When we become overwhelmed, our brain can quickly signal to our body that ‘something is wrong’ or that we are ‘not safe’, which quickly triggers: Increased heart rate Increased blood pressure Sweating Trembling Short of breath Hot flashes Catastrophising Repetitive worries Fear of being out of control or unable to cope Sense of danger Sometimes, […]
5 techniques to help calm down panic or worries Read More »
There are so many things that we need to teach children, from mathematics to reading and writing. However, the last few years have also shown us the importance of helping children to build self-esteem and resilience, to support their mental health and well-being. I work with hundreds of children every year in my therapy work,
3 mindset tools we should teach children Read More »
Helping children to understand themselves and their identity is an important aspect of self-esteem. Supporting children to reflect on their thoughts, feelings, interests, preferences and things that make them feel uncomfortable, scared or worried supports them to express themselves and understand themselves. Having these conversations face to face can be uncomfortable for some children, however,
Children’s Activities: All About Me Masks Read More »
We often talk about finding creative ways to talk about feelings can open new conversations. Sometimes, just sitting down can feel too confronting for some children, so activities can provide the perfect opportunity to explore what we are feeling and how it affects us. However, we also need to build on our feelings vocabulary as
Children’s Activity: Feelings Wordsearch #2 Read More »
Obsessive Compulsive Disorder (OCD) is a mental health condition where a child, teenager or adult has reoccurring thoughts and negative behaviours which they cannot control. There are many misconceptions about OCD and frequently, people will refer to themselves as having OCD when they do not. Whilst frequently a throw away comment ‘I’m a bit OCD’,
What is Obsessive Compulsive Disorder? Read More »
Attachment theory is a psychological theory, developed by John Bowlby (1977), that looks at the connections and relationships between humans. Attachments are those deep emotional bonds that we develop with another person, where we feel secure and close with them. In attachment theory, we examine the relationship between children and their parents, and the way
What is attachment? Read More »
Self-esteem Self-esteem is the value we place on our own worth. It is the opinion we have of ourselves. The way we view our worth in the world. It can be positive or negative, and the level of our self-esteem impacts the way that we see the world and the events that occur in our
Children’s Activities: Grow your own Garden Read More »
So often, I meet children (and adults) who are caught up in a challenging thought process where they are angry with particular features of friends, teachers, parents or peers. One of the activities that we often take part in, is to consider: “How much of that characteristic exists in you” All of us have mirror
Why we need to teach children (and adults) self-reflection Read More »
Previously, I spoke about the child behaviour iceberg (find it here), so in this article, I want to look at the ABC of behaviour. When I started my career working as an early years practitioner, later as a Nursery Manager and then a lecturer of early years, (before eventually finding myself as an inspector) I would
Why we need to look beneath child behaviour Read More »
Feelings A step of emotional literacy development is being able to recognise what our emotions are. Many children can find it challenging to be able to recognise, identify and respond to their emotions, particularly emotions such as excitement and anxiety as both create adrenaline in the body. A great first step, is to encourage children
Children’s Activity: Feelings Thermometer Read More »
