The Chair of Joy, in part, is an interactive 4-step experience that helps people interrupt and diffuse feelings like stress, anxiety, overwhelm, anger, and frustration and invites peace, gratitude, love, patience, and joy. It is a way to help others achieve more success with less of the negative feelings that are commonly associated with success.
The WHO’s 75th anniversary inspired Sheryl to release a children’s book called, The Chair of Joy™. Through her work, she has created a way for children and adults to be more joyful, using something as simple as a chair. The Chair of Joy™ works for children and adults by helping them cultivate an environment of sustainable growth. For children, The Chair of Joy can be a refuge when things feel hard to manage. Children come across various adversities and challenges when growing up. They often struggle with coping and adaptation skills. These events can have a strong impact on them. The Chair of Joy was founded on the belief that joy is essential to living a successful, fulfilling life. Health for all matters! And our kids’ mental health is at the heart of it all. Research shows that positive psychology intervention is effective in school-age children and adults alike. Sheryl calls to everyone to give less effort to the Time Out chair and direct more focus to the Chair of Joy.
In an article dubbed, Are Time Outs Bad? by Melinda Wenner Moyer, a New York Times science-based parenting columnist, Moyer[2] states that psychologists believe in practicing good “positive discipline” techniques, by stating facts rather than demands, using distraction to steer kids away from danger, and working out solutions as a family, should not need timeouts, or at least not very often. Clinical expert Dave Anderson and Child Mind Institute Family Resource Center’s writer Katherine Martinelli both state that time out “can be isolating and cause children to feel abandoned in their time of emotional crisis, leading to more power struggles instead of teaching children to regulate their emotions” [3]. It proves that timeouts can be ineffective, psychologically damaging, and worsen behavioral problems. But that’s not because they are inherently dangerous; it’s because so many parents and teachers misunderstand how they should be done.
The origin of the time-out chair goes back to the 1960s and is often credited to a renowned child psychologist and author, Dr. Thomas Phelan. He invented the concept of the “time-in” chair as a way to help parents and caregivers manage their children’s challenging behavior. The idea of a “time-out” chair was introduced in his book, 1-2-3 Magic: Effective Discipline for Children 2-12. It has been a source of controversy ever since, and many critics have voiced controversy over this technique in favor of more positive alternatives. BBC reported that “one study of the parents of 400 US children found that while more than 75% of parents reported using time out, 85% of them were using it in a way that ran counter to the evidence”[4].
The Chair of Joy™ is another option for the traditional time-out chair. The four steps to Joy™ provide an active, structured approach that focuses on improving the child’s emotional well-being. It encourages the child to take action and introduces them to the power of joy and optimism. It also helps the child to understand how to connect with and nurture their inner joy, to help them through difficult moments and challenging situations. It is a source of nurturing creativity in people so that they are capable of helping others and themselves.
We strive to provide safe circles so children can open up to the possibilities of friendships with peers and learn socially from individuals who may have gone through the same situations that they are going through. Sheryl recognized the importance of fostering a Culture of Joy for them through her Chair of Joy initiative. The Chair of Joy speaks to the urgency and need to take an inner look and find peace where it may be lacking. The practice alone can assist in creating a bridge between their real lives and their dream or fantasy world. Joyely’s Chair of Joy for Kids was founded with an understanding of the unique challenges that children face. The Chair of Joy is a place to practice self-care and learn how to navigate the world around them. It is a place to find comfort, joy, and acceptance from the people around them. It is a place to take a break, recharge and come back with more energy and enthusiasm for life. It is a place to practice gratitude, learn the power of gratitude, and be grateful for what they have.
The Chair of Joy for kids is essential as it is a place to learn how to forgive, accept, and love themselves. Unless an initiative like the Chair of Joy is called upon, children that are not able to find joy are more likely to develop health problems like depression, anxiety, and alcoholism, among others (Center on the Developing Child, 2007; Johnson, 1982). These changes in their lives often alter their minds, cause significant changes to their developing brains, and alter their perception of the environment around them. Troubling childhoods are known to lead to difficult adulthood and other developmental delays. These problems can be caught early and managed with the help of trained experts. AtJoyely, children are guided on how to find their peace and serenity and build resilience.
The Chair of Joy helps children learn how to recognize, accept, and healthily process their emotions. It helps them learn how to express their emotions constructively and develop self-regulation skills. It helps them recognize their triggers and to develop coping strategies. It helps them understand how to be mindful of their thoughts, feelings, and actions and to become more aware of the impact they have on their environment. It helps them learn how to recognize and accept their mistakes and how to develop an attitude of resilience, self-compassion, and optimism.
Teachers can use the Chair of Joy in their classrooms to help children learn how to better manage their emotions. By providing a safe and comfortable space, teachers can use the Chair of Joy to help children learn how to better understand and manage their emotions. They can also use it to help children practice self-regulation and to foster a sense of acceptance, understanding, and empathy.
The Science behind the Chair of Joy is supported by The School-Wide Positive Behavioral Intervention and Supports program [SWPBIS], which is a preventative maintenance strategy to help reduce behavioral issues in children. A study conducted by Bradshaw et al[5] on the universal prevention strategy currently implemented in over 16,000 schools across the United States indicated that positive behavioral interventions produce improvements in prosocial behavior, effective emotional regulation, a promising approach to problem alleviation, and promoting adjustment among elementary school children.
Children involved with the SWPBIS program showed
• Fewer behavioral issues at home and school,
• 33% less likely to be in trouble, and
• Less prone to being sent to the principal’s office over disciplinary issues.
What these and other studies show is that positive behavioral interventions work with several different age groups and backgrounds.
