To finish September and to finish our Emotional Regulation series, today we are talking about our Upstairs and Downstairs Brain.
Imagine your brain is like a two story house.
The ‘upstairs’ brain is the frontal lobe, and it is responsible for our executive functions skills, such as our ability to think, prioritize, imagine, problem solve and make good decisions.
The ‘downstairs’ brain is the limbic system, and it is responsible for our breathing, blinking, heart rate, and emotions.
Between the 'upstairs’ and ‘downstairs’ there is a staircase that connects both, which is not completely built until we are in our mid-20’s. We need both areas of our brain to work together. We need the ‘downstairs’ brain to keep us safe, but we do not want it to be fully in control. We need the ‘upstairs’ brain to monitor the strong emotions, to help us make sense of them, and to problem solve.
Here are some strategies to help kids to connect their ‘upstairs’ and ‘downstairs’ brain:
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Breathing techniques, such as the box breathing technique
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Physical Exercise
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Teach and encourage kids to name their feelings, “I wonder if you are feeling scared.” This strategy helps release important chemicals in the brain which helps kids calm themselves down, and emotionally regulate so they can access their ‘upstairs’ brain.
**Coming Soon: Ginny Conroy, Social Grace founder will be leading a Parent University collaboration, be on the lookout for it.**