Children’s Activity: Sadness Maps
Sadness
Sadness is an overwhelming emotion associated with the sense of loss, affecting us both physically (heavy eye lids, dropped mouth, lethargy) , psychologically (mood, emotions, distraction), physiologically (heart rate, skin temperature)and behaviourally (withdrawal, isolation). It can be triggered by the loss of connections, such as friendships or routines. The loss of loved ones, including pets. Interestingly, whilst many people can feel self-conscious to cry, the act of crying releases cortisol (stress) from the body. The feeling of loss, such as of special items, places. However, all sadness is not bad, it can indicate that we are letting go of situations or experiences to allow us to move on, sadness can be part of the process of acceptance as we prepare to move forward.
The underlying purpose of sadness is to signal for help. This can be to others, showing them that we are in need of support, or to ourselves acknowledging that we need time out to look after ourselves, regroup or evaluate.
Sadness Maps
Get started
- Download and print the emotions map here
- Collect colouring pens or pencils
- Talk about each box and consider how anger affects us
- Discuss small daily activities we can use to boost calmer feelings
Want to learn more?
If you want to learn more about mental health strategies you can join our Level 4 training (here).
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Further help
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