Now that many young people are back to school. This is a good time to refresh strategies for self-calming or to try out some new ones. Remember to share preferred strategies with other family members, school, youth club leaders and sports coaches.
Here are a few for you to try.
Breathe in through your nose for a count of 4. Hold your breath for a count of 4 and breath out through your mouth slowly for a count of 7. Repeat this 3 times.
Count backwards from 20 to 0. Repeat 3 times.
Fingerhold Practice: courtesy of Capacitar International.
Hold each finger with the opposite hand 2-5 minutes. You can work with either hand. Breathe in deeply; recognize and acknowledge the strong or disturbing feelings or emotions you hold inside yourself. Breathe out slowly and let go. Imagine the feelings draining out your finger into the earth. Breathe in a sense of harmony, strength and healing. And breathe out slowly, releasing past feelings and problems.
Often as you hold each finger, you can feel a pulsing sensation as the energy and feelings move and become balanced. You can hold the fingers of someone else who is angry or upset. The fingerholds are very helpful for young children who are crying or having a tantrum.
Thumb: tears, grief, emotional pain.
Index Finger: fear, panic.
Middle Finger: anger, rage, resentment.
Ring Finger: worry, anxiety, preoccupation.
Little Finger: lack of self-esteem.
Remember to teach and practise strategies to help make them effective when they are needed. Adults can demonstrate these strategies as a way of helping young people to learn how to use them.