24 BALLOON
Preparation time: Five minutes
Materials: One large balloon per person
Procedure:
(1) Explain to participants that the balloon can represent our stress levels.
(2) The balloon can hold a lot of air (stress) but if it gets too full it will pop.
(3) Each thing that happens to us puts a little more air in our balloon.
(4) Explain that we are going to let the air out of our balloons.
(5) Instruct participants to fill the balloon full of enough air to represent their stress level for that week.
(6) One at a time, participants release air from their individual balloons.
(7) Participant releases a little bit of air, closes the balloon and explains what each release means.
Alternatives:
Notes: Inevitably with less mature groups, there will the temptation to make the balloons squeak. If this occurs repeatedly, there are a few options. The first is to do the obvious: redirect. Another option is allow everybody to make their balloon squeal. That way they get it out of their system and you can move on.
Activity Credit: Adapted from the visionary folks at Challenge Day
25 CUP
“When your cup is full empty it; when your cup is empty fill it.” Zen saying
Preparation time: Five minutes
Materials: One empty cup per person
Procedure:
(1) Explain to participants that our emotional body can be compared to a cup.
(2) It has a certain capacity but when full it dumps on the ground (and other people).
(3) Instruct participants to hold close their eyes and hold their cup in both hands close to their heart.
(4) Instruct participants to recall everything positive and negative that has happened that day or week.
(5) One at a time participants share both positive and negative experiences and emotions.
(6) When participants have finished, explain that the cup is continually emptied and filled in our lives.
Alternatives: I sometimes explain to my students that emotions can be like compost. It takes manure to make flowers. When participants share negative emotions, suggest that they say “ I release this to the universe to be recycled and composted into a flower or something else beautiful. Positive emotions like joy can be shared with the group. Instruct participants to pass their cup around when they share especially buoyant emotions.”I would like to share my joy with the group and anybody that wants to can take a little sip
Notes: This is a deeper more subtle variation of the balloon metaphor. The Zen masters instructed acolytes to become an empty vessel before they could learn anything. This wisdom is reflected in the wisdom of Native American elders who instructed people to be like a hollow bone.
Activity: Inspired by Wallace Black Elk
26 MIRROR
Preparation time: Five minutes
Materials: A small hand mirror
Procedure:
(1)Explain to participants that living a healthy life requires constant checking in with ourselves.
(2)In Alcoholics Anonymous this is referred to as a moral inventory. It requires looking at both the positive and negative aspects of one's daily life with a vigilant personal honesty and self-reflection
(3)One at a time, participants look in the mirror as it comes around the circle.
(4)Each individual in turn finishes this sentence: “When I look in the mirror today I see...
Alternatives: If you have a group with a lot of self esteem issues you can soften the individual statement:
(1) Two things I like about myself is.....
(2) One thing that would make me a better person is...
Notes: I generally use this activity with substance abuse education groups and that is probably its best use but I have used it with other populations. Looking in the mirror is difficult even for high functioning individuals. There may be awkward pauses. If you are using the affirmation model some participants may have difficulty saying positive things about themselves. There can also be the tendency to be completely negative about oneself (a weakness of AA). The inverse of this is the individual who is doing a lot of bad things but finds nothing wrong in any of it.
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