Stay Calm

Stay Calm Offering solutions for Schools & families to support the mental health, wellbeing of children & teenagers. Including SEN

Wishing you all a very Merry Christmas 🎄 xx
25/12/2025

Wishing you all a very Merry Christmas 🎄 xx

Last session of the year with the Friday Gang. We had a great time making gifts and playing some Christmas games. 🎄🧑‍🎄🥳
13/12/2025

Last session of the year with the Friday Gang. We had a great time making gifts and playing some Christmas games. 🎄🧑‍🎄🥳

A child’s brain lights up in response to one thing more than anything else: a connected caregiver.Warm touch. Close prox...
11/12/2025

A child’s brain lights up in response to one thing more than anything else: a connected caregiver.

Warm touch. Close proximity. A loving gaze.

These simple, everyday moments do far more than comfort a child — they shape their brain. They strengthen the pathways that help them regulate stress, understand safety, and build secure attachment.

This is co-regulation in action.
Before children can regulate on their own, they borrow our calm.

Our steady breathing becomes their steady breathing.

Our soft tone becomes their softening body.

Our presence becomes their safety.
Each time you sit beside them, offer a reassuring touch, or meet their eyes with warmth, you’re teaching their nervous system what it feels like to move out of overwhelm and back into balance.

You’re not just soothing a moment —
you’re wiring their brain for resilience, connection, and emotional wellbeing.
Your calm really does become their calm.

And your presence is one of the most powerful gifts they’ll ever receive.

As the festive season approaches, many parents begin to feel the familiar mix of excitement, pressure, and overwhelm. Th...
10/12/2025

As the festive season approaches, many parents begin to feel the familiar mix of excitement, pressure, and overwhelm. There’s so much to think about—events, gifts, family expectations, school concerts, food shopping, end-of-term exhaustion… and on top of it all, the desire to make Christmas magical for everyone else.

But here’s the truth:
You don’t need to run on empty to create a meaningful Christmas.
A regulated, rested you is the greatest gift your children will receive this season.

So here’s a gentle reminder and a simple way to pace yourself through the weeks ahead:
🎄 1. Start by Checking In With Yourself
Ask yourself at the beginning of each week:
What do I have capacity for?
What feels too much?
What truly matters?
Let your answers guide your plans—not pressure, guilt, or comparison.

🎁 2. Choose One Non-Negotiable for Yourself Each Week
A walk.
A bath.
Ten minutes with a cuppa.
Early bedtime.
Journaling.
Time with a friend.
Small moments count. They regulate your nervous system, helping you stay grounded and present.

✨ 3. Lower the Bar, Not the Magic
Children don’t need perfection—they need connection.
It’s absolutely okay if:
You buy instead of bake
You say no to events
You choose rest over rushing
Your decorations are simple this year
Your calm presence will be remembered far more than your to-do list.

⭐ 4. Create Breathing Space Between Commitments
Try to keep at least one “empty” day or evening each week.
Think of it as a buffer—time for rest, spontaneity, or simply catching your breath.

❤️ 5. Let Others Help You
Delegate where you can.
Share tasks.
Say yes when help is offered.
You’re not supposed to carry everything alone.

🌟 6. Be Honest With Your Kids
It’s powerful to model boundaries.
You can say:
"I’m feeling a bit tired, so I need a rest before we do something fun together."
You teach them that self-care is normal, healthy, and essential.

🌙 7. Protect Your Nervous System
Slow down when you can.
Use grounding practices:
Hand on heart
Deep breaths
A short mindful moment
A pause before saying yes
A regulated parent creates a regulated home environment.

🎄 Remember…
Your wellbeing shapes the season—not the perfectly wrapped presents or the packed schedule.
Christmas doesn’t need you to be superhuman.
It just needs you—real, rested, and connected.
So as the festive season begins, pace yourself with kindness.
Take it one moment, one breath, one small act of self-care at a time.

