By Esther Cohen

Many of us feel like we are ‘plugged in’ and constantly on the go from the moment we wake up to when we go to sleep. Whether you are working towards a deadline, a mother or carer, dealing with challenges or are continuously firefighting in whichever capacity you operate, the idea of unplugging, disconnecting and restarting can be liberating.

The Nurtured Heart Approach to dealing with the intense child introduces the idea of locating our ‘restart’ button. This is a concept I have taught to children in the classroom, used in the counselling room with clients and in my own life. When our own inner child feels vulnerable and unprotected, it triggers feelings of intensity within the self. Unplug for a couple of minutes, feel your feet touching the ground, picture your calm place in your mind’s eyes and press ‘restart’. My restart button is on my forehead, midpoint, just above my eyes. Where is yours?

Training yourself to use ‘restart’ helps calm down and refocus.