Psyche-adept parents know what stresses their child and are sensitive to signs that their child is becoming stressed.  They are keen observers of their child’s facial expressions, their body language and their protective defenses (yelling, getting quiet, hiding, crying etc.). When they see any of these signs of stress getting out of hand, they change and lower the intensity of the situation by saying something like, ”Let’s take a break”, “What’s making you feel nervous,” “What do you need to do to relax?” etc.

Psyche-adept parents know it is important to help their child be aware of the messages their body is sending them about becoming stressed.  They teach their child ways to relax such as stopping and breathing deeply, closing their eyes and thinking about something they like to do etc. When a child is proficient at listening to what their body is telling them about stress, they then have the upper hand and can begin stress reduction strategies as soon as the awareness appears to them.  It is easier to keep a stress reaction manageable than to reduce an “out of control stress reaction.

Psyche-adept parents model being positive. Children learn from their parent’s perspective on life. Psyche-adept parents ensure that what their children see, hear and watch them do is based on teaching them the values of honesty, integrity, respect and hopefulness.  They raise their children to believe they can do anything they want and they can be anything they want. They encourage their children to dream and to stretch.  They praise their children for trying even when they don’t succeed. The value is in the courage to try even when they might not succeed. Children see their parents living the value of respecting themselves and others.

Psyche-adept parents understand the impact of how their moods and the moods of their children can cause the brain to downshift and make learning more difficult. There are several strategies to approach the mood downshifting process, one of them being what is called A.P.E. or Alternatives, Perception, Education.

An example of this is when Psyche-adept parents help their child learn to think about Alternatives, or positive reasons, why something may be happening rather than focusing on negatives. They also teach them to think about putting their problems into Perspective, such as having them think of ten things that are more problematic than the issue that is worrying them.  They also help them lean how to create concrete evidence that negates their bad mood or worries.

 Dr. Fredrickson is the Kenan Distinguished Professor of Psychology and Principal Investigator of the Positive Emotions and Psychophysiology Lab at the University of North Carolina. She is a leading scholar within social psychology, affective science, and positive psychology.

Studies by Barbara Fredrickson show that people who have positive emotions also have intensified periods of creativity, inventiveness, and being able to see the "big picture".  This research is also showing positive emotions have a significant role in the development of long-term ability to cope with stress and catastrophe.

In summary, positive psychology principles strongly support the practice of psyche-adept parents when they teach their children to be aware of their shifts in mood and their stress level increases.  Teaching self- awareness is the first step in the process of helping children learn to manage their own stress and mood before they begin to create the downshift of the brain into the emotional brain. When the activity of the brain in the emotional or limbic system,  the child’s ability to learn to compromised.