You deserve that. 💗

Every fortnight I run a wellbeing workshop for teenagers in the home ed community – and the next one (and last of the ye...
10/12/2025

Every fortnight I run a wellbeing workshop for teenagers in the home ed community – and the next one (and last of the year!) will be on Thursday 19th December at 11am 🌟

Each session focuses on one key area of wellbeing, so over time we explore things like:
🌟The stress response and what’s really happening in the body
🌟The vagus nerve and simple ways to support it
🌟Practical tools to find calm
🌟Mindfulness practices teens can use at home
🌟Guided meditation to relax body and mind
🌟 power of imagination to feel safe, steady, and more in control

These workshops are especially helpful for teens who experience anxiety, overwhelm, difficulty switching off, or big emotions.

Every session moves at a gentle, supportive pace, with no pressure to share more than feels comfortable.

🗓 Next & final 2025 session:
📅 Thursday 19th December
⏰ 11:00–12:00
👥 For home-educated teenagers

If you’d like to book a place for your teen or want to know if this might be a good fit for them, send me a message and I’ll share all the details. WhatsApp Jacqui 07452 835784

Parents are welcome to stay with their teen and learn alongside 💚

Booking link in the comments

🎄 MINDFUL PASS THE PARCEL – A CALMING CHRISTMAS CLASSROOM GAME 🎁✨Looking for a fun and calming activity in the lead-up t...
04/12/2025

🎄 MINDFUL PASS THE PARCEL – A CALMING CHRISTMAS CLASSROOM GAME 🎁✨

Looking for a fun and calming activity in the lead-up to Christmas?

Try Mindful Pass the Parcel – a lovely way to bring festive magic, movement, and mindfulness into the classroom.

Instead of sweets or toys inside each layer, children unwrap a mindful moment they can all do together. These short activities help the children reset, refocus, and reconnect with themselves – especially useful during such an exciting (and overstimulating!) time of year.

This game is perfect for those moments when the class needs a breather, a reset after playtime, or a gentle transition between activities. It brings everyone back into their bodies, supports emotional regulation, and lets children have fun without becoming overly excited.

Here are 20 Christmas-themed mindful prompts you can pop inside the layers:
1️⃣ Snowflake Breath – Take 3 slow breaths, floating down like snowflakes.
2️⃣ Christmas Tree Stretch – Reach tall like a glowing Christmas tree.
3️⃣ Warm Cocoa Breath – Blow gently as if cooling hot chocolate.
4️⃣ Elf Hug – Wrap your arms around yourself for a cosy squeeze.
5️⃣ Jingle Fingers – Wiggle your fingers slowly like jingling bells.
6️⃣ Reindeer Stomp – Softly stomp 3 times like reindeer hooves.
7️⃣ Present of Kindness – Think of something kind you could do today.
8️⃣ Silent Night Stillness – Be as still and quiet as you can for 5 seconds.
9️⃣ Snowman Melt – Stretch tall like a snowman, then slowly melt down.
🔟 Star Hands – Spread your fingers wide like shining stars.
1️⃣1️⃣ Christmas Cookie Smell – Imagine smelling a warm cookie… breathe in slowly.
1️⃣2️⃣ Penguin Waddle – Take 3 gentle waddles like a winter penguin.
1️⃣3️⃣ Snowball Squeeze – Pretend to squeeze a soft snowball, then relax your hands.
1️⃣4️⃣ Magic Bauble Breath – Hold a pretend bauble and breathe gently into it.
1️⃣5️⃣ Tinsel Wiggle – Give your shoulders a sparkly little wiggle.
1️⃣6️⃣ Listen Like Santa – Close your eyes and listen for 3 quiet sounds.
1️⃣7️⃣ Wishing Star – Make a quiet wish for someone else.
1️⃣8️⃣ Little Helper Moment – Think of one helpful thing you can do at home.
1️⃣9️⃣ Snow Globe Stillness – Pretend you're in a snow globe and let everything settle.
2️⃣0️⃣ Christmas Heart – Hand on chest, whisper: “I am calm.”

✨ Why this works:
Mindful Pass the Parcel turns an exciting game into a moment of calm connection. Children practise slowing their bodies, using their breath, noticing their senses, and showing kindness – all vital skills for emotional regulation. It gives them a gentle pause during busy school days and helps reset the classroom energy quickly and playfully.

