The mindset shift that keeps strong leaders from burning out.
Why your own behavior makes sense, and why knowing that matters.
Whether you are a parent, teacher, youth care worker, or frontline professional, leadership means showing up—over and over again—in spaces where emotions run high and outcomes are uncertain.
That is not an easy ask.
One of the habits we teach at CAMP is to practice self-validation, especially in leadership moments.
This means pausing to ask: Why does my behavior, or my feelings, make sense right now?
Here is why this matters:
When you do not understand your own responses, it is easy to fall into shame, self-criticism, and burnout.
When you do understand them, you build motivation, resilience, and clarity—even in the middle of hard seasons.
🧠 The Neuroscience Behind It:
When you validate your internal state, you shift the brain out of self-protection mode.
This brings the prefrontal cortex back online—making space for regulation, reflective thinking, and purposeful action.
Without this, you are more likely to get stuck in reactive patterns, lose confidence, and disengage from the leadership you are capable of providing.
How to Practice it:
Step one is simple.
When you feel stuck, discouraged, frustrated, or reactive, try this script:
My behavior or feelings of ____________ make sense because ____________.
Example:
My exhaustion this week makes sense because I am carrying emotional weight from two challenging client sessions, while also managing a full personal load.
Why it works:
Self-validation helps you see the bigger picture of your capacity.
It creates room for compassionate leadership, both for yourself and for those you support.
It prevents the shame spiral that can rob you of your energy to keep showing up.
Leadership Takeaway:
You cannot build resilient teams, students, or families if you cannot first model resilience for yourself. And resilience starts with understanding why your responses make sense, so that you can lead from curiosity, not criticism.
At CAMP, this is a foundational leadership tool.
We teach it because it is what helps leaders stay in the work for the long term—and helps the people they support thrive in the process.
You can start practicing this today.
Why everything you’ve tried isn’t working:
5 parenting shifts that actually help.
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This is just a small piece of what you will learn in the CAMP online course to manage challenging behavior in children.
