If you are parenting neurodivergent teens or twentysomethings you may already know about body doubling but I only discovered the power of it recently. It’s something, experts explained to me, that can be effective in calming young people down or helping them focus on a task more effectively.
Body doubling is a form external executive function: it’s a recognised productivity tool in the workplace for those with ADHD and is also a way of co-regulating, according to mental health experts.
Planning to ensure there is another person in the room (a body double or double the bodies) offers those who are over stimulated, anxious, easily distracted, overwhelmed or perhaps just a little discombobulated the chance to mirror some calm behaviour. It also tells a busy or worried brain ‘you are not alone’. As adolescents and young minds are often in these states body doubling may be helpful as a tool for you right now.
And it can prompt the comforting memories of the days when they were younger and parents or caregivers would sit with them to help with homework, play games, watch telly or complete projects, this memory ‘tricks’ a worried mind into a more calm place.
And anything that slows down, calms or focuses a fizzy adolescent will help you keep your connection to them in a really useful non-verbal way.
So how does it work and what is the best way to body double with your teen or young person? Here are some easy ideas on how to use it:
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