Get Closer to Calm – Fortnightly Teen Wellbeing SessionsNext Session: Friday 5th DecemberInvestment: £10(A parent is wel...
01/12/2025

Get Closer to Calm – Fortnightly Teen Wellbeing Sessions

Next Session: Friday 5th December
Investment: £10

(A parent is welcome to stay and learn alongside their teen.)

Over the past few sessions, the teenagers have been building their very own calm toolkits.

✨ We’ve explored simple but powerful mindfulness practices, including breathing techniques and body scans, helping them recognise how these tools can support them when life feels overwhelming.

✨ We’ve learned about the vagus nerve and the important role it plays in anxiety and emotional regulation — giving teens a better understanding of what’s happening in their bodies during stressful moments.

✨ Through guided visualisations, we’ve discovered just how powerful the imagination is. Each teen is learning how to use their mind as a safe, supportive space, helping them shift their thoughts in a positive way.

Every fortnight we add new tools, new understanding, and new ways to feel grounded, calm, and connected.

These sessions are practical, gentle, creative, and tailored to meet each teenager right where they are.

If your teen could benefit from more confidence, calmer thinking, better emotional awareness, or simply a supportive space to unwind — they’re warmly invited.

💚 Next session: Friday 5th December

Come along, learn together, and get closer to calm.

What a magical afternoon we had yesterday! ✨Our 3-hour workshop with the home-ed children, Syd the therapy dog, and so m...
29/11/2025

What a magical afternoon we had yesterday! ✨

Our 3-hour workshop with the home-ed children, Syd the therapy dog, and so much creativity was an absolute joy.

We began by meeting the star of the show — Syd! The children loved learning all about him, and he was in his element receiving endless cuddles throughout the session. 🐾💛

Next, we stepped into the world of imagination as everyone created their very own Magical Garden. The ideas were incredible, floating trees, flowers you could climb inside, talking animals, secret places, and so much more. The creativity in the room was simply inspiring. 🌳✨🌸

Then it was time for music! The children made and decorated their own musical shakers, and together they created two brilliant songs, which were recorded for them to take home and treasure. 🎶💫

But perhaps the most beautiful part of the day was the friendships that formed. The atmosphere was relaxed, gentle, and safe, a space where everyone felt able to connect, share, and be part of something special.

Truly a magical session from start to finish. ✨💖

Thank you to everyone who joined us — we can’t wait for the next one!

“A child doesn’t learn to cope by sitting with their overwhelm, but by feeling your calm beside them.”Children don’t mag...
27/11/2025

“A child doesn’t learn to cope by sitting with their overwhelm, but by feeling your calm beside them.”

Children don’t magically know how to manage big feelings. They learn it through us, through our tone, our breathing, our steady presence, and the message:
“You’re safe. I’m here. We’ll get through this together.”

When we sit beside them, stay grounded, and offer connection instead of separation, their nervous system begins to settle. Over time, they internalise that calm… and it becomes their own.

This is the heart of emotional regulation, co-regulation first, independence later.

One calm moment at a time

Did you know your brain is always learning and rewiring itself? It’s called neuroplasticity and it means that every sing...
26/11/2025

Did you know your brain is always learning and rewiring itself? It’s called neuroplasticity and it means that every single thought you repeat becomes a pathway your brain starts to follow more easily.

So when you practise positive affirmations, you’re not just saying nice words…
you’re literally training your brain to think and feel differently.
One thought at a time. One moment at a time.

Small shifts → BIG changes. 💛

If you want to feel calmer, more confident, or just a little bit lighter inside, start with a simple affirmation today:

“I am capable. I am learning. I am enough.”

What affirmation will support you today?

And if you’d like support, tools, and a safe space to explore this more, my fortnightly teen sessions are designed exactly for you.

