R.I.D.E.

Reading more from the book, I read about a technique that is our homework for the week. At least a week anyway. It's the R.I.D.E technique.


RIDE stands for: Release, Inspect, Don't struggle, Encourage.

Basicly, (but there IS more to it) it's:

Release - your mind to feel what your body feels at the moment of anxiety.
Inspect - how you feel... whether in your stomach, your head, your arms, anywhere and everywhere.
Don't struggle - let go of any urges to fight the feeling of anxiety. Most people try to make it stop but it brings on more anxiety. By not struggling, it allows you to be free from that.
Encourage - yourself to feel it MORE. Yes, MORE feelings.. MORE stomach pain or hand twitches. More of anything you feel when you are anxious.

The idea of this technique is to know that what you are feeling from anxiety won't hurt you, it just scares you to THINK it's going to hurt you. But it won't. Once the kids (and adults) understand that it won't get worse than what they feel at "Encourage" it will allow to just ACCEPT their feelings when they feel this way. To accept it is to be free from more anxiety from it.

This is our homework. I had an opportunity to use it today. Conner didn't want to go into the childcare for 45 minutes so I could workout. I really needed him to be there but used this moment for a teaching moment. There was no one older than 6 in the room (and most were under 3) but he wouldn't go in. He was really freaking out: clenching teeth and turning red and breathing hard.

I sat him outside of the room where it was quiet and started to explain the RIDE technique. Unfortunately, I couldn't remember what D and E actually stood for but I remembered the idea of them. Conner got most of it. He didn't like the idea of increasing the feelings though... but he promised that he would try it for 5 minutes and then I told him he could go sit in the Fitness office near me while I exercised. It worked... a little. I did my homework anyway. This is a start. This is good... I think. I hope. Yes, I AM hopeful. Reading more tonight on it and filling in more to Conner too.

Hope is so important.