Welcome to the "Self-Regulation in Practice" playbook. Here, we will explore the important role of self-regulation in early childhood settings.

In this playbook, we are focusing on 'adult self-regulation.' It's important to note that while the majority of adults already know how to self-regulate, young children need caregivers to help them manage their emotions and responses through a process called co-regulation. Co-regulation refers to the process through which individuals influence each other's emotional and physiological states.

Increasing our capacity to maintain a state of self-regulation helps us to navigate the inevitable stresses in life in resourceful ways. It helps promote growth in all areas of our lives: health, well-being, engagement, productivity, communication and within all our sense of connection and relationships. When feeling regulated our nervous system relaxes and we feel in a state of ‘safety’ within ourselves. Which I think you will agree is of great importance to young children who have yet to develop neuro-circuits, to be able to self-regulate on their own.

My goal in this playbook is to help you increase your awareness of the importance of focusing on self-regulation and to increase your awareness when you become dysregulated. Which

is a state where we struggle to have control over our emotions, behaviours, and physiological responses, which leads to a state of imbalance and increased stress levels.

Although this playbook has been developed to accompany the Self-Regulation In Practice Workshop, you can also use it as a standalone playbook for deepening your learning and understanding of self-regulation.

I invite you to review the content, complete the activities, and use this as a personal guide to increase your self-awareness and strengthen your self-regulation habits. This will enhance your well-being and improve your connections and relationships with those you work with.

Enjoy your journey into self-regulation and all the transformation and growth it brings into your life!