by drmunn
How to calm your child by Dr. Munn, Child & Adolescent Therapist in Mountain View, CA & Online Therapist & Coach for Women with ADHD, Anxiety & Depression.
When children and teens are having a meltdown, their amygdala, which is responsible for quickly processing and expressing emotions, and part of the “downstairs” brain, is activated, making it hard to self-soothe, think rationally, and make good decisions.
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One of the things we can do to calm our children and teens is to “name the emotion.” When we label the emotion (e.g., you’re really angry right now now; you’re really disappointed right now), an area responsible for labeling and processing the emotion, the ventrolateral prefrontal cortex, gets activated and helps soothe the “downstairs” brain, causing the child to down-regulate and think more rationally.
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Thus, if you notice your child or teen getting overwhelmed, help them regulate by “naming” the emotion. If your child experiences persistent meltdowns and has a hard time self-soothing, seek a child & adolescent therapist.
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Disclaimer: The content in this post is only intended to increase your knowledge on parenting and child development; it is not online therapy. If you’re concerned about your child’s immediate safety please call 911 and consult with a licensed clinician about any clinical symptoms you are observing in your child.