Help Your Child Regulate Emotions With A Calming Space
“Frustration, anger, and fear shut down the thinking parts of our brain. When your child is dysregulated, they cannot access the smartest part of the brain until their
emotions are calmed.”
When working with children and adolescents, we often talk about the importance of creating a space in their home where they can calm down and press the restart button when feeling overwhelmed. Many children choose to designate a corner of their room as their calm down space, because it is fully out of the way of the rest of the family and offers them the quiet needed to regulate their emotions.
If children are disregulated, they are often overcome with emotions and may struggle to be present in the moment. However, if their five senses are engaged, they become more present in the world around them. When children focus their energy and attention on how their surroundings smell, look, taste, and sound, their bodies and brains can begin to relax and recenter.
In order to appease their senses, children and adolescents are encouraged to snuggle with their softest pillows and blankets, utilize calming essential oils (like lavender or eucalyptus), engage in art activities or word searches, and play with fidgets. Noise cancelling headphones or a device with a favorite playlist along with ice cold water and mints can also effectively engage the senses. If a space is aesthetically pleasing and soothes the senses with relaxing colors, materials, sounds, tastes, and smells, children’s nervous systems relax, behaviors become less reactive, and emotions become more balanced.