The core of the workshop is to normalise the idea that everyone’s brain moves between different states and that everyone needs tools to help them regulate.
The children were introduced to three specific mental states:
• Steady Brain: A state where one feels calm enough to think, learn, and connect with others.
• Stormy Brain: A state where there is "too much happening," often feeling loud, jumpy, angry, or worried.
• Frozen Brain: A state where there is "not much happening," characterised by feeling shut down, stuck, or blank.
The workshop prioritises the message that none of these states are "bad." To help manage these feelings, the children practised "Brain Snacks"—short, practical activities designed to help the brain and body work better together.

Regulation Strategies Shared
The children explored different strategies depending on how their brain feels:
• For a Stormy Brain: The focus is on containment and pressure to help when the brain feels too fast or big. Strategies include wall push-ups, bear hugs, pressing feet firmly into the floor, or moving like a slow, heavy animal.
• For a Frozen Brain: The focus is on gentle re-entry and warmth to help when the brain feels "far away". Strategies include rocking (seated or standing), butterfly breathing, humming, or the "5 things" grounding exercise (noticing something you can see, hear, or feel).
• Versatile Tools: Some activities, such as singing or expanding and contracting, can be adjusted in pace and volume to work for both stormy and frozen states.
The children really enjoyed the session, particularly the opportunity to choose and practise their favourite snacks to use later at school. They also discussed what makes a "safe person," learning that we support others not by "fixing" them, but by being calm, kind, and respectful.

Beyond this workshop, Starling offers free, relaxed wellbeing groups for neurodivergent young people (including those with autism, ADHD, or sensory differences). These sessions are held in locations like Sale, Altrincham, and Urmston, providing a pressure-free space for young people to explore interests like Lego, drawing, or animation at their own pace.