In the last few weeks since schools have closed and many businesses have begun working remotely, we have heard from many parents of teens with pre-existing social anxiety and/or school refusal, that their teens are thriving while sheltering in place. Whereas we hear that other parents are left at a loss, unsure how to help their teens who feel tortured from the lack of social interaction. No matter which end of the spectrum your child falls on, social distancing is a major concern for many parents. Parents are worried about the long-term effects of social distancing on their already distanced kids. How can you help your teen through this turbulent time? Here are some suggestions…
Social distancing is difficult for everyone. Staying at home causes tensions to run high in the family. For parents of teens, this makes your relationship with your child even more complicated to manage. How do you know what your teen needs during this troublesome time? How can you best support your child? Here are three messages that your teen needs you to hear about social distancing and COVID-19.
We are ALL navigating uncharted territory together and it is important that you create a plan for YOUR FAMILY that effectively manages anxieties, scheduling and completing of tasks while staying both physically AND mentally healthy. There is hype. There is hearsay. There are opinions and beliefs. And then there is WHAT IS BEST FOR YOUR FAMILY? Here are some tips for helping your family effectively navigate Coronavirus…
As a parent, you give your all for your children. You do your best to support them, as well as other loved ones. Now consider, what was the last time you did something to help yourself? Many parents find that they are too busy or that they don’t know how to create balance and care for themselves. Whether you are a new parent or a veteran mom or dad of four, you deserve to find time for yourself in order to unwind. Are you ready to find balance in your life? Here are some easy ways to create balance and decompress…
Is your teen feeling overwhelmed? Are the demands of schoolwork, social activities, and extracurriculars stressing out your son or daughter? Are you looking for some much-needed relief? It’s normal for teens to feel stressed from time to time. They have many priorities to manage and they are still learning how to handle it all. All of these responsibilities can take their toll on your teen’s mental health and overall well-being. When teens get stuck in overwhelming feelings of anxiety, mindfulness skills can help bring them into the present moment. Mindfulness practice is a simple, natural, and effective way to feel calmer and maintain control of their emotions. Here’s how it works…
Do you have trouble keeping your cool when parenting your teen? It’s not easy dealing with teens emotional up and downs while keeping your own emotions in check. Therefore, taking a dialectical approach might be helpful for you. Being dialectical means finding balance—specifically, balance between opposites. There is an opposite to everything in life, and we tend to be most effective when we balance those opposing ideas. By finding balance between things that seem completely opposite to you, like a draining day and a calm mind, you can manage your teen without the emotional strain. Are you ready to apply dialectics to your parenting approach?
Do you ever wish you could break free of old habits that aren’t working? Making a change is easier said than done. Luckily, recent studies in neuroplasticity are proving that the seeds of change live in all of us. We all have the ability to rewire our brains for success because of neuroplasticity. Neuroplasticity is a medical term that describes the brain’s ability to continually create new neural paths, as well as disconnect the paths that are no longer used. Research indicates that these pathways are not set in stone; they can be changed at any time or any age! By rewiring your neural pathways, you can let go of old, unhealthy habits and create new, healthy ones. Here are some ways to harness the power of neuroplasticity and form new roads to success…
Are you happy with the body you live in? Do you often criticize your appearance? These are all questions related to body image. Body image refers to your personal relationship with your body, not what you actually look like. It is connected to your beliefs, perceptions, feelings, thoughts, and actions surrounding your physical appearance. It’s more challenging to accept yourself when you have difficulty liking your physical looks. Body dissatisfaction is a common problem; in fact, millions of people struggle with body dissatisfaction or issues with body image. There is good news though! An unsatisfying or negative body image can be changed to a positive one. There are ways to achieve self-acceptance. Here are some tips you can use to work towards a healthier body image…
Are your relationships causing you stress? Do you wish that your friendship or romantic relationship was stronger? The healthiest relationships are those founded on trust and communication. Sometimes, we get so caught up in our own worlds that we forget to think of others when interacting. The GIVE skill, a useful DBT tool, reminds us to consider how we want others to feel about us. It encourages us to consider how the way in which we interact affects the message that we’re sending. Here’s how it works…
Relationships are all about compromise and balance. They require us to listen to others, to voice our point of view, and to engage in a give and take. However, not all relationships are balanced. Sometimes we overstep our roles. We may assert our point of view so strongly that we cause others to act in ways that make them uncomfortable. Other times, we don’t stand up for ourselves. We follow along with what other people want to do, even if it does not align with our values. In relationships like these, it may be helpful to use the FAST skill to navigate difficult interpersonal situations—like setting boundaries, for example. FAST helps us keep our self-respect so that we feel good about our relationships.
