Podcast Episode 73 Emotions are part of being human. But for many of us there are times when we wish we had better tools to manage our emotions. This can be especially true for young people with additional needs who often face extra internal and external emotional triggers. In this episode we hear from Dana Bishop a Relax Kids coach on some of the strategies that can be used to not only manage the way we feel but to harness these feelings and increase our mental health wellbeing.

Dana shares the 7 steps model of Relax Kids explaining each step and providing examples of how has used it. The steps model work around the idea that you can’t just decide to relax but rather you need to go through a series of steps which will help you get to that relaxed state you are after. Some of the tools Dana talks about are one’s we have all heard of like breathing exercises and affirmations but she provides a timely reminder that it’s the simple ideas which are still the best.

Being able to understand and manage emotions is key for our young people in their daily lives and a skill that most will need to explicitly learn. The Relax Kids model of understanding that to relax is a process not just an end, and knowing what the steps are, will be for many people an invaluable addition to their emotional toolbox.