodies, relax our shoulders, get in a comfortable seated position and sit as tall as we’re able. Take a slow, deep breath in, and slowly let it out!
1. Go ahead and make the “A OK” symbol with your hands.
2. Now say “Peace Begins With Me” as you touch each finger to your thumb starting with the pointer finger then the middle, ring, and pinky.
3. Say it five times out loud, then close your eyes and say it five times to yourself.
Sometimes it can be extremely difficult to make good decisions when you aren’t using your upstairs, thinking brain. When we are controlled by our downstairs brain, we can accidentally say or do something we don’t really mean. This activity will help you to make good decisions!
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You can come up with your own mantra! We like using phrases with four words. Can you think of a good four word mantra? Post a video of your mantra and tag Girls Empowerment Network. Make sure to use the hashtag #VirtualSpark. Then, challenge your friends to do the same! #VirtualSparks
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