Understanding Emotions: Mastering The Zones Of Regulation

Do you know what the zones of regulation are? Kiddos…do you sometimes get bent out of shape…but not understand why you are feeling this way? That’s because our emotions can be really hard to identify. So, let’s chat a little more about our emotions with another Wellness 101 Jr. Our feelings…Hey buddy you ok? Buzz buzz buzz. Oh that’s ok pal…it may not feel like it…but what you are going through is completely normal. Buzz buzz buzz. Well, that’s because sometimes our emotions can be really hard to figure out. But don’t worry…I got you and the kiddos covered here. You see kids, our feelings can be tricky. Knowing how to identify them and control them is a very powerful skill to learn …even for adults! To control them, or "regulate" them - means you're processing your emotions properly. How can we do that? Well first - we need to take a peek at your brain! Our brains have many different parts that do many different jobs. Today we will be focusing on the AMYGDALA and the PREFRONTAL CORTEX. Your AMYGDALA is where you feel your emotions. And your PREFRONTAL CORTEX is where you make smart decisions Your amygdala is interesting in the fact that it doesn’t think…it just reacts. In fact most of the time…it over reacts. And that’s why we need our prefrontal cortex to help us calm down and make smart decisions. So…how do we identify our emotions. To help make things easier, we can put our emotions into 4 different zones that we slide in and out of on a daily basis. We call these zones…The Zones of Regulation. The Green Zone – is when you're at your best! When you're feeling: happy, focused, calm and proud. When we're in our green zone…we are ready to learn, work and play. The Yellow Zone – is when we are feeling overwhelmed, worried, frustrated, silly or excited. Yellow means we're overstimulated and unfocused, but not completely out of control. And then there's the Blue Zone – This is the zone where we feel under stimulated and slow. You may feel tired, sad, hurt, bored or sick. The blue zone makes us feel down and also unfocused. And lastly is the Red Zone. It's ok kids - it's just the Red Zone. This is where our Amygdala goes into overdrive. We feel angry, terrified, really sad, or just plain coo coo. When we're in the red zone, the Amygdala is the boss, and it makes calming down, REALLY, REALLY HARD. But how can all these colors and zones help us? By helping us identify what we're feeling. And if we know what color or emotion we are feeling, this helps our PREFRONTAL CORTEX make the right choices to start feeling like YOU again. Using a “calming strategy” can work wonders here. Calming strategies send a message to our prefrontal cortex that we need help to guide us back to the green zone. There are a lot of great calming strategies that you can use depending on your situation like: squeezing a stress ball, dance it out, box breathing, listening to calming music, or watching funny videos just to name a few. My personal favorite calming strategy is box breathing because it can literally be done anywhere, at any time and you can repeat it as many times as you need to calm down. Come on gang let’s box breathe together. To box breathe…take a breath in for 4 seconds. Now hold that breath for another 4 seconds. Next exhale that breath for 4 seconds. Last, hold your lungs empty for another 4 seconds. Repeat that process as many times as you need until you feel yourself sliding back into the green zone. Feel better buddy? Buzz buzz buzz. I figured you might pal! Kids - I know there are days when you just don't feel like you. But remember…the zones of regulation can not only help you feel better but can also help others understand how you are feeling. Figure out your Zone Color, and use your favorite calming strategy to help yourself feel better. Until next time this is Mr. Wellness and Wellbee saying bee well and follow the steps to a healthier you. *DISCLAIMER – This video does not provide medical advice! The information, including but not limited to, text, graphics, images and other material contained in this video are for informational purposes only. No material in this video is intended to be a substitute for professional medical advice, diagnosis, or treatment. Always seek the advice of your physician or other qualified health care provider with any questions you may have regarding a medical condition or treatment and before undertaking a new health care regimen, and never disregard professional medical advice or delay in seeking it because of something you saw in this video. 00:00 Introduction 01:02 Your Brain 01:41 The Green Zone 01:54 The Yellow Zone 02:08 The Blue Zone 02:22 The Red Zone 02:50 The Zones of Regulation 03:01 Calming Strategy 03:24 Box Breathing 04:09 Conclusion