Eden Equips #006 Keep Breathing

"Help me Bebec, I can't stop my crying-breathing."

This is one of my favourite phrases that a child has ever said to me.

He may never have quite got the hang of my first name but this boy had the most beautiful ways of expressing how he felt.

In this moment he made it clear that something wasn't right and he needed help. He knew his breathing felt different.

Breathing is powerful. When we are in distress our sympathetic nervous system kicks in. Automatically our breath becomes irregular, our heart rate increases and our body starts to alarm us that something isn't right. A quick way to help us return to reactivate our parasympathetic nervous system and return to a calm state is by breathing.

With an upset child we often need to do more than say "Take a deep breath". You can cut through the mental fog of distress by showing them how.

How can I help a distressed child breathe?

1) Bubbles
When we blow bubbles we need to take a big breath in and breathe out. It gives the child something to focus on and is a great way to help a child regulate. (Pack of six for £7 on Amazon)

2) Breathing ball
A solution which doesn't run out or risk spilling on the floor. I'd almost go as far to say this is an essential for every classroom or home. Use an expandable ball show the child how to breath in as the ball expands and out as it reduces. (£6 on Amazon)

3) Imaginary hot chocolate
Pretend to be holding a cup of warm hot chocolate but it is too hot to drink just yet. First smell the yummy hot chocolate and then blow on it as it is too hot, repeat these 3-4 times and then the child can pretend to drink. This does require the child to use their imagination which can be more difficult when distressed but if you can help them practice it's a solution that works anywhere, anytime.

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