Year 10
A focus with our Year 10 students for the start of Term 3 is providing psychoeducation around the socio-emotional skill of emotional regulation. Particularly during the teenage years and puberty, while the body’s hormones are still raging, adolescents often find positive emotional regulation difficult. This results in outbursts of emotion that are often reactionary, such as an argument about cleaning their room and becoming angry.
Regulation is something everyone continually works on whether we are aware of it or not. We all encounter trying circumstances that can test our limits. If we can recognise when we are becoming less regulated, we are able to do something about it to manage our feelings and get ourselves to a healthy place. This comes more naturally for some, but for others it is a skill that needs more attention and practice, especially during adolescence.
Below is a tool called the ‘Zones of Emotional Regulation’ which is an evidence-based tool to assist young people with understanding where their emotions are sitting and the different types of coping strategies that can be employed to regulate our emotions in each zone.
The BLUE ZONE describes low states of alertness and down feelings, such as when a person feels sad, tired, sick, hurt, lonely, or bored.
The GREEN ZONE describes a calm, alert state. We may be feeling happy, focused, content, peaceful, or calm in the Green Zone.
The YELLOW ZONE describes when our energy is higher, and our internal state starts to elevate. Our emotions get a little stronger.
The RED ZONE describes a state of extremely high energy and intense, very overwhelming feelings.
We routinely experience several of the Zones across a day. It’s critically important that we don’t convey the message that the Green Zone is the only acceptable Zone to be in. Acknowledge, accept, and support these feelings, never make anyone feel like the Green Zone is the norm. By understanding which zone we are sitting in, this will allow us to practise regulation skills that will assist with our emotional state in that zone.
Our Year 10 students participated in activities about this socioemotional skill in their Pastoral period this week. Here is a link to a resourceful website should you wish to explore this in greater depth to generate positive discussions with your children at home: https://zonesofregulation.com/
Jessica Baddeley
Year 10 Level Leader