Balancing the Bucket with Deep Breathing
When a child is already upset, sometimes it is best to be close and maintain your own big, deep breaths and wait for them to join your calm rather than you joining her distress.
Balancing the Bucket with Oral Sensory Input
We start seeking oral input for comfort in the womb. Many babies are seen sucking their thumbs on ultrasounds. It remains a sense of comfort into adulthood. How many people do you know that chew gum, sip on a drink or chew on pen caps throughout their day?
Balancing the Bucket with Relaxing Music
. . .varying properties of music can effect brain waves, breathing and heart rate which can all impact how regulated we feel.
Balancing Buckets
One of the best analogies I have come across is to think of your sensory system like a bucket. Some people have very large buckets while other people have very small buckets. All of our sensory information (sights, smells, sounds, tastes, movement, tactile information, etc.) goes into the top of the bucket and the holes in the bottom of the bucket allow it to trickle out as we process the information. For most people a bucket that is ½ full is comfortable.