Do you ever feel like you’re not getting what you want from your relationships? This could be any relationship: a romantic relationship, a family relationship, a friendship, a work partnership, and so on. No matter what relationship you’re struggling with, don’t worry! Relationships can be tricky at times. It’s not always easy to ask for what you want or to find the courage to say “no” when you’re not comfortable. Luckily, there’s a DBT skill that is here to help you improve your assertiveness: the DEARMAN skill! It teaches you how to calmly and effectively ask and receive. Let’s learn about how it works…
Ever feel like you’re stuck in a cycle of difficult emotions? You might experience intense emotions and respond to them in ways that aren’t helpful in the long run. All feelings come with action urges that tell us to act in certain ways. For example, when we feel fearful, we try to avoid or escape a situation. When feeling sad, our urge might be to withdraw. However, some emotional urges do more harm than good. They cause us to act in ways we later regret. In those cases, try acting opposite to your emotion! Deliberately responding with the opposite to your emotion urge can change your response to a healthier option that’s more fitting. Let’s explore how it works with different emotions…
We all strive for a better and healthier year ahead. We aim to lose weight, get more sleep, be present in the moment, or have more quality family time, among other goals. No matter what your goal is, it can be difficult to stick to it. Check in with yourself and ask yourself, “How am I doing so far?” If you’re not making the progress you’d like, or if you could use some support in following through on your resolutions this year, look no further! Use these helpful tips to stick to your goals for 2020…
For many people, the end of the year is a time of reflection. It’s a time to look back on how we’ve changed, learned, and grown. We like to think about what we’ve accomplished this year and what we can improve upon in the year to come. We all have areas of our lives that we would like to enhance. By being self-aware and checking in with ourselves, we can make a plan to be an even better version of ourselves in the year ahead. Take the first step towards self-improvement by asking yourself thoughtful questions. Here are some helpful prompting questions to get you started…
It’s the holiday season, which means that family, celebration, and food are front of mind. We take the time to celebrate with loved ones, having fun and catching up over a delicious meal. While it’s great to enjoy a feast with family, it’s also important to be mindful of what you’re eating. The holiday season is known all too well for its high-calorie foods that often cause us to overeat. If you’re wondering what you can do to enjoy your meal without worrying about putting your health at risk, look no further! Here are some tips to keep yourself in check and practice healthy holiday eating…
Have you ever regretted your response to a situation? In the moment, our initial “knee-jerk” reaction seems like the most compelling option. We yell, run away, or say things that we don’t mean because that’s how we feel in the heat of the moment. While that response is valid, it’s not always the most effective choice. What can you do to think things through before you react on powerful emotions? Try checking the facts. Check the Facts is a DBT skill that helps you change your emotional response and make healthier decisions as a result. Let’s learn about how it works…
Everyone’s busy this holiday season. Between travel plans, gift giving, and meal preparation, it’s no wonder that the most wonderful time of the year is also one of the most stressful times of the year.Don’t let the holiday stress get you down! Instead, make yourself a priority and avoid feeling overwhelmed using a DBT skill called Self Soothe. Self Soothe encourages you to care for yourself and improve your mood through your senses. You can comfort yourself, giving yourself the mental health break that you deserve this holiday season. Here are some ideas for self-soothing with each of your senses…
Are you struggling with a problem that you just can’t solve? Do you want to make a change, but you don’t know how? When facing a challenge, there are are various ways to respond. You can figure out a solution to the problem, you can change how you feel about the issue, you can accept reality, you can stay miserable, or you can make things worse by acting out or using negative coping skills. Unfortunately, it’s not always possible to come up with a solution or change how you feel about a problem. In those cases, try accepting reality by practicing radical acceptance. Let’s explore why it’s beneficial to accept reality and how radical acceptance works…
Too often, we find ourselves in situations where our emotions get the best of us. Our hearts race, we feel tears well in our eyes, or our mood quickly turns sour. No matter what we're feeling in the moment, we can't think clearly when powerful overwhelm us. We make decisions impulsively—decisions we might later regret.What can you do to calm yourself down during intense moments? All you have to do is STOP. Using the STOP skill, you can calm yourself down during any moment that feels like a crisis. Take a minute or two to stop and pause with the STOP skill. Let’s learn more about how it works…
Ever wish there was a way to turn negative experiences around? Of course—nobody enjoys feeling upset, angry, or stressed. When we experience powerful feelings like these, our emotions can feel out of control. Generally, we act impulsively—meaning that we put our emotions before our logic—when we face unexpected and overwhelming situations. But sometimes, this is not the best option. We can deal with daily challenges more effectively by replacing negative emotions with positive ones. The DBT skill IMPROVE the Moment gives us a variety of options to help us do so. It's a skill that's designed to help us manage difficult emotions during stressful situations. Let’s learn more about it…
