If you work with youth, chances are you are also very concerned about their Mental Health. I have worked in a school system for the last 17 years. Over the past four to five years, I have seen what I consider to be an alarming decline in Mental Health. I know the Pandemic gets blamed for everything these days but, I have definitely seen a downward spiral since it began. The decline is true for students, teachers, administrators, and parents. We are all tired. We all had our own personal safety challenged in a way we could have never anticipated. Even children who were to young to truly understand could sense their parent's anxiety. I actually had a 5-year-old tell me "Granny told me that COVID just falls out of the sky in you". Can you imagine thinking that? Especially as a child? The Pandemic left many kids behind academically and that has created stress and challenging behaviors. Many families lost members. Many children were in homes where parents separated or divorced during that time as well. Children lost time building valuable social skills when school could not be done in person. The list goes on and on . Teachers and administrators were stressed for many reasons as well. It is hard to teach and connect with students via a screen. The demands of teaching via virtual means required lots of preparation. Parents had many challenges as well. They were worried about their family's safety, income, and obtaining daily necessities. Many parents had a lot of difficulty finding time to help students with their virtual lessons as well.
Sadly, there are many reasons that kids don't feel safe these days. Most of what I write about relates to what I see in a school setting as that is where I predominantly work. We have all seen the growing number of school safety concerns including intruders. School Counselors, Behavior Staff, Therapists, etc. cannot keep up with all of the emotional needs and behavior challenges. All of this to say, it is hard for anyone to perform well if they don't feel safe and can't manage their emotions. Never before has this been such an issue. Calming Corners, and even entire Calming Rooms, can help adults and children learn to be more Self Aware and to regulate their emotions in a healthy way.
What is a Calming Corner? A calming corner is simply an area or space where someone can feel safe, recognize their emotional state, and then regulate their emotions through various options.
This space can be created just about anywhere! It can be in homes, schools, and even office buildings. Many airports and theme parks are now creating similar spaces. Some schools have rooms that both staff and students can utilize.
To better understand the purpose of a Calming Corner, you need to also understand what Self Awareness is. It can be defined as the ability to recognize and understand one's own emotions, thoughts, and values and how they impact one's behavior. The more aware you are of the emotions you are experiencing (being able to label them as scared, hurt, tired, excited, etc.) the better you can control the affect they have on your behavior and mood. Having a safe place to figure this all out can help. This is why the concept of Calming Corners were created. Here is a practical example of how one might be used in a classroom. Little Suzy often becomes upset, and the reason isn't always apparent to her or the teacher. Instead of only redirecting her and /or punishing her for this, the teacher starts to ask her if she "needs a break" to calm down and think. It is NOT a time out corner or used as punishment. The purpose of the area is explained to the whole class prior to use. The teacher usually sets a timer for the break. The hope is that Suzy and her classmates eventually start to realize on their own when they need a break and request one. Breaks are like a way to hit a "reset" button for emotions. Calming corners can also be used as a center in classroom. All students rotate through that area during normal center time providing a built-in break between academic centers. This time may meet social skills goals if they go in pairs. You can provide books and social stories on emotions in the corner. Can you be productive when you are stressed out? Sometimes this is possible but, we rarely do our best work in that state. Are you asking yourself "so do students just get a reward/break every time their emotions are out of control?". The simple answer is "not". It may appear that way at first. If anything, it is a reward, but for recognizing the need to go regain control. However, it rarely does any good to try and reason with a student who is having a tantrum or meltdown. A "tantrum" is behavioral in nature. A "meltdown" is from difficulty processing sensory input. Once our nervous systems enter that "fight or flight mode" we literally cannot use the "thinking part" of our brains. If we allow the person to use a safe space to calm down, then we can talk about what happened afterwards and be much more productive in making real change. Kids in a "time out" area are rarely able to calm effectively and be able to really process why they are there in the first place. They just stay "stuck" in that anger. The area for time out is usually bare. There are no tools to help the child regulate. They are just told "go to time out until you can do what you are supposed to". How many children always know exactly what that means? What if they actually didn't understand what the desired behavior was? Staff often has to keep telling them to "calm down" and "stay in the time out area". This is frustrating and time consuming for staff and students. This is where calming corners can be great! Calming corners are friendly and welcoming spaces. They are going to WANT to go there. This leaves the staff free to continue with instruction for several minutes before having to go talk with the student about what happened and what they might need. It puts more responsibility on the student to calm themselves vs an adult just telling them to calm down. Also, as I've stated, the child is usually then able to talk and reason with you by the time you are able to go talk with them. If you have access to an Occupational Therapist, reach out to them with questions or concerns. If you don't have access to one, let me help you! I have options for consults and mentoring. Comment with questions below and I will do my best to respond promptly. Sign up for my newsletters and keep coming back here for more information. See my eBook at https://beacons.ai/skillbuildersotcoming soon for more details instructions on how to use a calming corner or break area effectively. This eBook has links to products and other sites with items to help you make the best Calming Corner of your own all in one convenient place! Self-Care tips for staff eBook coming soon too !
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