The Sun is Still There

 On a bright sunny day, it may feel easy to appreciate the blue sky, sunshine, and fresh air.  There are times, however, when we struggle to see or notice the nice sky. The day may be described by some as “pleasant” or “beautiful,” while others may be moving so quickly or experiencing symptoms of stress, anxiety or depression and feel unable to embrace the day. On those cloudy and gray days, an optimistic outlook will show that the sun is still there and in fact still providing all of the wonderful daylight we experience. A more pessimistic, sad, anxious, or depressed outlook will find it difficult to recall that light is still there. Hopefully, if you or your child identifies with the latter, a search for help and support is underway. Meeting with a mental health professional, sharing concerns with friends and family, as well as accepting difficulty and using it as a motivation to change can be tricky but healthy. 

 These considerations were my motivation for writing the story: The Summer it Rained: How Boppy the Beagle Learned to See the Sun Behind the Clouds 

In this online book, you will meet Boppy and his friends, his family, and helpers along the way and discover how to change your or your child’s outlook. You will learn how to build resilience and engage in effective problem solving. This book is available on Amazon, Barnes and Noble, or on my website .  

 

Happy reading and growing! 

Journey to College

How are you feeling about post high school decision making? For many high school and college students and their parents, it can be stressful and overwhelming to navigate this season. For those college bound individuals, there are choices to make about selecting colleges to tour or visit, researching majors, learning about financial aid options, preparing for a potential move and making new friends. There may also be difficult conversations about transferring schools, changing roommates or switching majors. This time of emerging adulthood can be simultaneously challenging and exciting. There is support available for both students and parents to assist with these concerns and plans. 

Consider accessing my collection of college workshops for smooth transitions, informed decision making, and making meaningful memories. In this College Suite package, you will learn how to have a successful college experience with on-demand audio content: 

 

Ten Workshops for a Successful College Experience 

What Worked Then Might Not Work Now 

Taking Care of Test Anxiety 

Mindfulness in College 

Utilize Resources 

Stay on Campus 

Manage Your Time and Make the Right Choices 

Choosing the Right School 

Financial Preparedness 

Getting Involved in College 

Transition Back to School 

 

 

I hope that you have a great start to this new season of life! 

Summer Traveling

 Summer traveling can be exciting and an opportunity to create meaningful experiences with friends and family. There are also opportunities to practice skills learned during other seasons and generalize to new environments. Traveling together in a shared space such as a car, train, or plane can create or illuminate stressors that are otherwise not usually present such as sitting in the same space close to another family member or even a stranger for several hours, reduced bathroom access, motion sickness, or fear of being up in air or on water, or of being farther away from home. Parents learn how to help their children cope with changes they may be experiencing for the first time like getting on an airplane or ferry, trying new restaurants, or getting on a fast amusement park ride. Adults can experience anxiety provoking difficulties in many areas such as facing fears, managing food allergies for themselves or a dependent, organizing travel itineraries, coping with social interactions with difficult people and dealing with heavy traffic, delays, or cancellations. Coping with change is another top priority when traveling. Some people may struggle with adjusting to a change in routine or plans. These are just a small representation of the many challenges that can occur with traveling. 

There are several strategies people can use to mitigate difficulties, including adjusting the mindset towards challenges as an opportunity for growth and learning new skills, and embracing the wild adventures that come from unexpectedly spending more time in another location or with people than originally planned. When traveling with food allergies, it is important and helpful to prepare ahead of time to help ease expected anxiety. Here is an excellent resource for navigating this issue: https://www.foodallergy.org/resources/travel-tips 

For managing motion sickness, it is important to notice individual symptoms, prepare yourself or your child proactively for the trip with tools and strategies. See this article from the American Academy of Pediatrics for tools for managing car sickness with littles. 

If traveling for a work conference/meeting or a sports tournament for your kids (as we recently were), consider using some of the time for spending time with family or friends, explore local historical places, go for a hike, tour a nearby area, rest by the beach or pool, or hop on a roller coaster. Choose what is fulfilling for you. You won’t be likely to find me on the roller coaster, but hiking or going to a museum, sign me up!  

Traveling is an excellent opportunity for anxiety exposures and it is amazing to celebrate these completed milestones with others. For help planning exposures, contact me and we can work it out together! 

 

Happy summer traveling! 

Summer of Change

 Summer is a great time to reflect on your personal goals and explore if there are any areas of your life that could use a little freshening up or even a major change. For some, this may be committing to a consistent bedtime or eating more fruit daily. For others, it may quitting smoking or changing jobs. Parents often consider options for helping their children grow or work on new challenges over the summer months.  Whether it is a seemingly small improvement or life changing venture, there are practical strategies that can help. 

If you are looking into changing a habit or behavior or helping someone else you care about make a change, consider taking my course, Behavior Change Ahead. This is an audio course that you can access on any internet-enabled device and includes 4 hours of content packed with science-backed principles. You will learn about the impact of behaviors in your life, choosing behaviors to change, setting achievable goals, functions of behavior, principles of reinforcement, punishment, data collection and review, observing behavior, celebrating success, and more. Behavior Change Ahead can be accessed any time you are able to listen and includes a printable workbook to help guide you through the principles and behavior change journey. If you think there is a behavior you would like to change, or if you want to learn more about the science of behavior change, this course is for you. 

It is important to note that this course is educational in nature and is not intended to treat mental health disorders or to replace treatment by a mental health professional. If you are interested in individual therapy with me, please reach out via my website or give me a call. 

 

Happy learning and changing!