What would it feel like if you could touch a feeling? How do emotions feel in your face and you body? On this episode we try to answer the question “How do feelings feel?”
Show Notes
Like You is listener supported. Learn how you can support the show by becoming a patron on Patreon. You can also support the show by shopping in our online store or purchasing songs from the show on our Bandcamp page.
Please send us a voice memo, drawing, or letter at hello@likeyoupodcast.com. We play a voice memos from listeners either at the beginning of an episode or during the affirmation segment of the episode. If your child wants to be included, record a voice memo and send it to us. Your child can introduce themself and then say a favorite affirmation, sing a line from a Like You song, say what they like about the show, or share whatever they feel! Keep it short (10-20 seconds). For more info on how to record and send a voice memo, see this post.
Like You is a production of Perpetual Motion. The show is written and produced by Noah Glenn. The show’s artwork was illustrated by Mia Saine. Episode art is created by Lindsey Glenn.
This episode features original music by Noah Glenn, as well as additional music by IMAKEMADBEATS.
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Transcript
Noah: Hey everyone! I want to start with a shout out to our newest Patreon supporters, Sandra and Benjy Baker Donnelly. It is patrons like Sandra and Benjy who help make new episodes of Like You possible. You can also be a part of helping us produce new episodes by making a small monthly donation at Patreon.com/likeyoupodcast. And don’t forget to subscribe to Like You on your favorite podcast app, so you never miss an episode. While you’re at it, you can leave a 5 star review to help other listeners find us. Now let’s start the show!
[intro music]
Hello! I’m Noah and this is Like You, a mindfulness podcast for kids. I’m so glad you’re here! Today we’re going to talk about feelings and try to answer the question “How do feelings feel?” So listeners of all ages, find a place to listen where you feel comfortable and safe. As I ask questions and invite you to say affirmations, you’re welcome to speak out loud, or as always, you can just think your responses quietly in your mind.
Today we’re going to save our breathing exercise for later in the episode. Right now I’m going to count to three, and then we’ll all say I like me. 1-2-3. I like me.
I like you too. You are smart. You are curious. And you are in control of your feelings.
Let’s talk about feelings. To start, let’s just name as many different feelings as we can think of. I’ll start with happy, sad, angry, excited, silly, calm… can you think of any others? Say them out loud as you think of different feelings.
There are lots of different feelings and each and every person can feel them all, sometimes we even feel several different feelings at the same time. Have you ever thought about what a feeling feels like?
Imagine that you could touch a feeling the same way you touch any object sitting around you. So just like a pillow feels soft, a rock feels hard, a cactus feels prickly, ice feels cold and slippery… imagine that your feelings feel different ways.
How do you think happy would feel if you could touch it?
How do you think angry would feel?
If you touched the feeling of calm, how would that feel?
How would sad feel if you touched it?
How about worry? How would that feel to touch?
You know, we actually CAN feel different feelings in our our body and in our face. Let’s try thinking about different feelings and pay attention to how they feel in our bodies.
Start with happy. Smile big, brighten up your eyes. How does that feel? What does it feel like in your face? Can you feel your cheeks stretching, your eyebrows lifting? Do you feel happiness in any other part of your body, like your chest or your stomach? Just notice how things feel in your body when you are happy. Do you like the way this feels?
Let’s try another feeling. Angry. Make an angry face, maybe ball up your fists. How does that feel in your face? Is your face tight and scrunched? Where else do you feel anger in your body? In your arms and hands? In your stomach? Anywhere else? Do you like the way this feels?
Ok, now relax, let that anger go. Shake it out. Loosely wiggle your arms, shake your head back and forth. Blow out a big gust of air to reset. Next make a silly, goofy, funny face. How does that feel? Notice how your face feels. Does it feel different than happy or angry? How does silly feel in your body? Do you like the way this feels?
Let’s practice one last feeling. This time, try to make yourself feel calm. Take a deep breath in and out, relax your face, relax your body, maybe even close your eyes. Notice how your face feels when you are calm. Is there less tension and tightness than the other feelings? How about your body? Where do you notice calmness in your body? Does it feel different than happy, angry, and silly? Do you like this feeling?
