Project Play

Project Play Experienced occupational therapist offering home-based and school services. Contact us for more information.

This time of year often brings a lot of reflection. What we’ve done, what we haven’t, and all the things we think we sho...
22/12/2025

This time of year often brings a lot of reflection. What we’ve done, what we haven’t, and all the things we think we should change or improve.

Lately, I’ve been thinking more about doing less.

A lot of nervous system support doesn’t come from adding new tools or creating big routines. It often comes from noticing what the body already gravitates towards. The small movements, the shifts in a chair, the pressure we seek, the rocking, spinning, fidgeting, or tuning into something familiar without really thinking about it.

Many of the ideas in this carousel are things people are already doing. Bringing a bit of awareness to them can turn those moments into gentle support rather than something automatic or overlooked.

This is where micro moments of regulation live. In small spaces and in-between moments. A chair, a corner of a room, a brief pause. Sometimes that means less noise or less stimulation. Other times it means the right kind of input, offered with a bit more intention.

In a world that constantly pushes us to do more, there’s real value in noticing what actually helps and giving ourselves permission to lean into that.

Meltdowns aren’t a sign that regulation “isn’t working.”They’re a sign that a nervous system has reached its current lim...
19/12/2025

Meltdowns aren’t a sign that regulation “isn’t working.”

They’re a sign that a nervous system has reached its current limit.

One of the biggest shifts for many parents (and professionals) is realising that regulation isn’t about keeping children calm. Calm is a state. Capacity is a process, and it changes constantly.

Supporting regulation is about noticing what stretches a system, what helps it recover, and how we show up when things tip over anyway.

Because even with great support, dysregulation still happens. That’s part of being human.

If this feels familiar in your own body too, that’s not a coincidence.

What matters is whether a child feels safe in those moments, whether their experience is held, and whether their body is supported to move through it rather than being rushed out of it.

When we stop treating meltdowns as problems to eliminate and start seeing them as information, the whole lens changes. There’s less blame, less urgency, and more space for understanding.

If this way of thinking resonates, it’s the foundation of how I approach regulation in my work.

Comment ROOTED if you’d like tools that explore this lens in more depth 🌱🧠

The holidays can be tender for sensitive or neurodivergent nervous systems. There’s excitement, pressure, unfamiliar rou...
10/12/2025

The holidays can be tender for sensitive or neurodivergent nervous systems. There’s excitement, pressure, unfamiliar routines and a lot of “togetherness” that can feel intense on the inside even when everything looks joyful from the outside.

This post is the second part of a two-piece guide. Part One looked at the proactive things that help December feel steadier. This one focuses on what actually helps in the moment... the small adjustments, the sensory awareness, the pacing and the connection that can make a busy day feel kinder on everyone.

Something I come back to often is this: dysregulation is rarely about one moment. It’s the accumulation of demands, surprises, transitions and sensations. When we understand this, we can meet our children with a softer lens and offer support that protects their energy instead of reacting only when things feel hard.

And just as important, please give yourself grace. This season brings big feelings for adults too. There is no such thing as a perfect holiday. Sometimes the most regulating thing you can offer is simply sitting with a child’s feelings, and your own, rather than trying to fix or teach in the moment. Presence is enough.

And sometimes these strategies invite a little reflection for us too. If any of these ideas feel grounding for your child, I wonder if they might also steady you. Supporting our children and supporting ourselves can happen at the same time, and both matter.

Your authenticity matters. If steadiness feels out of reach, it can be grounding to simply name your own feeling. It tells your child that emotions are welcome and manageable.

If you haven’t seen Part One yet, it’s on my page 🫶🏼

Which of these in-the-moment ideas feels most helpful for your family this year?

If you’ve ever felt confused about your child’s behaviour, it might be because no one ever taught you how nervous system...
08/12/2025

If you’ve ever felt confused about your child’s behaviour, it might be because no one ever taught you how nervous system regulation actually works.

So many cues we label as “behaviour” are actually body signals that show us a child’s capacity is shifting or their stress is stacking. When we understand this, we can meet those moments with curiosity and compassion. It changes the whole dynamic.

And something important often happens alongside that learning.
You may start to notice your own body cues too.
The subtle shifts in posture, tone, attention or energy that show up long before words do.

If that awareness appears, I hope you meet it with the same compassion and gentleness you would offer a child.

Awareness is information, not judgement. It invites you to understand your nervous system with a little more kindness.

I hope these insights feel supportive today. Take what you need 🧡

Which one of these felt new or clarifying for you? I’d love to hear.

