The Surprising Universal Appeal of FYBS
January 2026
Blog by Dr. Sandy C
When we first created Feel Your Best Self, we were focused on elementary-aged kids. You know, the ones who light up as they have fun learning with puppet characters and silly phrases. Those little ones absolutely love it; that part hasn’t been surprising to us.
Here’s what we didn’t anticipate since our launch a couple of years ago: everyone else does too. It’s not just little ones and their caregivers that love it. High schoolers. College students. Teachers. Parents. The range has been genuinely surprising.
Take, for example, our first high school event ever. Emily and I were really scared that I would be laughed off of the main stage event, and that students would walk by our sock puppet-making station with a big eye roll. I mean, how were we supposed to compete with the group next door that was demonstrating how the brain works, including touching real brain specimens?
But let’s talk about that sock puppet effect: in the end, there was no need for us to be scared. Nope, not even close. Those high school students dove right in, creating their own sock puppet friends as they learned and practiced some of the FYBS strategies. They crowded into the room, didn’t rush to leave, and they asked questions! "What if I'm in a place where I can't shake out the yuck? Could I do it in my head?" "When I have an argument with a friend, what strategy could I use?" The opportunity for creative expression resulted in the same enjoyment that we see with younger ages. And they got FYBS immediately. We have seen the same enthusiastic engagement, over and over again, as we work with teens and adults of all ages.
Why It Works Across Ages and Settings
So, what makes FYBS work across such different ages? Here's the thing: the principles underlying FYBS aren't age-specific. Emotion regulation is emotion regulation, whether you're 6 or 60. Goals or preferences for specific strategies might shift, but the FYBS strategies—like Belly Breathing to settle the body, Smell the Roses to refocus attention, or Feel It Together to connect with others—offer simple tools that can be flexibly adapted to work in real life. That’s why FYBS resonates with a preschooler who is building their emotion vocabulary just as much as it does for a parent trying to stay calm during a blow-up moment or a young adult managing life transitions.
You can learn more about how anyone can use FYBS to cope with emotions through the recognize, reflect, and respond process in our new guide: Coping with Emotions at Any Age. Of course, the FYBS strategies land differently based on age and setting, but that’s why there are many options to help you match to the situation.
As our reach continues to expand across ages and settings, it has been exciting for us to explore what changes (and even what doesn’t). The core strategies stay the same, but how people apply them evolves. Young kids might use Shake Out the Yuck with silly movements and giggles, whereas teens do a simpler version right before a presentation or take it to go on a run with their favorite music. And besides, however you explore emotion-coping, shouldn’t it be fun no matter your age?
The Bottom Line
Feel Your Best Self started as a toolkit for kids, but it turns out emotion-coping doesn't have an age limit. We all face real life moments when our feelings get heavy and stormy; FYBS strategies are simple and practical to put in place to help us feel our best selves again. We encourage you to be an emotion-coping explorer. Try out a few of the FYBS strategies to see what clicks, and keep them ready whenever you need them.
You might be surprised, as we have been, as to how a simple framework and maybe a sock puppet can work for you and those around you. Here's to feeling your best self—at any age!
Want to share how you use FYBS? Connect with us at info@feelyourbestself.co or follow @feelyourbestself for daily tips.