Be Balanced Be You

15/09/2025

Meltdown or tantrum 🤔 similar but not the same.

Here's a few tick boxes to help recognise the difference.

If they get their own way and the "meltdown" or "distress" stops almost instantly, its a tantrum!

Just because they are preverbal or have developmental challenges doesn't prevent a parent from parenting.
Tantrums have to be navigated and all children need boundaries so they can grow into their best selves and integrate into society.
Its easier to work through a 2 year old tantrum than a 12 year old tantrum! So for your longterm sanity, do the hard work while they are young, your future self will thank you

14/09/2025

Best parents ever!!

So thoughtful, generous and kind ❤️❤️❤️

13/09/2025

Therapeutic Movement Sessions for those with Additional Needs

Who It’s For
Key groups that we work with:
o ADHD
o ADD
o Autism
o neuro diverse
o anxiety
o confidence & self esteem needs
o social, emotional, behavioural difficulties and mental health (SEBD and SEMH)
o executive function challenges
o transitional struggles
o a learning disability
o sensory issues
o Downs syndrome
o cerebral palsy
o other conditions that complicate learning

What to Expect in a Session
Participants engage in a carefully structured therapeutic experience within a safe and supportive environment. Sessions are delivered at a pace that respects individual tolerance, comfort, and readiness.
Activities are designed to be calming and engaging, providing opportunities for:
• Gentle, rhythmic movement to support regulation
• Opportunities to develop balance, coordination, and core strength
• Graded sensory input within a predictable and controlled setting
• Therapeutic interactions that encourage communication and social skills

Key Benefits

Emotional Regulation & Wellbeing
• Reduces anxiety and supports calmer states
• Enhances self-soothing and coping strategies

Cognitive & Attention Skills
• Improves focus, concentration, and impulse control
• Develops planning, sequencing, and problem-solving abilities

Physical Development
• Builds core stability, posture, balance, and motor coordination
• Increases body awareness and confidence in movement

Sensory Integration
• Provides safe and structured multi-sensory input
• Improves sensory processing and adaptability to daily environments

Social & Communication Skills
• Encourages turn-taking, interaction, and cooperative play
• Supports the development of both verbal and non-verbal communication

Self-Esteem & Confidence
• Promotes resilience through achievable challenges
• Enhances confidence to apply new skills in everyday life

Outcomes Observed
Families, carers, and professionals frequently report:
• Greater emotional stability and reduced anxiety
• Improved physical ability and body confidence
• Increased engagement in learning and social participation

12/09/2025

Caring for a child with special needs can be a journey filled with love, resilience, and moments of profound joy. But it can also bring challenges that most people outside of that experience may never fully understand.

For some parents, the daily stress, repeated exposure to crises, or ongoing behavioural difficulties can lead to symptoms resembling post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD).

While PTSD is more commonly associated with long-term abuse or traumatic environments, parents of special needs children can sometimes experience it due to the chronic stress, unpredictability, and emotional toll of caregiving. Recognising this possibility is not about blaming the child, it’s about acknowledging the very real impact caregiving can have on a parent’s mental health.

>>> Signs That a Parent May Be Developing PTSD > Why This Can Happen > Support and Management Strategies > A Gentle Reminder We are here if you need to talk

08/09/2025

When the World Sleeps but You Cannot....... Parents of Children with Additional Needs

This is why we offer counselling services and never ending, empathic support, because this is a TOUGH and often VERY lonely journey.

For many parents, bedtime brings a chance to rest, to reset, and to gather the strength needed for tomorrow. But for parents of children with additional needs, night-time often does not bring relief. Instead, it may bring hours of wakefulness, repeated waking's, or the constant vigilance required to keep a child safe.

Over weeks, months, and even years, this chronic sleep deprivation can feel unbearable.

If you are living this reality, you are not failing. You are not weak.
You are a human being coping with circumstances THAT MOST CANNOT BEGIN TO IMAGINE.

The Human Cost: Parents’ Lived Experiences

Parents in this situation often describe themselves as beyond tired. Words like exhausted, broken, or numb come up again and again. Many feel invisible, unseen, unheard and with THEIR OWN NEEDS COMPLETELY UNMET. watching peers discuss everyday tiredness, school runs, or mild bedtime battles, while their own exhaustion goes unacknowledged.

It is crucial to say this clearly: your struggle is real, valid, and significant. You are carrying a load that most cannot fathom.

Strategies to Help You Survive and Cope

1. Prioritize Micro-Rest
Even short naps (10–20 minutes) can restore alertness.
Practice “rest without sleep” lying down, deep breathing, or listening to calming sounds while your child is safe.