Now that we’ve thought a bit about different feelings and how they feel, let’s try a breathing exercise that can help you with your feelings, whatever the feelings may be. First I want you to take a moment to think about how you feel right now. I know we all just practiced a bunch of different feelings, but stop to think about your day, what you were doing before you started the podcast, what you’re going to do after. How do you feel when you think about your day? Happy, sad, anxious, calm, tired? However you feel, I want you to pick a color to represent that feeling. Maybe you think blue feels like a sad color, or yellow feels happy, or purple feels calm. There’s no right or wrong feeling to feel, and there’s no right or wrong color to pick. It’s really just up to you. Once you’ve thought about how you’re feeling, and given it a color, imagine that color shining like a light around you. And every time you take a deep breath in, the color grows larger. Try it now. Deep breath in. Watch the color grow. Now breathe out. Another breath in. Watch the color grow. And a long breath out. Keep breathing slowly in and out. And as you breathe, think a little more about that feeling that you’re feeling. Is it a feeling that you like to feel? Or is it a feeling that you would like to get rid of? Continue breathing slowly and imagine the color growing. Maybe you’re feeling happy and want to hang on to that feeling as long as you can. Or maybe you’ve been grumpy all day and you’re ready to let that feeling go. Once again, it’s all up to you. Do you want to hang on to this feeling or let it go? Depending on what you decide, the next part of the breathing exercise will be different. At this point you’ve been breathing deep and letting the color grow bigger and bigger all around you. So image the whole room is filled with the color you’ve picked for your feeling.
Now, if this is a feeling that you want to keep, imagine that every time you breathe in, you’re sucking the color in and swallowing it so the feeling fills you up inside. If that’s what you choose, keep taking deep breaths in and out, letting that feeling fill you inside.
Or if you have a feeling you’re ready to let go of, instead of sucking in, you can imagine blowing the color away. You’ll still breathe in and out slowly and deeply, but every time you breathe out, you can blow and imagine a little bit of the color floating away and the feeling goes with it. With each breath there’s a little less of the color and a little less of the feeling surrounding you.
Whether you’re holding on to your feeling or letting it go, let’s take a few more big breaths together. Breathe in 1-2-3, and out 1-2-3. Breathe in 1-2-3, and out 1-2-3. One more breath in 1-2-3. And out 1-2-3. Now at this point you’re either totally filled up with the feeling you wanted to keep, or you’ve blown away all of the feeling you wanted to let go of. Remember, you’ll feel lots of different feelings, sometimes at the same time, but you always have the power to take control of your feelings. You get to decide which feeling you want to keep, and which feeling you want to let go of. As we think about all the different feelings we sometimes feel, let’s listen to a song about feelings. This song mentions many different kinds of feelings. Each time you hear a feeling, you could think about what it would feel like if you could touch that feeling. Or you could think about what color that feeling reminds you of, or you could think about how that feeling feels in your body. Be sure to hang around after the song and we’ll say affirmations together.
If you feel like singing
Here’s what you can do
Lalala Lala lala doot de doot da doo
Lalala Lala lala doot de doot da doo
If you feel like laughing
Here’s what you can do
Hahaha hee hee hee hoo hoo hoo
Hahaha hee hee hee hoo hoo hoo
However you feel
Your feelings are real
And you are never alone
So sing out high
And sing out low
And let somebody know
If you feel like crying
Here’s what you can do
Wah wah wah wah boo hoo hoo
Wah wah wah wah boo hoo hoo
If you’re feeling anxious
Here’s what you can do
Breathe in deep, then breathe out too
Breathe in deep, then breathe out too
However you feel
Your feelings are real
And you are never alone
So sing out high
And sing out low
And let somebody know
If you feel like making someone smile
Here’s what you can do
Say “I’m glad that we’re friends, and I like you”
“I’m glad that we’re friends, and I like you”
Now it’s time for affirmations. Affirmations are words you can say about yourself to remind yourself how wonderful you are. You can say them out loud or inside your head. We’ll say each affirmation twice. You can listen the first time, then say it with me the second time.
It’s ok to feel my feelings.
I can choose my attitude.
I will let go of feelings I don’t want.
I will hold on to feels that I like.
Bad feelings won’t last forever.
I am proud of how I’m growing.
I am not alone in my feelings.
I make a difference in the world, just by being me.
Now let’s smile and take a few slow, deep breaths as we wind down our time together. If any of those affirmations stood out to you, feel free to write them down, or just store them safely in your mind to say when you need it. If you have an affirmation that is special to you, I would love to hear it! You can have a grownup check our website or show notes for ways to get in touch and share your affirmations.
I can’t wait to spend some time together again soon. Until then, I like you, I’m proud of you, and I’m glad we are friends. Have a happy and peaceful day.
Like You is a production of Perpetual Motion. It is made possible by our supporters on Patreon. Become a supporter by visiting Patreon.com/likeyoupodcast. Like You is written and hosted by me, Noah Glenn. I also composed and performed the Like You theme music and other music that appeared in the episode. Our podcast cover art was illustrated by Mia Saine. Our episode art is created by Lindsey Glenn. If you’ve enjoyed the podcast, I hope you’ll tell your friends, and leave a 5 star review on Apple Podcasts or Spotify. You can send us voice memos, drawings, and pictures by having a grownup send an email to hello@likeyoupodcast.com or if they follow us on instagram, they can send us a direct message there. Visit our website at likeyoupodcast.com to find show notes, transcripts for each episode, an online shop, and other info about the show. Be sure to follow us on instagram, Facebook, and twitter @likeyoupod. Thanks for listening!
