One of the most common questions Moms ask is this:

What do I do when my child is having a tantrum?

Yep. Tantrums, meltdowns, and melodramas. We’ve all seen them, and we’ve all done them. But is there something that can help, especially when these tantrums and meltdown episodes become almost chronic?

Thankfully, there is something that can help you and your child through these distressing periods. A lot of it involves releasing emotional energy.

And today, we are going to discuss 3 ways we can release that emotional energy that just needs to get out!

Understanding Emotional Energy

Emotional energy is like fuel that feeds the feelings we have inside us. When our emotional energy is high, we feel happy, excited, and ready to do fun things, like being with our friends, learning new things, or helping others. But when our emotional energy is low, we feel tired, grumpy, angry, or maybe even a little sad, and it’s harder to have fun or get things done.

The first step to harnessing emotional energy – especially in children – is being aware of how to tap into that good emotional energy and how to release the emotional energy that zaps our power and strength.

Unfortunately, our culture constantly tells children, “Don’t do this or that,” and labels behaviour as "naughty". Where is the teaching children HOW to behave? What about teaching children what to do when they feel all this scary, emotional energy in their little bodies?

One reason it’s not taught is because most adults have not yet learnt it. I am in my 40s and have only been learning a few years. The majority of us are still living with our own dysfunctional inner children and don't realise what an impact this has on the children in front of us.

For example, I joined some new Facebook groups to connect with moms who want support with their kids' emotional issues. In one of the mom’s messages, she said to her son, "Why are you angry?" He said, "I don’t know mommy." My heart really aches for this little boy. He is lost in some big emotions that he doesn't understand how to deal with. Most likely, he has learnt dysfunctional behaviour, maybe from school or TV, so he is copying that to fill his own needs. It's not working because he doesn’t know what his needs are and, unfortunately, his mom doesn’t understand his emotional needs either because the majority of us haven’t learnt how.

Today, I’m going to focus on releasing the emotional energy we need to get out. When trapped inside of us, it causes those things we mentioned earlier: tantrums, meltdowns, and melodramas.

So let’s get to the good stuff!

3 Proven Ways to Minimise Meltdowns and Release Emotional Energy

I made a video on "3 ways to release E-motional energy." If you prefer to watch instead of read, please watch and share your thoughts, feelings, and opinions. Let's help each other learn together.

But, broken down into readable steps, here are the 3 ways to release emotional energy for children and adults.

1.      Thump like a gorilla

Don’t laugh. There is science behind this!

Eden Energy Medicine Maven Madison King teaches that thumping your thymus gland temporarily restores your energetic balance. Interesting right? And Donna Eden says the thymus gland is tied to your life force energy.

Blaine from EMYoga says, "My energy directly showed me that thumping my thymus gland is the way to gain clarity, see obstacles, become present, and slow down to observe what’s coming my way. "

So by engaging your thymus gland, you can release negative emotional energy and feel calmer.

How to do it: Gently use your fists or fingertips, imagine a gorilla in a forest thumping his chest.

Watch the video to see it in action 🎥.

Who’d of thought reenacting King Kong would help release emotional energy! No wonder. That’s how King Kong conquered his temper, I guess! 🦍

2.      The Zebra Shake

I know it seems like we’re taking a quick visit to the zoo, but there’s a lot we as humans can learn from animals.

So what do we learn from the Zebra that will help us release emotional energy?

Have you ever seen a nature program where a Zebra is being chased by a lion? Sometimes the zebra will play dead or use other tactics to escape. The really interesting thing is, after the lion is nowhere in sight and the stress is over, the Zebra will shake itself from head to toe (or hoof?😂) and let go of all that emotional energy. 🤪🤯

I can't remember how long I have been copying this technique, but it really works. Another great side effect is it usually makes me laugh.

How to do it: Simply put, shake your whole body, and have fun with it! Put some music on and just let loose!

I was not brave enough to really go for it in the video because, you know, it’s on the internet and shaking my booty might come back to haunt me in future. I don't want to scare the kids 😂. But now, thinking about it, it's an excellent way to learn to let go of being self-conscious as well!

You can see what I mean by watching the video here.

3.      The Bear Hug

Our bodies need lots of hugs. Did you know that hugs have many “health benefits, including reducing fear, stress, and pain”?  They may also support immune and cardiovascular health. But due to the world we live in, there are a multitude of reasons why we don't get them. And sometimes, due to past trauma or other issues, some people don't like being touched. We want our kids to be safe, so teaching them how to give themselves the hugs and comfort they need is a win-win.

How to do it: Place your hand on your left bicep, and your left hand just below your right armpit (you can do this reversed if you are left-handed) and squeeze gently, giving yourself a comforting hug. Some suggest rocking slightly as a soothing agent.

Take a look at the video for a visual explanation! I always find that helps.

Helping Your Children Release E-motional Energy

The points I mention in the video are meridians that run all over our body (sorry my brain is not very scientific😂 ). Anyhow, these energy points/channels need to flow freely so we can be healthy 😍.

For younger children, The Tapping Solution has published an excellent book about the Emotional Freedom Technique (EFT) for kids and how to use these points and others. I am not affiliated with them (yet), but they have such excellent resources! That’s why I love recommending them.

These are excellent ways to release emotional energy and doing them with your kids every day may prevent a big explosion later in the week. Practising them regularly also helps to train our brain in a positive way.

Let’s start putting them into practice today!