The Practice
In emotionally intense moments more subtle mindfulness skills can feel hard to access. If you have ever suggested that an upset student “just take deep breaths” and have received a not-so-regulated response in return, you likely know what we’re talking about! Though we maintain (with well-researched support!) that mindful, paced breathing can be incredibly effective in regulating the body in big emotional moments, it is also helpful to have a tool in your kit that packs a physiological punch.
Enter the use of cold temperature. When used strategically, cold temperature is an incredibly powerful regulator when we are running hot emotionally. This is because when we experience an intense emotion, such as fear or anger, the thinking part of our brain (the prefrontal cortex) goes mostly “offline,” and the emotional part of our brain (the limbic system, including the amygdala) starts to run the show, often triggering a fight/flight/freeze response. This hard-wired response is very helpful if we need to run away from a predator, but can cause problems in emotionally evocative, but ultimately safe situations like preparing to speak in public or take a test.
Cold temperature helps by activating our parasympathetic nervous system (a network of nerves that helps our body relax). When we apply cold temperature to particular parts of the body (specifics below), our heart rate and breathing slow and we typically experience a decrease in emotional intensity. This tool does not solve problems in and of itself (unless the problem is overheating!); however, it helps us slow down, get our thinking brain back online, and make choices that don’t make a difficult situation worse.
The Language
For younger students: Sometimes when we are feeling a really big emotion like anger or fear, it can feel hard to control ourselves and make good choices. Let’s learn a cool trick to try when this happens. If we put something cold—like water, an ice pack, or even frozen fruit—on certain parts of our body—like our cheeks, wrists, and the back of our neck—it helps our body settle down quickly. Let’s practice by splashing some cold water from the sink on our wrists. What do you notice? What is the sensation like? Really focus your attention on it. You may not notice much, other than feeling cold at this moment, but try this again the next time emotions start to get big. The cold can help calm you down so you can be the boss of your behavior no matter how upset you are.
For older students: When we are really upset, our emotions can start to feel overwhelming. For example, think of a time you were very angry or anxious. How in control of yourself did you feel? How easy was it to think clearly and solve the problem at hand? Probably pretty hard right? That’s because when we are very emotionally revved up, the thinking part of our brain is not talking to the rest of our brain as effectively as it usually does, and the emotional part of our brain starts to run the show. This can make us feel out of control, but there is an amazing hack to take your emotions down a notch in intense moments.
If you put something very cold on your face, wrists, or the back of your neck, you activate a network of nerves called your parasympathetic nervous system which forces your body to slow down. You can usually expect your heart rate and breathing to slow a bit and to feel a slight decrease in the intensity of your emotions. To try this, play around with putting different types of cold objects, like frozen water bottles or washcloths, frozen oranges, or just ice water, on these sensitive areas of your body. Really tune in and pay attention to the sensations the cold brings. Once you notice your emotions feeling a bit more manageable, use another mindfulness tool if needed and solve the problem at hand!
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