Adolescent Mind Lab

18/06/2026

Wanted to share this because this hidden sense - Interoception is one of the senses that nobody talks about, yet it’s absolutely fundamental to well-being. So for example, most people know about breathwork as a bottom up emotional regulation tool - but they are not aware that breathwork is directly linked to interoception—and what makes breathwork so powerful is that it’s the only interoceptive signal we can consciously control. So please read it

A BITESIZE GUIDE TO INTEROCEPTION - FREE DOWNLOAD

Interoception is one of those hidden foundations that can affect almost everything — emotions, behaviour, sensory processing, anxiety, eating, toileting, sleep, and even social interaction. When a child struggles to accurately read the signals from inside their body, the world can feel confusing, unpredictable, and overwhelming. What looks like “overreacting”, “ignoring needs”, or “poor behaviour” is often a child trying to navigate a body that doesn’t always give clear information.

Some children may not notice hunger until they are suddenly distressed. Others may struggle to recognise thirst, tiredness, temperature, pain, or the early signs of emotional overwhelm. This can lead to emotional dysregulation, impulsive behaviour, shutdowns, sensory overwhelm, or anxiety that seems to appear “out of nowhere”. Often, the body notices the stress before the child understands what is happening.

Interoceptive differences can also affect self-awareness and relationships. If a child struggles to identify their own internal states, it can be harder to communicate needs, understand emotions, or interpret what others may be feeling too. This is why support needs to focus on connection, co-regulation, body awareness, and gentle teaching — not punishment or shame.

Children with interoception difficulties are not being difficult. They are often trying to make sense of signals that feel unclear, delayed, too intense, or completely missed. Understanding this can completely change how we respond.

See the visual for download instructions.

15/06/2026

This reel was filmed while I was hiking in the mountains behind Pringle Bay and listening to "Baba Yetu" by Christopher Tin. Even now, when I hear this beautiful piece of music, I'm instantly transported back to this beautiful place (more beautiful than these pictures can show) and
the feeling of incredible joy.

What song brings back a joyful memory from your past?

14/06/2026

🌿 SUNDAY QUESTION: ARE THERE ANY PARENTS WHO CAN RELATE? 🤔

Your 12, 13, 14, 15 ... 21 -year-old comes home from school after writing Maths, Physics, or English

You ask: "So, how was the exam?"

And you get the famous one line "Fine!" Or you get the "Shrug" followed by silence.

A few minutes later, you ask another simple question about when they will start studying for the next exam, which is the next day!!.

And suddenly... EVERYTHING changes. 😳
• There's frustration.
• There could be tears.
• There could be a slammed door.
• And maybe the other famous line "JUST LEAVE ME ALONE!"

And you're left standing there thinking:

🤷‍♀️ "What on earth just happened?"
🤔 "Where did THAT come from?"

Many parents say, "My teenager is so emotional / moody / uncommunicative."

"I WAS NEVER LIKE THAT!."

And I always smile because if they go and ask their own parents, the answer is often: 😂 "Oh yes, you were!"

And most of us may immediately think: "NO, I WAS DEFINITELY NOT LIKE THAT!!!"

I've often wondered if part of the problem is that we, as parents, have forgotten what it was to be an adolescent. Not because we don't remember being adolescents.

But because our brains have changed since then.

So when we look at our adolescents, and try to understand what they're experiencing, we're looking at it through OUR ADULT BRAIN, not the ADOLESCENT BRAIN we had at 12,13,14,.......21.

And maybe that's why we (I include myself here) sometimes struggle to understand why they react the way they do.

So for me, the more I understand what's happening inside the adolescent brain, the more I can begin to understand some of the behaviours I see on the outside.

Not to excuse them.

But to understand them, their journey, their brain.

Because understanding changes everything. ❤️

What do you think? Have your parents ever reminded you that you were probably a little more emotional when you were 12,13,14........21 than you remember? 😊

This is one of the topics we'll be exploring in:

🌱 FINDING ME: Understanding the Journey of Adolescence

and in the next talk:

⚖️ FINDING MY BALANCE: Understanding the Journey of Adolescence

12/06/2026

Join me as we explore why teenagers care so much about what others think and discover what is really happening beneath the surface during adolescence.

FINDING ME: Understanding the Journey of Adolescence

📅 Saturday 20 June
⏰ 2:00pm – 4:00pm
📍 Kai Kaffe,
💰 R120 per person
☕ Coffee, tea and cake included

📱 FOR MORE INFORMATION PLEASE WhatsApp: 0630915735 OR click this link
https://wa.me/27630915735

11/06/2026

Sometimes things don't go according to plan. Be it at work. Be it in our relationships. Be it in a community project or just life in general.

Everyone has those days when things feel harder than we expected! Days when things go wrong! Projects that do not work out how we wanted them to!

And it's on those days that we need a reminder of who we are, that we matter, and why what we do matters.

A few days ago, while catching up on emails, I came across this message from a mom who attended my CONNECTED & CONFIDENT (FULLY BOOKED) workshop with her beautiful daughter.

Messages like these mean so much to me because they remind me why I do this work.

They remind me that creating spaces where adolescents and parents can slow down, connect, and recognise the strengths in themselves and each other really can make a difference.

One thing I've learned is that when someone takes the time to thank you, compliment you, or affirm you, don't leave that message sitting in your inbox or lost in your WhatsApp chats.
1. Print it.
2. Save it.
3. Put it somewhere you'll see it again.

Because one day, when you're having a difficult day, it might be exactly the reminder you need.

So, thank you, Kirsty, for this beautiful reminder.

❤️ Sarah

09/06/2026

A big thank you to Stevie for your awesome review of our previous workshop: Confidence Workshop: Unlock your Strengths, Strengthen your Confidence

I am really looking forward to sharing some of these insights and much, much more, with both parents and teens at our upcoming talk FINDING ME: Understanding the Journey of Adolescence

05/06/2026

Although I created this talk primarily for parents and teens, I also created it for the ADOLESCENT IN ALL OF US.

Many ADULTS still carry the stories they started telling themselves when they were teenagers.

Stories about not being good enough. Not fitting in. Not being clever enough. Not being attractive enough.

Then, as adults, we often blame ourselves for holding on to these stories that no longer serve us, keep us small, and hold us back.

We shame ourselves for not simply "getting over it." We attack ourselves for not being able to erase these stories.

Yet the reason why it’s difficult to let go of these stories is not that we are weak or lacking in some way.

The reason, in part, lies in the neurobiology of the human brain, the developmental journey of adolescence, and our brain's inbuilt negativity bias.

My hope is that this talk will not only help:
* parents understand teenagers
* teenagers understand themselves

But also to support adults who may still carry unhelpful stories from adolescence and develop more compassion and understanding for themselves.

FINDING ME: Understanding the Journey of Adolescence
📅 Saturday 20 June
⏰ 2:00pm – 4:00pm
📍 Kai Kaffe, Scottburgh
💰 R120 per person
☕ Coffee, tea and cake included

✨ BONUS: Adolescent Skin Care Talk by Amanda from Divine Aesthetics

📱 Book via WhatsApp:
https://wa.me/27630915735
Presented by Adolescent Mind Lab

04/06/2026

This is just a little about me and why I am so passionate about the journey of adolescence.

If you'd like to learn more, I hope you'll join me for FINDING ME: Understanding the Journey of Adolescence