Today is a very happy Thursday because it’s Dina’s birthday!!! Dina is such a magnetic, determined and gorgeous woman and I feel sooo grateful to be her older sister, best friend and co-host. (; We are delighted to share this episode with you! This is a really special conversation full of wisdom that has been transformative for us. We are sharing knowledge that has been so impactful on our healing journey and in Dalia’s parenting journey. We will be sharing about co-regulation, touching on willpower and how it helps us to choose love anyway, and the end of the episode is dedicated to Dina and her birthday! <3 This turned out to be a longer episode so we hope you will stick around!

Co-regulation: “Is the process through which a calm adult helps a child’s nervous system return to balance during moments of big emotion. Young children’s brains are still developing. Especially the prefrontal cortex, the part responsible for impulse control, reasoning, and emotional regulation. When a child becomes overwhelmed, that thinking part of the brain temporarily goes offline and their nervous system shifts into a survival state. In those moments, children cannot access logic or lessons. What they need first is a calm, regulated adult presence. Through tone of voice, body language, and connection, the adult’s nervous system helps signal safety to the child’s nervous system. Once the child feels safe and their body settles, the brain can come back online and learning can happen. Over time, children internalize this process. What begins as co-regulation with a caregiver gradually becomes the foundation for self-regulation.”

Some resources that we mentioned in the episode that have helped us:

Good Inside with Dr. Becky (https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/good-inside-with-dr-becky/id1561689671)

Big Little Feelings (https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/after-bedtime-with-big-little-feelings/id1705286339)

To Be Magnetic (TBM) (https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/expanded-podcast-by-to-be-magnetic/id1419732648)

There are sooo many more out there, these are just ones that we have personally used!

Sending love to you all,

Dalia and Dina <3

#chooseloveanyway #coregulation #birthday #willpower #growthjourney