Page 39 - The Changing Chances Strength Based Approach to Control Centre Skills (Executive Function Skills) MASTER 2020
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Helping you with Emotional & Energy Regulation

        Skills:


         How adults can help you                           What you can do to help
                                                           yourself

         ▪  Stressor Spotting: Just like with              ▪  Bright Spots: notice times when you do stay
             impulse control skills, ask an adult to           in control of your feelings and energy –
             help you work out what                            what did you do? What helped?
             triggers big emotions in
             you and when you find                             Just by noticing, you are likely to
             it harder to manage big                           create neural firing – and the more this
             feelings.                                         happens, the stronger the circuits for
                                                               emotional and energy regulation will get.
             What’s different when easier? What’s
             different when it’s harder?                   ▪  Do your Bright Spots give you any clues you
                                                               can use at times you find it harder to stay in
             Are there any physical or sensory                 control?
             needs not being met which make it
             harder to manage big feelings?                ▪  Build yellow experiences: as we explained
                                                               on the previous pages, the
              ➢  Are you hungry?                               more positive experiences you
              ➢  Tired?                                        have, the stronger you will feel when you
              ➢  Is it too busy or noisy?                      are faced with tough times.

             Are there any emotional needs not             ▪  Reduce your stress levels:
             being met well when you lose your cool?           empty out your red stress balloon – find
                                                               activities that help you to become calm. This
              ➢  Is it times when you don’t feel you           may be running, swimming, listening to
                 can do what you are being asked?              music, building stuff, drawing, laughing with
              ➢  Is it when you don’t feel so capable?         friends. Build in some of these times into your
              ➢  Is it when you don’t feel in control of       life at least 3 times a week so your stress
                 what’s happening or you feel                  balloon empties and has more room before
                 uncertain about what people expect            popping when things go wrong.
                 of you?
              ➢  Is it when you think things aren’t fair  ▪  Pre-mortem: before you go somewhere or
                 and you aren’t being supported                do something, think through what might go
                 properly?                                     wrong. Can you do anything to prevent that
              ➢  Is it when you don’t feel people are          from happening? Is there anything that could
                 on your side?                                 help?
              ➢  Is it when you feel less important or
                 not part of the group? people where       ▪  Prep4Best: just like with improving impulse
                 you need to feel you are part of the          control, take a minute before you go
                 group? (The blue and green Needs              somewhere or start something - take some
                 Cards can help explore this).                 breaths so you don’t rush into a task. Get into
                                                               a habit of this so it becomes your ‘neural
         ▪  Exploring and designing strategies                 habit’.
             ask someone to help you work out the
             best ways to stay cool when you get big       ▪  Whilst you are taking some breaths, think
             feelings. Get them to imagine you’re in           through how you would like things to turn
             the situation so you can practice these           out. How would you like to react if you get big
             strategies – do this LOADS until they             feelings? Practice this. Do you need anything
             become neural habits.                             to help you do this?



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