Ep. 10: Emotional Regulation

In today's episode, I discuss the important topic of emotional regulation, something that's especially relevant for families going through difficult times. Emotional regulation is the ability to manage our feelings and return to a calm state when emotions run high. We all experience emotions differently – some people have intense, quick-to-fade emotions, while others have slower, long-lasting ones.

To help kids learn emotional regulation, I use the concept of "emotional size" – explaining that big emotions can be challenging to handle. I stress the importance of deep breathing as a quick way to regulate our nervous systems. We must regulate our emotions first, so we can help our children. If we're agitated, we won't be effective in calming them down.

Additionally, I discuss the concept of baseline stress levels. When life gets busy and stressful, our baseline stress level increases. As a result, small stressors can trigger intense emotional responses.

Helping kids with emotional regulation involves understanding that everyone has different-sized emotions. Parents must co-regulate, initially soothing children and later teaching them self-regulation.

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