Ups and Downs digital toolbox

This is the digital toolbox version of Ups and Downs.

Life is never smooth sailing, and each of our personal journeys is unique.

Ups and Downs is a fun, conversation-building tool for reflecting on our own journey. The set includes 54 individual cards featuring a little pink ‘every-person’ sailing on life’s changing seas in a bathtub.

This set uses the sea as a metaphor for the unpredictability of life, making it a perfect tool for supporting conversations about feelings, change, overcoming adversity, and planning for the future. Each card presents scenarios many people will relate to, from the relief of seeing the beam of a lighthouse to the anxiety of watching circling sharks.

Ups and Downs can also be used for a range of fun and informal activities, including breaking the ice, stimulating creative writing and kicking off workshops. The cards can also be used in professional contexts when discussing achievements and challenges.

This resource is suitable for all ages and is a versatile tool for psychologists, counsellors, mental health workers, educators, managers and life coaches.

• Digital version of the cards and a digital booklet full of ideas for using the cards
• Free access to the Ups and Downs Digital Toolbox
• Extra support resources including ideas bank, card hacks and blogs

We are adding and updating the Toolbox content regularly so check in to see what’s new. Customers must create an account to access digital products.

• The here and now: Which card sums up how you’re feeling right now? How ship-shape is your boat? Where do you need repairs? What provisions will you need for the next stage of the journey?
• Destinations: Choose a card that represents a place, or feeling, you’d like to work towards. Are you going in the right direction or do you need to make some adjustments? Do you know what you want to achieve on your journey? Choose a card that shows something that could get in the way of you getting there.
• Watching for sharks: Choose a card that describes a fear you have right now. What would be different if the fear was no longer there? Has the fear always been there or is it something new? Choose a card that shows something that could help you move beyond the fear.
• Changing tides: Choose a card that represents how you feel when things are about to change. Which card describes what it’s like when change happens unexpectedly? Are you in a time of stability or transition right now?

To access the digital card set and toolbox, simply create a customer account. All digital products follow our Digital Usage Policy – see Copyright and Digital Usage for details.