Emotional-Regulation

Why Practicing Can Help with Emotional Regulation, by Oregon Behaviour Consultation

  • Being mad “makes us dumb”.
  • Make a plan.
  • Practise to make the best choice ahead of time.
  • Use visual prompts (talk less) to support the person having a hard time.
  • Adjust the plan as needed and practice again.

5 Unhelpful Responses

  • Don’t talk.
  • Don’t try to reason, explain, or lecture.
  • Don’t shout or use a loud or intense voice
  • Don’t respond to oppositional or defiant behaviour.
  • Don’t bring up consequences.

Instead…

  • Use visual prompts.
  • Take a break.
  • Allow thinking time (for both of you) – wait.
  • Use a calm and gentle tone of voice.
  • Allow more thinking time.
  • Have a plan that you have practiced.
  • Be quiet but let them know that this is part of the plan, you are not ignoring them.

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