Tools for Your Big Feelings: Emotional Regulation Series
Journey With Me Through ADHD: A Podcast for Kids
Release Date: 03/05/2026
Journey With Me Through ADHD: A Podcast for Kids
Did you know that your feelings are not your enemy!? I know sometimes it feels like they are! But in this episode, we will talk about how feelings are messengers that is giving you a signal that your mind and body may need help in some way. In this episode, we will explore the idea of feelings being like mail being delivered to your brain and body. Every feeling carries a message that is trying to tell you something important. Feelings aren't good or bad, they are simply information. We will look at what anger, worry, sadness and anxiety are trying to tell us and ideas of how we...
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Big emotions can feel like a tornado tearing through the house. Doors slam. Words fly. Feelings crash. But here is the truth: The storm is not the end of the story! In this episode, we talk about what happens after emotional dysreguation strikes- when the wind dies down and everyone is standing in the quiet. Because after every storm, we can rebuild. What you'll take away from this episode: Why dysregulation isn't misbehavior- it's a nervous system overload Why repair and reset are an important next step. How to reconnect after everyone is regulated What a healthy apology sounds like...
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Episode focus: Practical ADHD friendly regulation tools! Core message: Different tools work at different times and that's ok! Do you have BIG feelings too!!? I know I do and all 4 of my own kiddos with ADHD do too! They all look a little different and show up at different times, but we can all agree that the term, "just calm down never has and never will work! Do you agree!? The goal is learning how to REGULATE through using different tools in our toolbox! In this episode, I will introduce the idea of builing a regulation toolbox- because not every tool fits every job!...
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Hello my fabulous friends! I have a super special treat for you in this episode as my daughter Evi, who also has ADHD and her friend join us to share the difference between cooling down and calming down, as well as how it shows up for them in their lives! We will share the difference between cooling down= suppressing big, intense emotions. Where calming down is the process of regulation. Your body has to feel safe before it's ready to think! Pressure cooker analogy- When steam builds up, we let it out safely... Cooling down= holding feelings inside, forcing stillness, looks...
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Your body starts to tighten, your breath gets heavy, your mind is racing, senses are overwhelmed and your dysregulated emotions just burst... Sound familiar!? This is called a MELTDOWN...Your brain has had "too much" body is giving information that it needs HELP! It's when your brain is overloaded. This is not a misbehavior issue, it's a regulation struggle- a neurological response! So what is a TANTRUM then? "I want this...I don't like that...you need to do what I want... give me that...NOW"= Desire for control leading to emotional outburst... It can be tricky to tell the difference as...
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Do you ever feel like your emotions go from 0-100 in about 2.2 seconds!? I know I do and my own kids do too! This is super common for those of us with busy brains and big emotions! The good news is that we don't have to live in the choas of red and we can recognize the reactivity so that we can become better responders through practice!!! Just like other skills, emotional regulation is a skill that needs to be exercised in order to help it grow stronger! In this episode, you we will connect on how it feels to blow up like a ballon and pop into the red zone! We will talk through practices...
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"Sometimes my feelings go up and down, that's when my head spins round and round!" This is a page in my book and it rings so true for the February series we are going to do! "Sometimes I feel happy, sometimes I feel sad, sometimes I feel jumpy, other times I feel mad!" Another page of my book that speaks to the emotional rollercoaster that we often feel like we are on living with an ADHD brain! In this episode we will jumpstart our February series where we dive into the topic of emotional regulation. You will discover WHY our emotions tend to get big really fast and how the waves of...
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Do you ever notice that your first tendency when things get hard, new or uncomfortable is to either freeze, get frustrated or fly away!? If so, you are not alone, BUT the great news is that you can practice charging at these things with a reframed mindset to build a resilience and confidence you didn't know was possible! In this episode, you will meet my newfound friend and brilliant ADHD mind, AMINE, who is from Moraco and the incredible content creator for "ADHDoers" on Instagram (almost 2M followers!) and he has a fun, animated show at . Amine shares his childhood stories of how he...
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Now that you've created your New Year targets and have had some time to shoot for them, let's refocus on the celebration of any amount of progress on your journey of aiming for targets made!! In this episode, we will celebrate hitting the target and the resilience built when missing the target and trying to aim again. We want to pause and celebrate how far you've come- not just where you landed. Wheather you hit your target, got close, changed your aim, or learned something new along the way, this episode is all about progress over perfection! As ADHD warriors, we often put in a...
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Sometimes living with an ADHD brain can feel lonely! This is why discovering your team in different environments at a young age is important. These are those trusted adults you can safely turn to when things feel tough, or problem solve with when we make a mistake and need support/encouragement! These are individuals who love us for who we are and they are in our corner when we feel misunderstood, unseen or unloved in different situations. A target team helps us find success on different days and in different ways. In this episode, we will talk about what a target team look like at home,...
info_outlineEpisode focus: Practical ADHD friendly regulation tools!
Core message: Different tools work at different times and that's ok!
Do you have BIG feelings too!!? I know I do and all 4 of my own kiddos with ADHD do too! They all look a little different and show up at different times, but we can all agree that the term, "just calm down never has and never will work! Do you agree!?
The goal is learning how to REGULATE through using different tools in our toolbox!
In this episode, I will introduce the idea of builing a regulation toolbox- because not every tool fits every job! Just like you wouldn't use a spoon to fix a bike, you won't use the same strategy for every feeling! And that's totally OK!
You'll learn in this episode...
- Why big feeling aren't bad- they're signals!
- Different categories of tools that can be helpful: Including- movement, breath, sensory input, words, and connection!
- How to build a small, practical menu of go-to tools
- Why it's OK if a tool works one day and not the next...
Movement helps the nervous system reset (wall pushes, jumping jacks, animal walks, quick sprints, etc...
Breath that is slow and intentional- This is an internal tool that we can always turn to when our body feels safe to slow down (box breathing, balloon breaths, smell pizza and blow on it if it's too hot, etc.)
Sensory input tools help your brain organize itself! (squeeze stress ball, weighted lap blanket, cold water on wrist, listening to calm music, etc...)
Words- naming what's happening will lower the intensity ( "I'm in the yellow zone. I need a break, my brain needs help."
Connection is key! This creates safety and helps the brain come back online to think of the next best step to take. (Sit next to trusted adult, ask for a hug, co-regulate before problem solving.)
Key Takeaways-
- Not every strategy works in every moment.
- Different feelings need different tools
- What works today might not work tomorrow!
- That doesn't mean you fail, it just means you're continuing to learn your brain a little better every single day!
Remember that big feelings are NOT bad behavior, they are information. Practice makes progress and the more confident you will become in using your toolbox! You don't need every tool, you just need a few that fit YOU!
Visit me at www.katelynmabry.com for more resources or to share a future episode topic or series idea! I would love to hear from you!
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