Regulation Tips for Holiday Celebrations

It’s that time of the year again! If you and/or your family members get easily overstimulated during large gatherings, consider these tips!

Regulate before arriving

To prevent overstimulation, try incorporating regulating sensory input before leaving your house.

Proprioceptive input in the form of heavy work can help everybody feel regulated and organized before beginning their day. For heavy work activities, try exercising, going for a walk, carrying heavy laundry or completing other cleaning tasks such as sweeping, swiffering, or vacuuming. Even chewing gum, a crunchy snack, or drinking a cold drink through a straw provides proprioceptive input!

Encourage any children in the family to participate in regulating activities with you! Go for a family walk in the morning before holiday celebrations, play a game of catch with a pillow or bounce on an exercise ball for quick sensory activities.

Create a sensory bag for holiday parties or large get togethers

Create a bag of fidgets and other sensory tools such as weighted objects, noise canceling headphones, coloring books, brain teasers, puzzles, and earbuds/headphones for a music break.

Store the bag somewhere it won’t be forgotten in the rush out the door. Consider keeping it in the car or have multiple bags and keep one in each car.

Bring the bag into the party and make sure everyone who might need it knows where it is and how to access it.

Coping with overstimulating environments

Upon arrival at the party, designate a quiet place to decompress if you or anyone in your family becomes overwhelmed.

Reach out to the host before the party and ask if there is a quiet room available for breaks throughout the day.

If you or anyone in your family requires assistance with regulation in the group setting, develop a code word, hand signal or secret phrase to subtly request company without drawing attention.

Tips for staying at the table

If sitting at the table is a challenge for the duration of the meal, bring a few fidget toys (stress balls, fidget spinners, fidget jewelry, etc.)

Consider alternative seating, such as sitting on an exercise ball, wiggle disc, or tie an exercise band around the legs of the chair to keep the feet busy.

Picky eaters

For picky eaters (young or old), try to increase their involvement and feeling of control in the meal by having them serve themselves.

Encourage picky eaters to place 1-2 challenging or new foods on their plate in small amounts but remind them that they don’t have to eat it. For example, add one carrot to their plate or a tiny scoop of mashed potatoes and ask them to allow the food to just live on their plate. Baby steps can lead to huge gains!

Take a break to experience joy yourself

Don’t forget to take an hour, day, or moment to yourself to spark your own joy and appreciate yourself during the holiday season! You deserve it!