A recent podcast I was listening to really struck a chord with me for several reasons: I am the parent of a young child, I am employed in the pediatric therapy profession, and I am just a big fan of Dr. Becky and all of her Good Inside wisdom. I suspect that what I listened to will resonate with many of the parents we serve at Assential Therapies, and I highly recommend you click the following link:
https://www.goodinside.com/podcast/5565/overstimulated-and-touched-out/
After listening, I immediately sent the podcast to our occupational therapists and our clinical director. Even though there were a few sections in the podcast that I found a little wordy, it turned out that those sections actually resonated with our therapists most! Chelsea Lopez, MOT, OTR/L, is the lead occupational therapist at Assential Therapies, Inc. When she heard the podcast, she even stated that “the analogies used to describe sensory processing and overstimulation were superb… I could only hope to describe it half as well myself.”
In the podcast, Ms. Geleris reminded us that sensory processing is where we get the most foundational sense of ourselves. We know from Dr. Becky that, as parents, we want that version of ourselves to be calm, self-regulated, and in control of our emotions. But when the world around us is totally chaotic and crazy (i.e., your kid is having a massive tantrum), we need to apply the occupational therapy techniques that we teach children to ourselves.
Ms. Geleris suggests leaning up against a wall to ground yourself in a way that doesn’t change anything for your child (but it might be the key to changing your mindset). Chelsea Lopez, MOT, OTR/L at Assential Therapies, Inc. reminds us that yoga is a mutually beneficial mood modifier for kids and parents alike. Personally, I have little official advice I can offer to my readers other than to listen to podcasts, read books, and talk to other parents about the difficulties of parenting. All three things will remind you that you are not alone in this overstimulating journey!