Thankful During Adversity

 There are times when life throws curve balls. We get unexpected news, are given a concerning diagnosis, experience loss, or learn of a loved one in pain, just to name a few. While there are a variety of adversities, stressors, and challenges, we all can experience growth, strength, and gratitude during and after our time navigating the hard parts.  

Post-traumatic growth is a psychological concept that illustrates the path to growing out of hardship. I have selected one article to share some strategies to assist with this. 

How a Challenging Past Can Lead to a Happier Present 

Whatever you are navigating during this season of life, I hope you will view it as an opportunity to grow.  

Mindful Holidays

The holiday season is a common topic of concern for many people. This includes, but is not limited to: problem solving specific plans, concerns about seeing friends and family, financial stressors, food allergy/dietary worries, traveling exposures, managing childhood behaviors, or self-regulating our own emotions.  

I have included a few articles to read and consider as some helpful tools for having a joyful, peaceful, and mindful holiday season. 

24 Ways to Make the Holidays Kid-Friendly

Enjoy the Holidays with Mindfulness

Unlocking Resilience: 5 Tips for Navigating Difficult Holiday Experiences

Parenting During the Holiday Season: 3 Tips from 3 Psychologists for Tackling Holiday Stress

Have a happy and healthy Thanksgiving!

Antidotes for the Four Horsemen with Couples

Having a healthy relationship with your partner is key for long-lasting meaningful experiences as a couple. It is very normal and expected for couples to have conflicts, as well as to feel a wide variety of emotions including, but not limited to, anger, sadness, happiness, excitement, guilt, pleasure, joy, and disappointment. Healthy couples communicate effectively, manage conflict well, show grace, and choose each other every day.  

We have a good amount of research focusing on areas of growth as well as elements that can lead to a relationship being unhealthy or ending. The Four Horseman represent four specific elements that are linked to relationship distress. These are criticism, contempt, defensiveness, and stonewalling. Fortunately, there are antidotes for each of these that can protect your relationship. See this article that describes The Four Horseman and how you can self-regulate and improve and protect your relationship. 

 The Four Horsemen: The Antidotes

I hope you have a long-lasting, meaningful, and joyful relationship! 

Mental Health in Youth Sports

 It can be thrilling to watch your young athlete score a goal, make a touchdown, hit a home run, or win a race. Kids and teens can have loads of fun competing, training, being part of a team, growing individually, building a relationship with a coach, and challenging themselves. Parents can connect with other families, support their children, and model resilience. Participating in sports can be a wonderful part of childhood and adolescence. It can also present the opportunity for parents to experience intense emotional investment in their child’s success or failure, as well as demands for financial, time, personal, and family commitments. While your child (or you) may desire to become a professional athlete (and for some very, very select few, this is a reality), it is very important to consider the role sports participation has in your lives so that your child has a positive and healthy experience.  

Here are some articles with data and practical strategies for incorporating sports in your family life. 

Burnout in Young Athletes: How to Keep the Fun in Sports

Sports Specialization and Intensive Training in Young Athletes

Have fun supporting your little athlete!

Dr. Laura

Talking to the Pediatrician About Mental Health

 As the school year is approaching, many families will be bringing their kids and teens to the pediatrician for well-visits and sports physicals. This is a great time to check-in with any mental health concerns and communicate them to your provider. The pediatrician can then make a referral to an appropriate mental health professional who can further help in the area of concern. Here is an article with some strategies to help youth share how they are thinking and feeling overall as well as some concerns to look out for. 

I hope this is a helpful resource. 

 https://www.healthychildren.org/English/healthy-living/emotional-wellness/Pages/How-to-Talk-with-Your-Child-and-Their-Pediatrician-About-Mental-Health-Concerns.aspx 

Inside Out 2

 Joy, Sadness, Anger, Fear and Disgust have returned for another fantastic production of Inside Out. The sequel to the original delivers a fun, accurate, and science-backed depiction of human emotions relative to developmental stages and seasons of life. In Inside Out 2, we meet Embarrassment, Boredom aka Ennui, Envy, and (my favorite) Anxiety. The story is compelling, interesting, and sweet. Inside Out 2 provides an opportunity to visualize the inner experience of emotions, social dynamics, developmental changes, as well as the outcome of when one emotion tries to take over.  This film does a wonderful job of capturing the importance of integrating emotions.  

I have included several resources that go deeper into the science behind Inside Out 2. There are spoilers, so if you haven’t yet watched the movie, please do! It is worth your time and appropriate for all ages.  

What Inside Out 2 Reveals About the Diversity of Emotions

https://greatergood.berkeley.edu/article/item/inside_out_2_Reveals_About_the_Diversity_of_Emotions

The Science Behind Inside Out 2

https://ggsc.berkeley.edu/what_we_do/event/the_science_behind_inside_out

The 5 C's of Media Use

As we transition from the structured school year into the summer months, many families experience stress about how to handle the change. Some kids and teens will go to camps, enrichment programs, or try new activities. Families may take vacations or day trips together or have lots of unstructured free time at home. One common challenge for parents, especially when the regular school day routine is different, is deciding on appropriate screen time and content exposure allowances. The American Academy of Pediatrics provides guidance on this issue using an easy-to-remember plan, the 5 C’s. Review this link for the details.

Kids & Screen Time: How to Use the 5 C's of Media Guidance