Being a mostly responsive parent means learning to regulate and manage your emotions successfully, even when they feel very intense. If this is an area you struggle with, you can work on this with the right tools and strategies, and I have an easy one to share with you in this episode. 

This is a 3-step process to help you identify your feelings and manage them in a productive way. So when you’re faced with those frustrating parenting challenges that often lead to shouting and behaving in a way you don’t like, this will help you gain control over your feelings and how the scenario pans out. 

00:00 Show intro

01:34 What gets in the way of calm parenting

02:27 The 3-step strategy for regulating your emotions

05:42 Coming up with better options for handling challenges

08:02 Your Actionable Take-Away Task

09:09 Chilled Out Tool In The Spotlight

12:10 Show wrap-up 

Key takeaways:

• Your upbringing can explain why you find it hard to process your emotions and validate them in other people. 
• The 3-step strategy for regulating your emotions is an easy process that will help you identify your feelings and manage them in a productive way. 
• By carving out a few seconds of space to consider what feelings you’re having, you can dramatically control what happens in the rest of the scene. 
• People with high emotional intelligence are well acquainted with their feelings and have many words to describe specific emotions they feel at different times of the day. 
• It’s important to attend to your feelings because this can help you calm down and make a plan for what to do next. Unattended feelings tend to lead the way and cloud your thinking. 
• Regulating your emotions is great role-modelling for your children, who will see you do this and learn to do it for themselves.  

If you'd like to know more about implementing calm, responsive parenting, you can get my book, Chilled Out Mum, here.

Need parenting help yesterday? Go here to book a call with me.

Ready for the next episode?

Stay tuned for the next episode of Chilled Out Parenting, where we’ll be looking at how you can help your child when they’re struggling with big feelings. We’ll be looking at what to do and say, as well as what to avoid! If you’ve found yourself stuck or lost for words when your child’s been in meltdown, this episode is not to be missed!