Next session: 5th December.
Come join us

🌟 THE POWER OF IMAGINATION — AND WHY TEENS NEED TO HEAR THIS 🌟One of the things I wish every teenager knew is this:Your ...
25/11/2025

🌟 THE POWER OF IMAGINATION — AND WHY TEENS NEED TO HEAR THIS 🌟

One of the things I wish every teenager knew is this:
Your imagination isn’t just for daydreaming.
It’s influencing your energy, your emotions, and your body every single day.

Think about it…
A stressful thought can make your heart race.
A worrying “what if?” can drain your energy before anything has even happened.
Replay a negative memory and you can feel your whole body tighten.
Nothing physical is happening — yet your body responds as if it is.

But here’s the part so many of us never get taught:
✨ If imagination can lower your energy, it can also raise it.
✨ If it can create stress, it can also create calm.
✨ If it can make you feel small, it can also make you feel strong.
✨ If it can pull you into the worst-case scenario, it can also create the best one.

The imagination works both ways — and you get to choose the direction.

This is why guided imagery, visualisation, and creative inner work are so powerful for young people.

It gives them a way to reset their minds, re-energise their bodies, and shift their emotional state in minutes — using something they already carry inside them.

I see it every time I work with teens:
💫 A moment of calm suddenly becomes possible.
💫 Confidence rises.
💫 Worry softens.
💫 Their energy clears.
💫 They reconnect with who they really are.

Imagination isn’t “pretend.”
It’s a tool.
A powerful one.
And when teenagers learn to use it intentionally —
they realise they have far more control, resilience, and strength than they ever knew.

✨ Their mind becomes a place that can support them, not sabotage them. ✨

Mindfulness is one of the most effective tools we can offer children—especially those who become easily dysregulated.Fro...
20/11/2025

Mindfulness is one of the most effective tools we can offer children—especially those who become easily dysregulated.

From a scientific perspective, mindfulness strengthens the prefrontal cortex (the part of the brain responsible for attention, emotional regulation, and decision-making) and calms the amygdala, reducing the fight-flight response. Regular practice improves vagal tone, helping children return to calm more quickly when overwhelmed.
In schools, mindfulness can:
Reduce anxiety and increase focus
Improve emotional regulation and impulse control
Strengthen resilience and problem-solving
Foster a calmer, more connected classroom environment
How schools can bring it into the classroom:
Begin the day with a short breathing or grounding exercise
Use mindful moments before transitions
Introduce sensory-based tools or visualisations
Offer mindful movement or stretching breaks
Use reflection journals to help children connect thoughts, feelings, and behaviours

The Magical Garden is a fun, imaginative way to weave mindfulness into daily routines. It invites children to create their own inner garden, which naturally guides them into a calmer nervous system state. Teachers gain insight into how children are feeling, what they need, and any emotional themes emerging. Because it feels like play, children engage deeply without pressure.

Mindfulness doesn’t just help children regulate—it helps them thrive. And when it’s embedded into school culture, everyone benefits.

Address

1-2 Frank's Bridge Cottages
Headcorn
TN279SX

Opening Hours

Monday 9am - 6pm
Tuesday 9am - 6pm
Wednesday 9am - 6pm
Thursday 9am - 6pm
Friday 9am - 6pm
Saturday 10am - 5pm

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Emotional Wellbeing

Stay Calm supports parents, teachers and carers to help children and teenagers with mental health issues, in particular anxiety. It’s also also about supporting parents themselves as they navigate through the parenting process. It can be challenging and not always easy so I like to help parents find their way and feel empowered. We all can only do our best and sometimes it helps to reach out and get some support. It’s so important that we look after our own emotional wellbeing so that we can then support our children.

I am interested in all areas that impact our mental health and I’m always looking for ways to help make life a little calmer. Mindfulness is the main focus of what I do as it has such an amazing affect at combatting anxiety and sleep issues, as well as helping with behavioural issues.

I’m also fascinated with the link between food and mood so I like to share information on this as the impact of the wrongs foods can have a massive impact on behaviour and exacerbate anxiety and depression.

Stay Calm is a space where you can explore different things that you had maybe not considered. If you enjoy articles, blogs etc then please feel free to share them so that they can reach a wider audience and invite friends along to the page if you feel it will benefit them.