Anxiety
When Anxiety Comes Out Sideways
Anxiety isn’t always easy to recognize. Oftentimes, when dealing with kids, teens and even some adults, anxiety doesn’t present itself as them saying “I feel worried” but, instead, as behaviors. These behaviors may include yelling, hitting, crying, kicking, and shoving. They may refuse to do what they have been asked, attempt to control the situation,…
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Helping Your Preschooler Handle Strong Emotions
The stress of the past year has been overwhelming. It is unclear when exactly current restrictions in place to protect us from Covid-19 will be lifted and when we can go back to “normal.” We as humans are constantly changing and adapting to the need to be safe in a pandemic, causing job and family…
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It’s 2021…Now What?
Welcome to 2021 2020 was, to continue the overuse of the word, unprecedented. We, as a society, dealt with a worldwide pandemic, economic strife, political and social unrest, natural disasters, and many other smaller scale and personal events. A lot of these events caused distress, anxiety, depression, and fear. Throughout the year, it seems as…
Read MoreAdults, Social Media, and Mental Health
Not the best way to start your day. You wake up on a Saturday morning and instinctively reach over to your bedside table, grab your phone, and open your favorite app. The first thing you see is your middle school bully posting pictures of their fantastic, beautiful new home. So what do you feel? Jealousy?…
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Protecting Yourself from Second-Hand Anxiety
Do you feel anxious when your child or teen is anxious? Can you feel your own anxiety rising as your child retells an anxious event from their day? In all likelihood, the answer is yes. This phenomenon is called second-hand anxiety. Second-hand anxiety simply means feeling anxious because someone else is anxious. This happens because our…
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Unhelpful Things to Say to Someone with Anxiety
Anxiety is the experience of excessive worry or nervousness related to life experiences. Many people experience anxiety in some form at some point in their lives. However, some people struggle with anxiety on a much greater scale and with greater frequency. People who have intense or frequent anxiety often feel misunderstood and belittled by those…
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Perinatal Mental Health – The Mind of Birth
People get excited about babies. Well, why not? Babies are cute, cuddly bundles of human squish that make the hardest heart melt. How many times have we “ooooooed” and “awwwwwed” over diaper commercials or newborn photo shoots? Some of us can get lost in the baby clothes section at Target. Who can walk by someone…
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The Worst Advice Given By Parents
Most parents strive to be great at parenting. We want “the best” for our kids so they grow up to be successful. However, research has shown that successful kids don’t come from what has classically been doled out as parenting advice. Healthy eating habits, self-control, social skills, and compassion for others are trademarks of a…
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Anxiety – 5 Lesser Known Ways It Might be Affecting You
What is anxiety? Often, this word conjures an image of someone wringing their hands while they worry about an issue in their life. A child has missed curfew or maybe their thoughts are racing about an upcoming exam. In reality, anxiety can take on a variety of manifestations and outcomes. Some of the more common…
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How To Help Kids When Big Emotions Happen
Supporting our kids as they learn emotional regulation When little people are overwhelmed by big emotions, it’s our job to share our calm, not join their chaos. – L. R. Knost One of the tasks children and teens (even some adults) struggle the most with is emotional regulation. When individuals are struggling with…
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