2. Share the Load
If possible, alternate nights with a partner or trusted relative.
If you are a single parent, explore respite care services, overnight support workers, or local charities that offer volunteer “sleep sitters.”

3. Advocate for Medical and Behavioural Support
Speak to a sleep specialist about options such as melatonin, pain management, or behavioural sleep interventions. Ask about specialist clinics that work with children with complex sleep needs.

4. Protect Your Own Mental Health
Chronic sleep loss can intensify anxiety and depression. If you notice persistent low mood, irritability, or hopelessness, seek professional support.

5. Adjust Expectations with Compassion
Some nights, survival is the goal. Forget the dishes. Leave the laundry. Rest when you can.

You Are Not Alone
It is easy to feel isolated when the rest of the world is asleep, but countless other parents are awake with you; rocking, soothing, watching, or simply enduring. You may not see them, but they exist.
Your exhaustion does not diminish your love, and your struggle does not erase your worth. You are showing extraordinary resilience in extraordinary circumstances.

The Science of Sleep Deprivation

>> Sleep is not a luxury it is a biological necessity.
Adults require an average of 7–9 hours of consolidated sleep per night to function optimally. When sleep is repeatedly disrupted, the effects go far beyond feeling tired:

>> Cognitive impact: Memory, concentration, decision-making, and even speech can be impaired after just one night of poor sleep. Chronic deprivation amplifies these effects.

>> Emotional impact: Sleep loss increases stress reactivity and lowers emotional resilience. Anxiety, irritability, and depression are common outcomes.

>> Physical health: Long-term sleep disruption is linked to weakened immunity, high blood pressure, diabetes risk, and heart disease.

For parents of children with additional needs, these risks are not abstract, they are BRUTAL lived realities. Many parents describe feeling “foggy,” on edge, or like they are operating on autopilot. These are normal physiological responses to chronic sleep loss.

Up to 80% of autistic children have sleep difficulties, ranging from delayed sleep onset to frequent night waking's.

Children with ADHD often struggle with hyperarousal at bedtime, making sleep routines difficult.

Neurological or medical conditions can cause discomfort, pain, or physical limitations that make restful sleep harder.

Medication side effects can also interfere with sleep cycles.

This means that parental sleep loss is not caused by poor routines or lack of effort. It is often the by product of complex neurobiology, medical realities, and caregiving responsibilities.

Final Words of Support
Parenting a child with additional needs is a marathon with few rest stops. Sleep deprivation makes every step harder, yet you continue because of love. That love is visible, even when your eyes are heavy and your patience thin.

*** Please remember ***

>> You deserve rest, even if it feels impossible.
>> You deserve support, even if you feel like you should cope alone.
>> You deserve compassion, from your community, and from every professional who works alongside you.

** You are doing enough **
*** You are enough ***

03/09/2025

No matter where you go or what you do, your mate is always beside you

30/08/2025

Distress and why it's so important

Now lets be straight, no loving attentive parent ever wants to see there child distressed and a child should never be alone with their distress.
However it is detrimental to protect or save our children from ever experiencing distress. Much as we always want our children to be happy, that's sadly not real life nor is it healthy.

Children need to experience graded/sensible levels of distress so that they can build resilience and learn how to navigate and sit with uncomfortable feelings. Through co-regulation they can navigate becoming dysregulated, work through those big emotions and gain skills to be able to become regulated again.
Not allowing children to complete this loop by either "saving" them or "removing" the mild stressor causes the stressor to become BIGGER resulting in BIGGER outbursts and encourages avoidance.
This contracts their world and they become more and more controlling in an attempt to navigate distress as they fail to gain skills they need to grow and flourish.

✨ Why Children’s Distress Matters More Than We Think ✨
When we see a child upset our first instinct is often to protect, distract, or soothe them immediately. While comfort is important, these moments of distress carry a hidden gift: they are building blocks for resilience.

✨ Distress is not damaging ✨
It’s easy to mistake a child’s tears or tantrums as signs of fragility. In reality, distress is a natural emotional signal, much like hunger or tiredness. Experiencing and working through these feelings helps children develop essential coping skills.

✨ Resilience grows in the struggle ✨
Resilience isn’t built when life is smooth, it’s built when children face challenges and discover that they can recover, adapt, and try again. Each time a child manages disappointment, overcomes frustration, or processes fear, their emotional "muscle" strengthens.

✨ Our role as adults ✨
We don’t need to erase distress; we need to guide children through it. By listening, validating their feelings, and offering gentle encouragement, we teach them that tough emotions are safe to feel and survivable.

