Reduce stress through myths

It has been a year since I started this Self- reg journey with Dr. Shanker and Dr. Hopkins, and this neuroscience research-based approach has shifted my teaching approach as a teacher and rewired my pathway to this life journey.  Before we learn more about self-reg, let me share my top three self-reg myths.  I hope this will get you to start your curiosity and journey with Self Reg. 

1:  "Self-reg is the latest class management."

It is not "management" but a process of learning lifelong skills for whoever comes across this neuroscience-based approach.  The general class management strategies tend to have external incentive rewards, and children don't necessarily understand what is happening to them and what they need to develop internally. The class incentive reward system that triggers social and prosocial stress then is to shape the surface behaviors without looking beyond the behaviors. On the other hand, Self reg approach sets a developmental foundation for everyone to be constantly aware of their stress/energy level, not just in the classroom setting.  The Self-reg approach is not a one-time guiding but an essential ongoing checking throughout learning opportunities in a lifetime. As an educator, it is most important to recognize and regulate our stress levels before we can lend our energy to children.  The first step is to support educators in identifying their stress triggers and determining ways to reduce them accordingly. Once the educators experience the magnificent shift back in calm energy, I encourage them to take a moment to remember how that feels in their bodies.  This would be a compassionate starting point and their expectations when co-regulating with students.  When a person's stress level is down, and compassion level is up, we can all help navigate through storms. 

2. "Kids need to learn to self-regulate. It is about them, not me."

This myth echoes the myth above.  To offer a Self-reg approach, the person must have a basic understanding of neuroscience knowledge of it.  Yes, it will eventually benefit children whose brains are still developing and require guidance during stress. But the person leading this guidance must have a reframing lens to see beyond the behaviors and recognize and reduce them effectively.  I also believe that increasing reflective awareness and restoring energy are critical steps because they offer educators and learners a chance to amend, reconnect, reset, and thrive again. The statement " It is not for me" triggers emotional, cognitive, and prosocial domains and sounds like it is in flight mode in the limbic system. It is challenging to work within ourselves and identify our vulnerabilities. The knowledge of neuroscience can be intimidating to people without experience in this subject. It does take courage to practice a new approach and then to meet the typical expectations "right away."   The first step is to emphasize that Self-reg takes meaningful time to learn and process; therefore, no time frame is required.  The second step is to break down the neuroscience learning process into small segments so that every comprehensive step is a solid foundation for moving forward. 

3: " Self-reg is another self-control."

Before the self-reg course, I used self-control as my regular guidance language and assumed all children could do it. I had an A-ha moment after learning that self-reg makes self-control possible. The term self-control is quite vague and doesn't explain "how" to do it.  Meanwhile, self-reg is a proper understanding of neurodevelopment and sensory developments in the human lifespan. It also gives a roadmap to the roots of the problems. The fascinating part is that we all have the same limbic system but respond to stresses differently; therefore, we keep unfolding creative ways to cope, reflect, restore, and thrive. The term self-control seems like needing lots of effort to control and cope with biological stress; it gives a sense of repression from the word control.  On the other hand, Self-reg is a shifting craft that requires shimmering our energy accordingly and consciously to keep homeostasis. To reduce stress, we emphasize being fluid between interbrains, embracing our triggers in 5 domains, and then being flexible to co-regulate with a safe and trusted person.