Self-Management Superpowers: Student Handout Packet

Session 1: Understanding My Emotions

What We’re Learning: How to notice my emotions and use strategies to stay calm.

🧠 My Triggers (What happened to cause a strong emotion?)

💭 My Thoughts in That Moment (What was I thinking?)

⚡ My Response (What did I feel and do?)

💡 Tools I Can Use Next Time (Check all that apply and add your own!)

• ☐ Deep breathing
• ☐ Grounding (5-4-3-2-1)
• ☐ Positive self-talk
• ☐ Take a break
• ☐ Talk to someone
• ☐ Other: _________________________

✨ This Week’s Goal:

I will use __________________________ when I start to feel stressed.

Session 2: Staying Organized & On Track

What We’re Learning: How to plan my time and reach my goals.

🕓 My Time Audit

• What I spend time on most days:
  
  
  
• What I want to spend more time on:
  
  
  

🎯 My SMART Goal

• Specific:
  
  
  
• Measurable:
  
  
  
• Achievable:
  
  
  
• Relevant:
  
  
  
• Time-bound:
  
  
  

📅 My Weekly Plan (Top 3 Priorities)

✨ This Week’s Goal:

One small change I’ll make is ____________________________.

Session 3: Motivation & Perseverance

What We’re Learning: How to keep going and grow from challenges.

🚧 A Challenge I’ve Faced

🌱 What I Learned or Gained from It

💪 My Resilience Plan

When I get stuck, I will ______________________________________

I’ll ask support from ________________________________________

My motivational statement: “________________________________”

✨ Final Reflection

One way I’ll keep growing even when it’s hard is __________________________.

Self-Management Deep Dive Discussion

This discussion is designed to encourage students to reflect on their self-management journey throughout the three sessions and to connect these concepts to their broader lives.

Session 1: Emotional Regulation in Action

1. Sharing Successes: Who felt brave enough to try one of their emotional regulation tools this week? What happened? What did you learn about yourself?
   
   
   
2. Challenging Moments: Can anyone share a situation where they didn't use a tool, and what the outcome was? What might you do differently next time?
   
   
   
3. Real-World Application: How can being able to regulate your emotions impact your relationships with friends, family, or even in future jobs?
   
   
   

Session 2: Navigating Time & Goals

1. Goal Progress: How has your SMART goal been progressing? What's been easy, and what's been challenging?
   
   
   
2. Time Management Hurdles: What are some common distractions that make it hard to stick to a weekly plan? How might we overcome them?
   
   
   
3. Prioritization Dilemmas: Imagine you have two important tasks due at the same time. How do you decide which one to tackle first? What factors influence your decision?
   
   
   

Session 3: Mindset & Resilience

1. Growth Mindset Moments: Can you recall a time when you shifted from a fixed mindset thought to a growth mindset thought? What was the impact?
   
   
   
2. Learning from Setbacks: It's tough to face obstacles. When you look back at your "Obstacle → Opportunity" reflection, what was the most surprising or valuable lesson you learned?
   
   
   
3. Community Resilience: How can we, as a group or a community, support each other in building self-management skills and a growth mindset? What role can peers play?

Self-Management Role-Play Activity: Navigating Challenges

This activity provides an opportunity for students to practice applying the self-management skills learned in a safe, simulated environment. Working in small groups, students will address common high school challenges using their newly acquired tools.

Instructions:

1. Form Small Groups: Divide into groups of 3-4 students.
2. Scenario Cards: Each group will receive a few scenario cards (see below). Choose one scenario to focus on first.
3. Discuss & Strategize (5-7 minutes): As a group, discuss the chosen scenario.
   • What self-management skills apply here? (e.g., emotional regulation, SMART goals, growth mindset)
   • What specific tools could the person in the scenario use?
   • How might a fixed mindset approach this? How would a growth mindset approach it?
   • Brainstorm a plan of action using the tools and mindsets discussed.
4. Role-Play (3-5 minutes per scenario): Role-play the scenario, demonstrating how the individual would use the self-management skills to navigate the challenge. One student can play the person facing the challenge, and others can play supporting roles (e.g., a friend offering advice, or simply observing and providing feedback).
5. Reflect & Share (3-5 minutes): After each role-play, discuss within your group:
   • What went well in the role-play?
   • What was challenging about applying the tools?
   • What did you learn from observing or participating?
   • Be prepared to share your scenario, strategy, and reflections with the whole class.

Scenario Cards (Cut these out for distribution):

Scenario 1: Exam Overload

It's Tuesday, and you have three major tests this week (Math on Wednesday, English essay due Thursday, Science quiz on Friday). You feel overwhelmed and don't know where to start. You're starting to feel anxious and just want to ignore it all and play video games.

Scenario 2: Group Project Gone Wrong

You're working on a group project, and one of your teammates isn't pulling their weight. The deadline is approaching fast, and you're worried about your grade. You feel frustrated and angry, and you're tempted to just do all the work yourself.

Scenario 3: Receiving Critical Feedback

You got back a graded assignment, and the teacher left a lot of critical comments. You feel discouraged and think, "I'm just not smart enough for this subject." You want to give up and avoid trying hard in that class anymore.

Scenario 4: A Disappointing Outcome

You tried out for the school play/sports team and didn't make it. You put in a lot of effort and felt really confident, so you're feeling very disappointed and a bit embarrassed. You don't want to try out for anything again.

Scenario 5: Managing Digital Distractions

You have a big assignment due tomorrow, but your phone keeps buzzing with notifications from social media and texts from friends. You know you need to focus, but it's hard to resist checking your phone every few minutes. You feel scattered and unproductive.