💡 Shielding kids from every hardship, stress or distress doesn’t make them stronger nor does it make them happier, it increases their stress and avoidance

27/08/2025

Lastest epic addition to the collection.

Our parents are so amazing! We adore you all ❤️❤️❤️

24/08/2025

https://vm.tiktok.com/ZNdXW9Wuo/

2844 likes, 71 comments. “I’m a psychologist and here is my number 1 quirky magic 🪄 sleep hack 💤 😵‍💫 Ever lie in bed replaying the day, stressing about tomorrow, and wondering why your brain won’t switch off? Here’s why 👉 your brain is still in problem-solving mode. Until yo...

23/08/2025

At Balanced Be You, our primary focus is emotional regulation through movement, specifically for those who struggle to regulation through conventional interactions.

We are a specialist organisation; using world leading, state of the art equipment to support delivery of therapy

Key groups that we work with:
• ADHD
• ADD
• Autism
• neuro diverse
• anxiety
• confidence & self esteem needs
• social, emotional, behavioural difficulties and mental health (SEBD and SEMH)
• executive function challenges
• transitional struggles
• a learning disability
• sensory issues
• Downs syndrome
• cerebral palsy
• other conditions that complicate learning

We provide physical and emotional regulation through a range of movement based interactions. Where movement, balance, and body awareness is gently encouraged in a safe and engaging way; that is fun, feels natural and calming.
Social interaction is supported through strong therapeutic alliance with a primary therapist who is calm and consistent.
This unique experience provides:
• Regulation & Calmness – The rhythmic, repetitive motion helps soothe anxiety, reduce overwhelm, and support self-regulation.
• Improved Focus & Attention – The engaging nature of the activity encourages sustained concentration and promotes better impulse control.
• Body Awareness & Coordination – Core strength, balance, posture, and motor planning are naturally strengthened, building confidence in physical movement.
• Sensory Integration – Gentle multi-sensory stimulation supports sensory processing, helping individuals manage everyday environments more effectively.
• Confidence, Self-Esteem & Social Engagement – Strong relationship with a highly skilled instructor builds communication, and trust-building in a safe, non-judgemental space.
• Emotional Expression – The activity often unlocks ways to express feelings without words, reducing frustration and enhancing emotional wellbeing.
• Adaptability – It is suitable for all ages, can be adjusted to individual abilities, and provides a safe way to enjoy the benefits of movement therapy without external unpredictability.
Families and professionals frequently notice calmer moods, improved physical ability, stronger social skills, and greater resilience after regular sessions.

21/08/2025

At Balanced Be You, our primary focus is emotional regulation through movement, specifically for those who struggle to regulation through conventional interactions.

We are a specialist organisation; using world leading, state of the art equipment to support delivery of therapy

Key groups that we work with:
• ADHD
• ADD
• Autism
• neuro diverse
• anxiety
• confidence & self esteem needs
• social, emotional, behavioural difficulties and mental health (SEBD and SEMH)
• executive function challenges
• transitional struggles
• a learning disability
• sensory issues
• Downs syndrome
• cerebral palsy
• other conditions that complicate learning

Our intervention offers a structured, safe, and highly adaptable environment where children, young people, and adults with complex and challenging additional needs can experience meaningful therapeutic engagement. Participation can provide measurable benefits across several domains:

Regulation and Emotional Wellbeing
• Rhythmic, repetitive movement supports the nervous system in achieving a calmer state, reducing episodes of anxiety, dysregulation, and heightened arousal.
• Facilitates self-soothing and improved capacity for emotional regulation.
Cognitive and Attention Skills
• Encourages focus, concentration, and impulse control.
• Provides a non-threatening context for developing planning, sequencing, and problem-solving abilities.
Physical Development
• Strengthens core stability, balance, coordination, and overall postural control.
• Promotes motor planning and proprioceptive awareness, often leading to increased independence in daily activities.
Sensory Integration
• Offers graded, multi-sensory input in a controlled environment.
• Helps individuals process sensory information more effectively, leading to greater tolerance and adaptability in everyday situations.
Social and Communication Skills
• Creates opportunities for interaction, cooperation, and shared experience.
• Encourages trust-building and the development of non-verbal and verbal communication.
Self-Efficacy and Confidence
• Success within sessions promotes self-esteem, resilience, and a sense of achievement.
• Builds confidence to attempt new challenges in other settings.

Outcomes frequently observed include improved emotional stability, enhanced social participation, strengthened physical ability, and increased engagement in learning and daily life.