Articles About Emotional Regulation

Why "emotional intelligence" is out and interoception is in. The idea that people needed to build their “emotional intelligence” became a pop-psychology fad in the 90s and early 2000s.  Well, that’s not entirely accurate. The growth of this concept began with.

Helpful analogies for understanding those big feelings. Being “regulated” doesn’t always mean being calm and quiet. Being regulated means our energy matches the situation we’re in and helps us to be successful in whatever we’re doing.

Dr. Siegel's Hand Model of the Brain, illustrated and explained for Kids, Youth, young adults... and anyone who is looking for a more accessible and easy-to-understand explanation of what happens in our brains, bodies, and nervous systems when we become dysregulated. 

You’re doing everything right. You’ve read all the books on parenting and emotional co-regulation. You’ve provided a safe space where they can calm down when they are dysregulated, and have learned to stay calm no matter what. You're doing everything right and still things are not getting any better. Now what?

Further advice for supporting loved ones through meltdowns. You’ve read all the books on your loved one’s condition or neurology, you’ve read all about emotional regulation. I offer additional tips for when you’re doing everything right and still you feel as though nothing’s working. 

Read my article about the importance of interoception and how it relates to developing and improving emotional regulation skills. 

Read my article about the importance of co-regulation and how co-regulating with children allows them to develop their emotional self-regulation skills. 

How To Set Up Chill Zones Or Calming Corners: Creating safe and effective regulation spaces at home and in the classroom. A regulation space — also sometimes called a zen zone, chill zone, sensory space, or calming corner — is a safe and quiet area where a person can go to regulate (i.e. “calm down”) when they are feeling overwhelmed.

Read my article, Giving Your Child A V.O.I.C.E.: Teaching skills for emotional regulation. The first step to raising considerate, compassionate children is being considerate, compassionate parents.

Why do Autistics and people with ADHD seem to get worked up so easily? Why do we seem to be more "sensitive" than others, more emotional, or hot-tempered? I explain why neurodivergent folks often struggle with dysregulation.

Keeping Our Cool With Your Kids: Evidence-based, practical strategies for remaining calm when children we care for are experiencing intense emotions. 

Co-regulation is essential for any relationship. We provide co-regulation for a distressed loved one when our tone, body language, facial expressions, and words all convey calm, comfort, and safety.  

Self Care Makes Us Better Parents, Partners, And Professionals. It's not a tired old cliché - okay, it is, but it's still true. I promise I won't recommend yoga. There’s nothing wrong with yoga, meditation, mindfulness, or any of those general “self-care” activities people tend to recommend, but you won’t find those here...

Nothing against yoga or meditation, I'm just talking smaller picture. Smaller daily stressors are insidious because they tend to slowly chip away at our reserves, sometimes without us even noticing (especially if we struggle with self-awareness).

The day I could have lost my mind, but didn't. It starts out like any typical Saturday morning. I make my way into the city from our rural home to meet with a client and am there for less than two hours. By the time I start to head back, there is a full-on blizzard happening, complete with zero visibility.