Teaching in a pressure cooker

In this beautiful country we love to call home, we too often see the destructive consequences of prolonged stress and bottled up emotions:

  • High frustration levels
  • Anxiety
  • Passive-aggressive behaviour
  • Violence

It saddens me to realize that our schools have also fallen prey to this emerging epidemic. Anger outbursts from educators, learners and parents are becoming more prevalent. We desperately need to address this cry for help before the pressure cooker’s lid blows off yet again.

Approaching an epidemic by focusing on the symptoms and outcomes, might have some advantages, but the effect thereof is often short-lived. To successfully fight (excuse the pun) an epidemic, the main focus should be to determine the cause of the problem: address the reason behind the behaviour.

What sets our methodology apart from the rest, is our bottom-up approach to behaviour. Research has shown that your innate threshold for input from your environment plays a critical role in how you react to the world. In order to self-regulate:

  • Individuals with HIGH thresholds for sensory input needs MORE stimulation and input from their environment: louder, brighter, faster, etc.
  • Individuals with MEDIUM thresholds for sensory input can mostly cope with their environments.
  • Individuals with LOW thresholds for sensory input needs LESS stimulation and input from their environment: softer, dimmed, slower, etc.

The reality is that we live in a world that is already overloaded with sensory experiences, whether we can handle it or not. When we do reach our thresholds’ limits, our bodies react by going into FLIGHT/FRIGHT/FIGHT mode. This happens on a subconscious level:

 

FLIGHT

  • You remove yourself from a particular situation
  • Escape behaviour
  • Become distractible
  • Become bored
 

FRIGHT

  • Become reluctant to try new experiences
  • You withdraw/hide
  • Become fearful
  • Crying, clinging, “I can’t”
 

FIGHT

  • Become frustrated and aggressive with outbursts
  • Acting out
  • Resistance
  • “I won’t, NO”

At Sensory Intelligence® Consulting we guide individuals towards self-discovery and self-awareness. We explore and determine specific strategies to manage overload and stress, catered to each individual’s unique sensory assess, before an overload becomes externalized as behaviour. Our target group includes (but is not limited to):

  • Educators
  • Learners
  • Parents

By knowing yourself better you can reduce stress and live a healthier, happier, calmer life.

By getting to know your colleagues/learners/parents better, early warning signs of potential overload can be identified and a flight/fright/fight reaction can be prevented. Team cohesion and relationships can improve and our beautiful country can be a hopeful rainbow nation again.

Let’s turn down the heat,                                                                     
                                    reduce the stress of education and                                             
                                                                                    replace it with some insight and understanding!

Do your Sensory Matrix™ and discover sensory strategies to reduce stress and help you cope best.

Falling (and staying) in love

Falling in love must be one of the most surreal human experiences. That racing heart, sweaty palms, pointless giggles, focused attention on another person and an increased ability to recognise the finest detail of the lucky recipient of your affection. It feels like you’re floating in a bubble of excitement and happiness and all you have to show for it is a sheepish smile stretching from ear to ear. Happy times indeed!!

Research has shown that the chemistry behind the initial phase of falling in love, might very well be explained by the release of certain chemicals such as dopamine, testosterone, norepinephrine and PEA (phenylethylamine) in the brain. The study of Pairomics (your choice of romantic partner on a genetic level) strongly suggests that your genes also play an important role when falling in love.

Thankfully this clearly shows that there’s a biological reason for newly-found lovebird’s giddiness and silly behaviour… which the rest of us (if we have to be completely honest) remember all too well and envy so much. So, if we can explain the wondrous act of FALLING in love, can the same be said for STAYING in love?

I have always been of the opinion that love should be perceived as a verb and not just an emotion. When you LOVE a significant other, it should not only be about sweet nothings being whispered in each other’s ears. Really LOVING someone should mean that you make a conscious decision to support the other person and care for them to the best of your ability. Love should be MORE than just words.

When considering how to LOVE your partner, identifying his/her individual preferences and needs will guide you to make the right choices when choosing LOVE ACTIONS.  At Sensory Intelligence® Consulting, we approach individual needs according to a person’s sensory assessment. We all react to our environments according to our inborn sensory thresholds:

People with HIGH THRESHOLDS:
  • Need extra sensory input to function optimally
  • They appear busy, “on-the-go”, energetic and spontaneous

LOVE ACTION IDEAS:

  • Ask various questions about their day when they get home
  • Take them on surprise dates, to new places
  • Give lots of physical affection on a regular basis
  • Take them out for a night on the town
  • Go to cooking classes together at the hip, new venue in town
  • Go to the gym or do adventurous activities together
  • Arrange regular visits with large groups of friends
  • Don’t leave them alone too long… they enjoy things happening around them
People with MEDIUM THRESHOLDS
  • Easily cope with sensory input from their environment
  • They appear calm, productive, even-tempered and flexible

LOVE ACTION IDEAS

  • Ask a few questions about their day when they get home
  • Takes them on scheduled-, as well as surprise dates
  • Give physical affection from time-to-time
  • Take them to the movies or music show
  • Go to cooking classes in a smaller group at any venue
  • Join them in sport activities of their choice
  • Arrange visits with good friends as well as one-on-one time spent together
  • They need both together- and alone time
People with LOW THRESHOLDS
  • Need less sensory input to function optimally
  • They appear structured, organised, in control and reliable

LOVE ACTION IDEAS

  • Give them a few minutes to unwind when they get home
  • Discuss scheduled dates ahead of time
  • When giving physical affection, use deep pressure
  • Rent a movie to watch at home or invite a couple for dinner
  • Go to couple cooking classes at a familiar venue or at home
  • Give them time to enjoy individual sport e.g. golf
  • Arrange occasional visits with a small group of friends as well as lots of one-on-one time
  • They need enough alone time to unwind and regroup
There you have it… LOVE is an ACTION!
With wonderful, rewarding, happy results!

I bet you and your significant other can fall in love all over again, by understanding each other a bit better.   Why don’t you both complete our online free Sensory Quiz™ or our comprehensive Sensory Matrix™.   Take the leap… it’s worth the effort!!!

 

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