Monday, December 9, 2024

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. 

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

Monday, November 25, 2024

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



Monday, October 28, 2024

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. 

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

Tuesday, September 24, 2024

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. 





Have fun supporting your little athlete!


Dr. Laura

Tuesday, August 20, 2024

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. 

Wednesday, July 24, 2024

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

Monday, June 24, 2024

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.

Monday, May 20, 2024

Benefits of Unstructured Play

As parents, it can be very anxiety provoking allowing your children freedom to engage in risky play or to take a walk on their own to the corner grocery store, but these experiences are actually very beneficial for them. It is important for kids and adolescents to build independence, solve problems, develop skills, and learn how to safely navigate their world to gain mastery of their environment.  

I have included an article explaining some of the wonderful benefits of allowing unstructured time for your children. This will build your endurance for discomfort as well as teach your kids how to be interdependent adults. 


The Many Wondrous Benefits of Unstructured Play

Wednesday, April 24, 2024

How Parents Can Help Children with Anxiety or OCD

 A very important part of successful treatment of children is the collaboration with parents. Parents are a key part of their child’s team. This article provides some helpful suggestions for parents of children with anxiety or OCD. I hope it is helpful.  

Supporting Your Child with Anxiety and/or OCD - Q&A

https://adaa.org/learn-from-us/from-the-experts/blog-posts/consumer/supporting-your-child-anxiety-andor-ocd-qa 

Tuesday, March 19, 2024

Spring Gratitude

 Happy Spring! I am feeling so thankful for warmer weather, longer days, more sunshine, the smell of fresh fallen rain, and the return of birds and flowers. I hope you can find joy in the small things during the day in all seasons. Expressing gratitude is a powerful exercise for enhancing well-being. For more details and illustrations, check out this article from the Anxiety and Depression Association of America: Gratitude - A Mental Health Game Changer: https://adaa.org/learn-from-us/from-the-experts/blog-posts/consumer/gratitude-mental-health-game-changer

Tuesday, February 20, 2024

Family Media Balance

 

Do you have a family media plan? Technology is so useful and helpful in many circumstances. We can look up information such as how to fix a toilet flusher, how to do long division, or how to unlock a bedroom door without a key- all actual searches from our household! We can have video meetings for work, see a doctor, and visit with family and friends.  It is important to consider these benefits within the context of challenges, limitations and concerns. Show love to your family this month by establishing a healthy relationship with media. Here is a webinar from the American Academy of Pediatrics that discusses several important aspects of media use among children and adolescents. 

Media Balance: What’s Your Family’s Plan? 

I hope this provides some useful and relevant information. Please reach out to me with any questions.