Emotional regulation is a skill. Managing our response to events that trigger strong feelings is easier for some than others. For many of us we learn to regulate our emotions as we grow – we no longer throw a tantrum in a supermarket when we are frustrated or over tired! How easy we find this is dependent on our personality, experiences and environment.
Some children’s early caregivers will have given them the emotional language and coping strategies to manage their feelings fairly well most of the time. Others may have had little guidance to manage this, or may have additional needs that make this harder.
Emotional regulation is a skill it can be practised and improved upon to some extent throughout life. Learning to control our emotions makes life easier and allows us take ownership of our reactions to difficult experiences.
Settings have an important role to play in supporting children to regulate their emotions. When young people can better manage their feelings and frustrations they can build positive relationships and fully access their education.
In Professional Settings
Setting cultures where talking about and managing emotions is an everyday occurrence, allow children and young people to develop an emotional language. This encourages children and young people to voice their feelings rather than acting them out.
Professionals often have a ringside seat to children and young people’s struggles with emotional regulation.
A consistent message to give is that no emotion is ‘wrong’. Supporting young people to learn how to manage feelings positively can make a difference to how children and young people react. Some children will find this harder than others for a range of reasons including those children who have diagnosed additional needs – however everyone can benefit from the opportunity to reflect on how they react to difficult experiences. For some this might work in a whole class context whilst others will need individual time to make sense of how they can better regulate their emotions.
Regulating Emotions
Self regulation is an important skill that impacts on every aspect of life even small changes can make a big difference going forward. Helping children and young people learn to regulate their emotions does not have to be time consuming or complicated.
Some children may struggle to make any change. This might mean they are;
There is a wealth of information to help settings support children regulate emotion and many children will benefit greatly from this.
For Families
Getting parents and carers involved will make interventions more likely to succeed. You could signpost families to the free online Solihull Course.
Resources
Nuffield Health
School Wellbeing Activity Programme (SWAP) - Free 6 week programme of evidence based lessons delivered in six one hour sessions. The programme is aimed at children aged 9-12 years old but can be adapted for other school age children. The four key themes are:
Anna Freud resources
CARE
The CARE animation is a short animation for all professional settings that recognises the importance of supporting children and young people’s mental health in settings, and offers a simple principle for staff to remember; CARE. (Curious, Approachable, Refer, Empathy). It is aimed at all professionals, including including support staff and those who may not have direct contact with young people. The animation can be used in one of the following ways:
You can watch the CARE animation and download the accompanying guidance and poster at www.annafreud.org/careanimation.
Mentally Healthy Schools
Mentally Healthy Schools is a free website where schools can find a range of information and resources to help school staff understand, promote and deal confidently with children's mental health issues.
E-Learning
'All Our Health' offer free, bite-sized e-learning sessions - to improve the knowledge, confidence and skills of health and care professionals in preventing illness, protecting health and promoting wellbeing. The sessions cover some of the biggest issues in public health including;
They contain signposting to trusted sources of helpful evidence, guidance and support to help professionals embed prevention in their everyday practice.
Shelf Help - Reading Well
Norfolk County Council Libraries – have a wide range of books on managing feelings.
