Nice Stuff To Say

Examples of statements that can help you care for your mind are listed below. Each is followed by a kids’ version in parentheses. When possible, enlist a partner―someone who’ll help you brainstorm and role-play a time when each statement might come in handy. Take turns using and responding to each statement. Along with becoming role-playing partners, mentors might help learners build confidence by creating responses similar to the statements provided.

1. I’m free to lend a hand, but I understand if you prefer to carry on alone. (Any chance I can be helpful.)

2. I over estimated my readiness. (I need more practice.)

3. I’m not doing anything all that important; can you use a temporary assistant? (I could learn from you.)

4. Your encouragement helped me get past a stumbling block. (Thanks for thinking I could succeed.)

5. I’m still working on fessing up when I mess-up. (Saying I flubed up isn’t easy.)

6. Thank goodness I failed at getting my way. (Good thing I didn’t get what I wanted.)

7. Please tell me if I seem off track. (I’m not sure about what I’m doing.)

8. Let me know if you feel the work load isn’t spread well. (I want us to feel things are fair.)

9. Beware, I sometimes pretend I know more than I know.(I hope I don’t sound like a know-it-all.)

10. I need to keep in mind that my views sometimes rub people the wrong way. (Sometimes I’m too sure of myself.)

11. Rather than declaring what’s right, I’m just relaying what makes sense to me. (I’m learning people sometimes don’t think the same way.)

12. I let myself down when I use a putdown. (I usually feel bad when I make fun of someone).

13. I’m striving to let good intentions matter. (Trying to be helpful counts.)

14. Appreciating how misguided I’ve been continues to be a hefty haul. (I’ve been told some unhelpful stuff.)

15. Admitting I was mistaken sometimes feels like pulling the rug out from under myself. (Saying I’m wrong is slowly getting easier.)

16. My hurt won’t ease until I replace a way I’ve been trying to feel up to snuff. (I need to give up on trying to succeed at something.)

17. Accepting my sadness and anger indicates I’ve got a hurtful loss to deal with hasn’t been easy. (I was hurt before I was sad and angry.)

18. I’m finding that being a nice person helps a lot when it comes to caring for my mind. (I’m trying to better care for my mind by being nice.)

19. That my mind requires daily care seemed a odd when I first suspected it was so. (I was surprised when I found out my mind needs a lot of looking after.)

20. I’m trying hard to take caring for my mind seriously. (Caring for my mind is a super big deal.)

21. I can’t completely shut out hurtful influences, but I can limit my contact with them. (Caring well for my mind sometimes means skedaddling.)