About this episode

Dr. Caroline Buzanko explores the importance of social connection in emotional regulation for children and teens.

Many emotional explosions children engage in begin long before the tears, frustration, or anger even appear. When children are tired, disconnected, lonely, overwhelmed, or carrying too much emotional weight, even a small challenge can push them beyond what their brain can manage. That's why emotional regulation doesn't start during a meltdown. It starts with the everyday habits that support the brain before stress shows up. In this episode of Overpowering Emotions , Dr. Caroline Buzanko begins a new series on self-care by exploring one of the most overlooked protective factors for emotional resilience: social connection. You'll learn why healthy relationships calm the nervous system, why loneliness affects the brain like physical pain, and why connection helps children recover from stress more quickly. Dr. Caroline explains why regulation first creates the conditions for learning, problem solving, and emotional growth. Through the lens of the Anxiety Compass Framework, many behaviours that appear to be a skill deficit are actually signs of a capacity limitation. When children's emotional resources are already depleted, expecting them to stay calm becomes much harder. You'll also…

People in this episode

Host: Dr. Caroline Buzanko

Topics covered

• emotional regulation
• social connection
• child anxiety
• emotional resilience
• self-care
• parenting strategies

Keywords

• emotional explosions
• stress management
• healthy relationships
• loneliness
• Anxiety Compass Framework
• support network
• self-care habits

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• 246. Is Polyvagal Theory Misleading Us About Anxiety? · June 23, 2026 · 31 min

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