184. Are you the thermostat or the thermometer in your kid’s life?
Overpowering Emotions: Tools for Child & Teen Anxiety and Resilience · Caroline Buzanko
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Show Notes
Emotions are contagious—and kids absorb others' emotions the fastest.
In this episode of Overpowering Emotions, Dr. Caroline breaks down the science of emotional contagion. Learn social media’s impact on emotion regulation and why adults should consider themselves emotional thermostats (vs. thermometers). Learn how your stress, frustration, or calm directly impacts kids’ emotions, behaviour, and learning.
To help kids regulate emotions, learn how to manage your emotional energy—online and offline—and help kids build emotional resilience.
Topics include:
- Mirror neurons & emotional contagion
- How adult moods shape kids environment
- Strategies to model emotional regulation
- Social media’s emotional rollercoaster
- Ideas to reset emotional energy and stop doom scrolling
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Homework Ideas
Track Your Emotional State Around Kids
* Pay attention to how your mood shifts and how kids react.
* Journal moments when your tone or facial expression changed the energy in the room.
Practice Setting the Emotional Tone
* During chaos, slow your movements and lower your voice—observe what happens.
* Use eye contact and a calm, steady voice to model regulation.
Teach Kids About Emotional Contagion:
* Watch short videos together that elicit different emotions and talk about how it made them feel.
* Ask: “Have you ever felt happier because someone smiled at you?”
* Start daily check-ins: “What mood did you catch today? What was yours?”
Social Media Reset
* Try a 24-hour Social Media Detox—notice emotional shifts.
* Curate your social feed: unfollow draining accounts, follow pages that inspire.
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Follow Dr. Caroline
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Website: https://drcarolinebuzanko.com/
Resources: https://drcarolinebuzanko.com/resources/articles-child-resilience-well-being-psychology/
Business inquiries: https://korupsychology.ca/contact-us/
Want to learn more about helping kids strengthen their emotion regulation skills and problem-solving brains while boosting their confidence, independence, and resilience? Check out my many training opportunities! https://drcarolinebuzanko.com/upcoming-events/