News flash: excitement is still high energy, and high energy can add to your dysregulation bucket. The holidays often br...
02/12/2025

News flash: excitement is still high energy, and high energy can add to your dysregulation bucket.

The holidays often bring a mix of joy, pressure, novelty and extra demands. For many sensitive or neurodivergent nervous systems, that combination can feel busy inside the body, even when everything looks fun on the outside.

It isn’t about avoiding excitement. It’s about balance. When we understand that dysregulation is cumulative, we can see why the whole month can feel bigger than any single moment. Being proactive helps build capacity so kids have more room to cope, play and connect.

These are the ideas I lean on at this time of year: gentle reframes, playful practice, familiar traditions, clear communication and planning rest as intentionally as celebrations. All of this works even better when regulation support is woven through the day.

I’ll share more of that in Part Two next week.

What traditions or gentle rituals are you creating for your family this year?

If you’d like a deeper framework for understanding your child’s patterns and building a regulation lifestyle, my Rooted in Regulation resource is linked in my bio. You can also comment ROOTED and I’ll send it straight to your inbox. It’s a supportive place to start 🫶🏼

Save this to come back to as you plan, and share it with someone who might need it too ✨️

What if identifying emotions wasn’t about choosing the “right” word or colour, but about noticing what your body is sign...
01/12/2025

What if identifying emotions wasn’t about choosing the “right” word or colour, but about noticing what your body is signalling first?

Many people with sensitive nervous systems don’t connect with traditional “one size fits all” emotion tools. It isn’t because those tools are unhelpful. Feeling wheels and emotion charts can be incredibly supportive when they’re used flexibly, and I often use them with clients and in my own life. Sometimes having a few different wheels on hand makes it easier to find language that actually fits. And for some people, starting with something like an energy meter feels more accessible, because it focuses on internal intensity rather than specific feelings.

Research supports that naming emotions supports regulation. The part we often miss is that naming usually comes a little later. Emotion begins as sensation. Tight, warm, heavy, floaty, buzzy. This is interoception, the sense that helps us notice our internal world. Some people feel these cues clearly. Others find them faint or confusing, especially during stress.

There isn’t one entry point into this work.
Try to explore:
-Notice what’s happening in your body
-Choose a colour, image or word that fits
-Keep track of what supported you in that moment

Over time, patterns begin to emerge. The early signs of overwhelm. The colours of safety. The supports your system reliably responds to. I use this approach with children too, and we often create our own maps and language around feelings. It gives them a way to understand their internal world without pressure or guessing.

And a reminder. This practice doesn’t create change on its own. It sits alongside wider sensory support, co-regulation, nervous system education, understanding sensory needs and building emotional capacity. For many people, it becomes more meaningful with support from someone who understands sensory health and emotional development.

There isn’t a single chart or method that works for everyone. There’s your body, your context and your way of making sense of what you feel. That’s emotional intelligence too.

Maybe you can try doing a body scan now.. what do you notice? What type of energy? Is there a colour? 🫶🏼🌈

25/11/2025

I’ve been paying closer attention to the small things that genuinely shape how my system moves through the day. These aren’t replacements for the deeper work I do in therapy, supervision and my own practices. They’re simply ways of creating more space so everything feels a little less stacked.

Oral-motor strategies
Chewing or sucking brings deep proprioceptive input, activates vagal pathways and can support serotonin release. That combination helps many people feel more organised in their bodies. If chewy sweets aren’t for you, you could try gum, crunchy snacks, sucking a mint, using a straw-top water bottle or even carbonated drinks.

Bilateral stimulation music
This is music that alternates between the left and right sides. It helps integrate both hemispheres, which support different parts of thinking, feeling and organising information. You can search “bilateral stimulation music” on any platform. I’m working on a playlist to share soon.

Stimulation-free time
The brain’s default mode network switches on when we let the mind wander. It’s often where insights and clarity come from. As someone with ADHD, the pull to fill every moment with a podcast or audiobook is strong, but I’ve been intentionally leaving more white space — no phone when I’m a passenger, quiet walks, and showers without music. Letting my mind wander feels grounding in a different way.

Creating for the sake of creating
Not for the outcome, but for the process. Moving colour, texture or shape can help process feelings without words. Meaning and symbolism often show up afterwards. When did you last create something without caring what it looked like?

Micro-movements while thinking or working
We’re getting better at taking movement breaks, but movement during work or learning is just as important. Stretching, shifting weight, tapping fingers or walking while voice-to-texting thoughts all support access to the cortex and the chemicals that help with learning and focus. These tiny movements make a real difference for me.

If you missed the first carousel in this series, it’s a few posts back on my grid!

What small practices have you been weaving into your days lately? ✨️

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