Tools for Your Big Feelings: Emotional Regulation Series
Journey With Me Through ADHD: A Podcast for Kids
Release Date: 03/05/2026
Name It to Tame It: Spotting RSD in the moment (RSD Series)
Journey With Me Through ADHD: A Podcast for Kids
Bottom line, RSD can be one of the most painful parts of ADHD, so let's keep exploring how we can name it to tame it!! In this episode of our Rejection Sensitive Dysphoria series, you will learn how to recognize and start to name big feelings and pain points in the moment, especially when those feelings show up fast and feel overwhelming! To recap, RSD is when the brain reacts strongly and the body experience different intense feelings when experiencing different forms of rejection. It may be real, possible, or just something the brain is guessing, but the emotional response remains intense...
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Was That Rejection...or My Brain Guessing!?
Journey With Me Through ADHD: A Podcast for Kids
Do you ever feel left out, ignored, or like someone doesn't like you? You feel it to your core, but not sure why or how to respond to it!? If so, you are not alone my friend! In this episode, we are going to put on our investigator hats to solve a tricky mystery: Was that real rejection, or is my brain just guessing!? Our busy, colorful, ADHD brains tend to work super fast and try to fill in the blanks- especially in social situations with peers. If a friend doesn't text/respond back, a teacher gives a stern look or harsh tone, or someone laughs nearby, our brain might jump to...
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Why Rejection Feels SO Big: Rejection Sensitive Dysphoria (RSD) Series
Journey With Me Through ADHD: A Podcast for Kids
Are they mad at me? Did I do something wrong? They must hate me! I feel sick to my stomach (in response to a tone of voice) They don't think I'm good enough. What does that look mean? Do these narratives sound familar? If so, you are not alone... In this episode, I introduce this beast called "Rejection Sensitive Dysphoria" (RSD)- This is a common intense, even painful and overwhelming emotional experience when faced with internal, external, or percieved rejection. We will stay creative and curious as we use the metaphor of a microphone and speaker to explore how your brain may be...
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You Are Not Too Much! Emotional Regulation Series
Journey With Me Through ADHD: A Podcast for Kids
YIKES! This last episode really hits home! "I'm too much" was a fixed thought that I ALWAYS struggled with growing up and still to this day it creeps in and I have to talk back to that false belief! Does "I am too much..." creep up on you too!? In this final episode of this emotional regulation series, we focus on identity, confidence, and self-compassion for kids with ADHD and big feelings. You were created for a beautiful purpose! Sometimes you hear that you are "too loud", "too sensitive", "too emotional", etc... This episode reframes those experiences and reminds you that...
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What Your Feelings Are Trying to Tell You? Emotional Regulation Series
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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Repair After the Storm of Emotional Dysregulation
Journey With Me Through ADHD: A Podcast for Kids
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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Tools for Your Big Feelings: Emotional Regulation Series
Journey With Me Through ADHD: A Podcast for Kids
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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Cooling Down Isn't the Same as Calming Down: Emotional Regulation Series
Journey With Me Through ADHD: A Podcast for Kids
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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Tantrums vs. Meltdowns: There is a HUGE difference- Emotional Regulation Series
Journey With Me Through ADHD: A Podcast for Kids
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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When Your Brain Hits the Red Zone: Emotional Regulation Series
Journey With Me Through ADHD: A Podcast for Kids
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...
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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