Self-Regulation Techniques for Sensory Teens
1 September 2023
Learning self-regulation techniques for sensory teens probably isn’t at the top of many teenagers' priority lists but learning how to understand and manage how you feel and behave is crucial to our everyday functioning.
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Teenagers have a lot on their plates: dramatic brain and body changes due to puberty; parental expectations and the desire to test boundaries and seek independence; the pressures of friendship groups, romantic relationships and exams, the constant pressure to ‘fit in’. In addition to these challenges, teenagers with sensory integration and sensory processing challenges can struggle with self-regulation - which can impact their home and school life and family and friend relationships. But there are techniques you can use to get better at self-regulation.
Self-Regulation and Sensory Integration
Self-regulation is intertwined with how the body understands, manages and reacts to information from our senses - both about what is happening in our environment and what is happening within our own body. Teens with difficulties processing this sensory information can struggle to regulate themselves if the sensory input becomes overwhelming, for example too much noise, too many people, too many changes, strong scents, bright lights, too many things happening at once. Sensory-seeking teens may feel frustrated by a lack of sensory input, particularly if they are required to sit still for long periods at school or college.
What Does Poor Self-Regulation Look Like?
Poor self-regulation can look like overreacting to a situation and then struggling to work out what will help you become calmer. You may not even understand exactly why you are reacting so strongly. You could also struggle to manage transitions from one activity to another or when plans change. You may get upset, frustrated, angry or overwhelmed; you may feel restless, chaotic or aggressive. Or you could feel passive, lethargic and unable to raise the energy to manage an activity.
Self-Control or Self Regulation?
But what is the difference between self-control and self-regulation? Self-Regulation expert, Dr Stuart Shanker writes: “There is a profound difference between self-regulation and self-control. Self-control is about inhibiting strong impulses; self-regulation is about reducing the frequency and intensity of strong impulses by managing stress-load and recovery. In fact, self-regulation is what makes self-control possible, or, in many cases, unnecessary.”1
Finding Your Self Regulation Sweet Spot
Self-regulation techniques aim to help you get into the ‘just right’ state for the activity you are about to do, so you feel focused AND ready. The just right state is where everything comes together: the sensory input coming along the nervous system to the brain is intense enough to be noticeable and useful, but not so intense that it’s overwhelming. The brain is able to interpret and make use of the information. You feel ready and able to tackle the task ahead.
Let’s remember that there are lots of factors, as well as a person’s sensory processing, that can affect how well you are able to cope with the current challenge, including your emotional stage (including anxiety), stressors in the environment, being hungry or tired, as well as if you are simply interested in the task.
To practise self-regulation, you can:
- Recognise what is happening in your environment (include any sensory stressors);
- Consider how you are feeling and reacting and compare your current state to the just right state you need to be in to tackle the task
- Use techniques to adjust your state to be closer to the just right state (by calming down or energising)
These monitoring and adjusting techniques to help you self-regulate will get easier and more natural as you practise them.
Practical Self-Regulation Techniques for Sensory Teens
Even teenagers who have learnt self-regulation strategies as children may find these are no longer age-appropriate - it’s harder for a 16-year-old to burn off energy in a playground than a 6-year-old.
Here are some practical, age-appropriate self-regulation techniques for sensory teens:
Ask for Help
- Get professional advice from a qualified Sensory Integration Practitioner (perhaps your school OT) on devising some sensory strategies that work for your individual sensory needs. This may involve seeking regular sensory input during the day. The kind of input will depend on your individual sensory needs and also how you are feeling at that time.
- Co-regulation is key. Ask a trusted adult to help you regulate. This may involve just being calm alongside you or joining in your calming or energising activity.
- Agree a discreet signal to communicate to your parent or teacher that you are feeling frustrated and need to take a break to reset.
When You Need to Feel Calmer
Examples of calming activities include:
- Using a weighted lap pad or backpack,
- Doing some heavy work like push-ups, pushing against a wall, carrying something heavy.
- Some people find chewing gum or chewy food or chewable items very calming.
- Others find drinking a thick drink such as a smoothie through a straw very regulating.
- There are lots of great videos online demonstrating short calming yoga sessions and breathing exercises.
- At home, you can make use of a swing if you find this soothing.
When You Need to Feel More Alert or Energised
- If you need to up your energy levels (called your arousal or alertness level), choose an activity that gets you moving, such as dancing to your favourite music or doing some upbeat exercise.
- There are lots of short brain break style videos for teens online demonstrating short workouts.
- Some individuals find eating crunchy food or drinking a cold drink raises their alertness.
Get Outdoors
Get outdoors. Depending on the activity you choose, eg, walking or jogging, cycling or focusing on the natural environment, this can be calming or energising.
Learn This Grounding Technique
If you’re feeling overwhelmed, practise the 5-4-3-2-1 grounding technique, as described here by blogger Emily of @21andsensory on our parent site Sensory Integration Education.
Go to Your Sensory Space
- Create a calming sensory space at home. This could be an area in your bedroom or a quiet part of the house that you can retreat to. Set it up to fit your sensory needs which may include low lighting, headphones or access to music, fidgets, favourite blankets etc.
- Some schools will offer a space that students can use to take a break from the sensory overload of the classroom - it’s best to find out if they have this facility and to arrange permission to use it before you actually do need to use it.
Build a Helpful App Library and Playlists
- Save a range of favourite apps to your phone or device for when you need to calm down or increase your alertness levels. There are apps that aim to be calming and absorbing through gradually changing visual displays; apps to help with breathing exercises; and apps to demonstrate brief exercise sessions.
- If music moves you, create a playlist that you find calming and one that you find energising.
Fidgets for Teens
If fidgets help you focus, there are ever-expanding ranges that cater to the teen market who may want something more subtle or grown-up, whether that’s wearable, chewable items or fidgets that are indistinguishable from your typical pens and stationery. Speak to your teacher in advance for permission to use these fidgets discreetly when you feel you need to, avoiding the teacher drawing attention to them.
Take Control
Keep a journal where you note down what happened during a time when you felt overwhelmed - pay attention to how you felt, what your energy levels were, what happened before you began to feel that way, did you notice anything in the environment making it more challenging for you? And write down anything that you did that improved how you felt or made you feel more in control. Over time you will be able to see what works for you specifically and also perhaps stressors which you need to avoid or ask for help with.
Most of all, understand that with practise and a little knowledge - and maybe some professional support where necessary - you can find it much easier to manage your emotions and behaviour.
Put your questions about your older child or teen to our sensory integration trained therapists via the Sensory Help Now Forum.
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