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When it comes to emotion coaching and building healthy behaviour management skills, there is one crucial component that is often not considered; that is, what is happening in the brain of the developing child.
Toggling is a conversation happening between different parts of our brain. It allows individuals to consider their environment and the situation and adapt and manage their responses. However, children are not born with the knowledge and ability to respond in appropriate ways to their environment. Caregivers can help them understand their environment and emotions better and provide opportunities to build their toggling abilities, allowing their brain’s emotional centre to talk to their reactive centre and self-regulate their behaviour.
Emotion coaching is a methodology developed with the understanding of the psychology of emotions. It has long been utilised in parenting practices and revolves around guiding children towards understanding and regulating their emotions effectively. It's about nurturing emotional resilience and fostering self-awareness, empathy, and constructive coping mechanisms. Toggling is a fundamental tool within this framework. Toggling is linked to the thalamus, which is the body’s information relay station, responsible for relaying sensory and motor signals to the cerebral cortex, which is the decision-making centre of the brain. The thalamus plays an important part in cognitive flexibility, toggling and the brain’s ability to adapt to new environments or situations, and emotional regulation.
Practically speaking, toggling is the ability to transition between different emotional states or coping strategies in response to internal or external stimuli. Emotion-focused parenting interventions, emphasise the importance of nurturing this skill in children. By guiding children through the process of recognising, understanding, and managing their emotions, parents can foster emotional resilience and adaptive behaviour. By acknowledging a child's emotions and guiding them towards constructive solutions, parents can help children learn to regulate their own emotions and their emotional reactions effectively.
Toggling fosters resilience by teaching children how to navigate adversity and setbacks with adaptability. By encouraging children to toggle between different coping strategies and reframing negative experiences, parents instil a resilient mindset that serves them well throughout life's challenges.
In essence, toggling represents a process of cognitive flexibility that lies at the heart of emotion coaching and behaviour management. By nurturing this skill, parents and educators empower children to navigate the complexities of their emotional world with confidence, paving the way for effective emotional regulation and personal growth.
To learn more about toggling and emotion coaching enrol now in 1-2-3 Magic® & Emotion Coaching Adapted for Special Needs for Professionals