Activity 2 : Manage your problem

• Managing negative factors
• Dealing with change

• Pen and paper

This activity should be done in groups of 3-4 people, but the story can be reflected on individually

First the participants should listen and reflect over the story that is read by the trainer, then they can think about stories they know from their childhood, perhaps a fairy tale that has some morals. They should tell it to the other participants and together reflect on how the characters in their story managed their problems and if they can learn something from that story.

The teacher tells the group to breath calmly or maybe use a yoga breathing technique. S/he then reads this story with soft music in the background​

The Butterfly (Struggles)​

A man found a cocoon of a butterfly. One day a small opening appeared. He sat and watched the butterfly for several hours as it struggled to force its body through that little hole. Until it suddenly stopped making any progress and looked like it was stuck.​

So the man decided to help the butterfly. He took a pair of scissors and snipped off the remaining bit of the cocoon. The butterfly then emerged easily, although it had a swollen body and small, shrivelled wings.​

The man didn’t think anything of it and sat there waiting for the wings to enlarge to support the butterfly. But that didn’t happen. The butterfly spent the rest of its life unable to fly, crawling around with tiny wings and a swollen body.​

Despite the kind heart of the man, he didn’t understand that the restricting cocoon and the struggle needed by the butterfly to get itself through the small opening were God’s way of forcing fluid from the body of the butterfly into its wings to prepare itself for flying once it was out of the cocoon.​

Moral of the story: Our struggles in life develop our strengths. Without struggles we never grow and never get stronger, so it’s important for us to tackle challenges on our own, and not be relying on help from others.

• What do you think of this story?
• How does it apply to your life?
• How can negative factors be positive even though they seem negative?
• Can you help someone too much?
• How do you know when to stop?

• How did you feel about this exercise?
• What is the point of this activity?
• Did you feel that this activity helped you with your problem?
• What other type of problems do you think this methodology can help you with?

The exercise to be done with age mixed groups or one can call older people that the participant knows who can tell fairy tales from their childhood.