02/11/2022
I love the idea of a parental time out 💛
When we feel ourselves moving into the reactive red zone 🚦(when the body is tense, heart rate is amplified, and the nervous system is dialed up), we can actively take steps to calm our nervous system. Consider slowing things down, taking some deep breaths, and even a “parental time-out” to give ourselves space to let our bodies and emotions move back into regulation.
📍 HOW we take our own time-out matters too. 📍 There’s a BIG difference between:
A) Yelling “I can’t take this anymore”, walking off, and slamming the door. (blaming and angry)🚨
vs.
B) Saying “I need a minute to calm down my body so that I can be a good listener and I can be a good teacher.” (teaching and modeling) ❤️
So in those really challenging moments, find your calm. ❤️ You can’t be the calm in the storm if you are the storm. ❤️ Taking a moment to ourselves can help us find that calm. Later, when we’re ready, it can be helpful to reflect on what we need to be the parent we want to be. Have we been neglecting our own sleep, do we need more support, or some time for play or time to ourselves?
For a longer discussion on discipline, strategies, and some personal stories, click the link below. It routes to a recent conversation I had with MrChazz MrChazz.
https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/time-outs-with-tina-payne-bryson/id1525418064?i=1000547826744