Captain Snout and the Super Power Questions

I discovered this book towards the end of the 2017-18 school year and decided to read it to the whole school this year.  It's that good!

In September, I visited every classroom to introduce myself to the students and explain my role as the school counselor.  To keep it simple, I told them "I am the teacher for your feelings.”  We discussed how/which feelings get “big” and the students told me what they do when they need to calm down (read a book, listen to music, draw/color, go for a walk/run, deep breathing).  The students then participated in a very brief guided breathing activity in which they learned how to make sure they’re breathing from their belly (“belly breaths”).  They also learned the relationship between breathing and the fear response in the body.
 
We then read the book Captain Snout and the Super Power Questions: Don’t Let the ANTs Steal Your Happiness by Daniel G. Amen, MD.  If you hear your child talking about ANTs in his/her head, this is why!  This wonderful book provides a simple introduction to the idea that one’s thoughts greatly influence one’s feelings.  It explains how Automatic Negative Thoughts (ANTs) “pop into our brains uninvited, making us feel mad, sad, worried, or upset…  And most of the time, they’re not even true!”  The book then talks about 5 different Automatic Negative Thoughts (ANTs) and how to get rid of them.  They are:

• All-or-Nothing ANT: This ANT sees everything as black-and-white; no in-between.  Any time you hear the words “always,” “never,” “everyone,” “no one,” “all,” or “nothing,” you’ve got an All-or-Nothing ANT in your head.  To get rid of it, replace these words with “some,” “sometimes,” or “some people.”
• Just The Bad ANT: This ANT can’t see anything good (it see’s just the bad).  It focuses on what’s bad or missing, instead of what’s good or present.  It’s akin to seeing the glass as half empty.  To get rid of it, ask yourself “how could this be worse?” and you’ll be forced to recognize what you already have.
• Fortune-Teller ANT:  This ANT predicts the future, but only sees bad things ahead.  Since no one has a crystal ball, why believe what it says?  To get rid of it, imagine all the good things that could be. 
• Mindreader ANT:  This ANT thinks it knows what others are thinking and feeling.  This is the ANT that tells you others are talking about you or are mad at you when no one has said anything to that effect.  To get rid of it, ask!  Explain what you think and ask if that's true.  Even if it is, you'll have started the conversation to resolve the issue.
• Blaming ANT:  This ANT always sings the same old song.  "He did it! She did it!  It's not my fault, it's YOUR fault!"  By blaming others, we give up our power to change things and make them better, even if we aren't at fault.  To get rid of it, ask yourself if there's anything YOU could have done differently.

While it seems like and advanced topic for elementary school, the response from students has been really incredible.  I've had kindergarteners call out, "That's the ANT in my head!!" while reading this book.  When students come to my office to work through their feelings, they refer to the ANTs and try to figure out which one may have been talking to them.  This book has provided a common language for all of us to discover and discuss our self-talk.  I encourage you to become familiar with it yourself so you may continue to use its concepts and principles at home.  

Captain Snout is available on amazon.com, or to hear Dr. Amen read it in its entirety, watch this video.