Staying true to my last post on eliminating excess, I took time to cut out extraneous work, unnecessary internet time, and moved as slowly as possible as I transitioned back into the school year (which, as any teacher knows, is not very slow at all!). I hope that, you too, found time to focus on that which is most important in your last few weeks through the transition period whether it was from summer vacation to school or summer to fall. Now that the transition phase is over, I have decided to initiate a self-regulation series on my blog.

Often, in tough storms, we see the after effects that Mother Nature wrecks on Herself. For me, the aftermath of a hurricane brings to mind the image of an uprooted tree. The roots of the tree may run deep, but if the wind power is too strong, the roots fail to keep the tree standing. It is seized as if it had no anchor and thrown to the ground.

However, trees with thick, well-developed, broad, and very deep roots relative to their size often survive storms (now I don’t want to get involved in the physics behind the phenomenon here…:D). Our minds are just like these trees – if grounded with daily practice, healthy beliefs, and filled with resilience, then trying circumstances, criticism, and frustrations while learning in the sea of life will not get the better of us. Nevertheless, even the most flexible minds often end up in verbal outbursts, untethered behaviors, and give in to pressures that build up within.

What is it that keeps us stable in the face of difficult emotions (which, by the way, we cannot move through with grace while blaming the external world)?

Think of a room’s heating system set at 70 F. When the temperature falls below 70, the heating system begins its work until the room reaches 70 degrees. If the temperature rises above 70, the system shuts off. The key is regulation.

But, as human beings, we are not interested in some external regulation as a permanent fix to dealing with our emotions. We want to grow deep, broad, and strong roots that can bring us back to balance and remain resilient so that we don’t wreck havoc on ourselves (much like the Mother Nature example). We are rather intrigued by self-regulation – the process through which we notice our emotions running off track and immediately exercise to bring ourselves back to a more calm state that is filled with clarity. This is by no means easy. But if we want to grow into more content and successful individuals, we must begin to learn how to self-regulate.

Over the last few years, I have received a number of invitations to speak on the use of exercises relating learning, self-regulation, character traits, and mindfulness at schools (elementary through college-level) and math education conferences. I’ll be sharing bits and pieces of the experiential aspects of my presentations one post at a time over the course of the next few months. This time, I’m going to focus on exercises that can be used by ALL AGES – young children through adults. Make each post’s exercise your own by modifying it to match yourself and use it when you find yourself moving away from balance. Here’s a little video intro and hello from me (below)!