As many of you probably have seen, there is a very funny youtube going around of public officials telling us not to touch our faces, and then touching their faces! I watched it several times, laughing rather hysterically, knowing from personal experience how hard it can be to change a habit. And I must say I was getting rather discouraged about the human capacity for change.
But then suddenly something occurred to me. All of those speakers were giving instructions in the negative, giving us a very clear picture of what they don't want us to do. "Don't touch your face!" Meanwhile, as we all know, not thinking of a pink elephant is pretty darn near impossible. And so is not touching your face!
From years of working with little kids, with grownups and with myself, I know that saying what we want to have happen is way more likely to result in the desired outcome. It is just how our brains work.
So what if we say, "Please keep your hands relaxed, open or folded in your lap." Or, "Remember to let your arms hang comfortably at your side. Or "Keep resting your hands cozily in your pockets." Or, "If your hand starts to move toward your face, you can notice that and move it away from your face and rest it again in your lap."
So what if we say, "Please keep your hands relaxed, open or folded in your lap." Or, "Remember to let your arms hang comfortably at your side. Or "Keep resting your hands cozily in your pockets." Or, "If your hand starts to move toward your face, you can notice that and move it away from your face and rest it again in your lap."
Stay safe, and have fun finding calming and comfortable places for your hands to hang out until this virus is history!
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