Expert Tips from a Child Psychiatrist
Do you ever feel powerless in the face of your child's emotional outbursts? Whether it's in a crowded store or a quiet art gallery, it can be tough to know how to manage when a meltdown occurs.
While confidence may not be the right word to describe how you're feeling, it's critical to remember that the way you treat your child in these moments is what matters most to them. Everyone else is secondary.
Navigating these moments successfully depends on your ability to understand the underlying reasons or factors that led up to the outburst. Even if you don't fully understand them, taking a step back to acknowledge that there are underlying reasons is vital.
I've developed an effective approach to help you navigate these storms. Check out my free on-demand video training at www.huddlewisdom.com/gettools
In episode 086 of the Parenting with Huddle Wisdom podcast, I dive into several important themes that can help you tailor your approach to your child's specific needs. These themes...
Visualizing the various stages of an emotional storm can be very beneficial. By using a pictogram, you can identify the antecedents that fuel the storm, as well as the factors that dissipate its power. This approach can help you develop a deeper understanding of how emotional storms operate, so you can better navigate them in your life.
Emotions can be like a storm; once they start, they can be challenging to stop. Just as with a natural storm, the best solution is to prepare and wait for it to pass. However, when children experience an emotional storm, we must do more than wait. Understanding the antecedents of the storm is crucial for reducing its frequency and intensity.
Children are not miniature adults and cannot be expected to act, behave, or think like grown-ups. Although adults and children experience similar emotions, adults may have more experience in navigating their emotional lives. Therefore, we must teach children how to handle their emotions effectively.
Forensic Analysis and Detective Work
To help children manage their emotions, we must teach them forensic analysis and detective work. We need to survey the damage done and elicit the child's perspective without interfering or putting words in their mouth. Once we've gathered clues, we can present hypotheses to the child, work together to...
At times, we let our impulses take over in the heat of the moment, when our lizard brains become too dominant. It's not entirely our fault, as our limbic systems are designed to engage when we perceive a threat or danger in our surroundings.
Yet, there are moments when we require the guidance of a wizard to keep our lizard brain in check. We need someone to evaluate the situation with greater finesse so we don't make hasty decisions that we may later regret.
Undoubtedly, our lizard brain is vital in steering us away from danger or helping us to address it if it arises. However, we may overly rely on our lizard brain when making decisions about the future and overestimate potential threats. That's when our wizard brain is more advantageous.
The truth is, we need both the lizard and wizard to function optimally. Yet, it's advisable that the wizard ride the lizard, rather than the other way around.
Tune in to Episode 7 of the Huddle Wisdom Podcast where I talk about this a...
Â
