Haaaaaaate it.
I was reminded how much I hate it as I pulled the cinnamon raisin bread out of the oven tonight and somehow half of the loaf had random speckles of pink glitter. Oh, boy.
Rewind to an hour prior and there was Hayden, full blown anger outburst. Throwing herself down while walking, screaming out things she truly didn't mean and completely stressed out because the micro-manager in her, wanted everyone to clean their bedroom a certain way. I immediately urged her to give her brain a mental S.N.A.C.K.
S- Stop what you are doing.
N- Notice what is going on around you.
A- Analyze your own thoughts and feelings.
C-Curious. Ask yourself why you are feeling this way, reacting this way.
K- Kindness- in all situations remember to be kind to yourself and others.
I encouraged her to write in her journal and utilize the steps of the mental snack. She was reluctant to let it work. She loves the activities and she loves the 1:1, but she definitely wasn't excited about having to relate the fun stuff to the raw emotions. Emotions continued to build and in an attempt to squash it before things escalated further, I decided now was a good time to break out the "g word".
Glitter.
I don't trust any glass jars on our linoleum and hardwood floors, so I had kept an empty Aquafina bottle for the special occasion. I had also grabbed a bottle of clear glue, box of food coloring (I had chunked my food coloring this past Christmas after one of the bottles leaked everywhere) and, of course, glitter shakers.
I let Hayden fill the water bottle up 2/3 full. She chose blue for the base color of her glitter jar. She dropped one drip of blue dye at a time, because I felt if the water was too dark, you wouldn't be able to get the full effect of the shimmering glitter. She used three drops to achieve the color she wanted. After the food coloring, she squeezed in one full bottle of clear glue (you could also use karo syrup). After the glue, she slowly added each vile of glitter. I wished I had bought a finer type of glitter, but it worked out all the same. Regardless, I could tell the tension from the recent panic attack lift and she got pretty excited about her "mermaid bottle" as she called it.
I explained to her that whenever she feels herself getting overwhelmed by emotions, she needed to shake the glitter jar and watch the glitter fall and collect to the bottom while practicing her breathing techniques. It's absolutely impossible for her to think rationally enough to consider some of the things we have been exploring like sorting things she could and couldn't control. Had she not been worked up, she could have easily remembered that she cannot control how other's make their bed, however, she can control how she makes her bed, therefore, she should have just focused on making her own bed instead of allowing other people dictate her emotions. Simple enough, right? Not really. None of this is a quick fix, and that's okay. We are making progress step by step and that is what matters.
Therapeutic Glitter Jar
Clear jar OR water bottle
1 Clear bottle of glue (We used Elmers)
Pack of glitter (We found a four pack for 98 cents from Walmart)
Food Coloring (liquid not the gel)
Hot glue/glue gun (to seal the water bottle)
Take off any outside wrappers or paper on the jar/bottle.
Fill the jar/bottle 2/3 full with water.
Slowly add food coloring to obtain the color desired.
(We closed the bottle and shook it up with every drop added to get the full effect of the color)
Add in one full bottle of clear glue.
(We put the lid on it at this point and shuck it up to help distribute the glue.)
Slowly add in the glitter.
We really liked using different colors, so the four pack was perfect.
Apply hot glue to the inside of the bottle lid and securely, twist it on.
Shake and enjoy.
(If you're anything like me, now is the time to get out the shop vac and dispose of any fallen glitter.)
As mentioned, we use this as a good distraction tool to help diffuse a mental/behavioral break down. Urge the child to shake it and sit in a calm, quiet environment where they can focus all of their attention on the calming glitter.
Attached you will find the links on my Pinterest for "star breathing" exercise that we use to practice breathing techniques and the S.N.A.C.K information sheet.
Star breathing: https://pin.it/hjgldckmhhfb7s
S.N.A.C.K: https://pin.it/ryfxfie5z3zpmp
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