Is life’s unpredictability getting to you? We’re in the midst of uncertain times. Between the implications of the coronavirus pandemic and the election results, many people are feeling understandably uneasy. We’re not sure what the future will look like and that uneasiness is causing us distress. When we feel fearful or overwhelmed, we have a natural tendency to go into fight (criticize, yell, get into arguments), flight (run away physically or mentally), or freeze (shut down or isolate) mode. This occurs because our minds and bodies are perceiving the uncertainty as a threat. While it’s okay in the short-term, it can take its toll on our bodies in the long-term. Chronic stress can cause us to feel fatigued, to experience anxiety or depression, and to suffer from sleep issues, among other things. It’s not healthy to be in this mode more often than necessary. Luckily, you can escape the constant state of stress and combat the unpredictability. Here are some quick tips and suggestions to give your mind and body a breather...
It’s possible that you’re facing election-related stress. With November 3rd just around the corner, most Americans are understandably anxious. The uncertainty of who our next president will be has everyone on-edge. The first step to coping with any kind of anxiety is to acknowledge how you’re feeling. Recognize that you are feeling increasingly nervous, or more easily frustrated, or more emotionally volatile. Next, develop ways to address the impact of your emotions today, before the election, and after the election results are announced as well. What can you do to remain emotionally resilient in the days ahead? Here are some helpful tips…
Does your teen have trouble adapting to change or bouncing back from challenges? Teenagers don’t have it easy during a pandemic. Their lives were already full of physical, social, and emotional changes every day. With the added stress of COVID-19, it’s understandable for teens to struggle with changes or setbacks. A mistake as small as spilling their glass of water or a problem as big as doing poorly on a math test could negatively impact their mood for the rest of the day. In today’s world, it’s more important than ever for teens to cultivate emotional resilience. It will help them deal with life’s changes and challenges without all of the emotional suffering. Share these helpful tips with your teen so that they can cope with adversity effectively…
Is your child “stuck” in negative pattern behavior? In a perfect world, you could tell your children what they’re doing wrong and they would actually listen. They would stop procrastinating homework, scrolling mindlessly through social media, or getting emotional when under pressure. Making a change is easier said than done. Whether it be managing time more effectively, being increasingly present in the moment, or staying focused on the task at hand, your teen can make a change for the better. How? By focusing on target behaviors. Let’s explore how your child can use target behaviors to succeed at self-improvement…
Does your teen struggle to stay focused on schoolwork? School was challenging enough before the pandemic. With online and hybrid learning, it has become even more difficult for teens to manage the responsibilities of being a student. It’s tough to focus in class when the classroom has become their bedroom. It can be a hurdle just to get started on homework when your teen is anxious about the workload. When teens get stuck in overwhelming feelings of anxiety, mindfulness skills help bring them into the present moment. Practicing mindfulness can really make an impact on your teen’s learning experience. Here are some mindfulness tips to help teens succeed at school…
Have your emotions felt out of control lately? It’s hard to be your best self during a pandemic. Trying to keep the family calm so that you all get along is a major undertaking—let alone keeping your own emotions in-check. Though it would be nice, you can’t ever have complete control over how you feel. The best you can do is to develop better emotion regulation skills so that you’re not feeling emotionally drained by the end of the day. Here are some DBT-inspired tips and tricks to manage an endless list of to-do’s while maintaining your composure…
Do you get easily frustrated with your family? Maybe it’s the way your kids chew with their mouths open or the way your partner stacks the dishes in the sink that gets on your nerves. These minor bothers can get exacerbated during a pandemic. Your emotions are only heightened with the added stress of health, financial, and social concerns. With so many things to worry about, it’s understandable that the little things might put your emotional state over the edge. One of the best ways to keep your cool during a pandemic is to practice patience. Patience is more than being able to wait for something or someone. It’s also the ability to tolerate unpleasant situations without getting angry or upset (without getting into Emotion Mind, as it’s called in DBT). Parents who are patient are better able to handle daily challenges within the family without losing their cool. Like playing the piano or riding a bike, patience is a learned skill that you can strengthen over time. Here are some ways to cultivate patience…
Have you been getting more involved in your kids’ online learning? Many parents are stepping in this school year to support their children with online learning so that they don’t fall behind academically. But have you ever considered the impact of your added involvement on your children’s executive functioning skills? Executive functioning skills are the set of skills that your child doesn’t get graded for; however, they do play a key role in learning and earning high marks. Strong executive functioning skills allow kids to organize, prioritize, and complete tasks effectively. With remote learning, strive to find a balance between stepping in to help and stepping back to let your kid figure things out on their own and develop vital executive functioning skills. Here are some strategies to help you and your children this school year...
Kids and teens of all ages recognize that this school year is not like any year before. Whether their school year is starting off with remote, hybrid, or in-person learning, it is a major change from what they are used to. The new school year already comes with the anxieties of new classes, different classmates, new teachers, and potentially a new school. The addition of a pandemic only makes the nervousness, uncertainty, and apprehension even more intense. As a parent, you can help to ease your child’s worries. Here are some strategies to make the extra daunting transition back into a new school year more manageable…
With the school year starting any day now, many parents and children are understandably anxious. There’s a great deal of uncertainty about what the new school year will look like and how it will compare to expectations. No matter what happens, this start of school will not be “normal.” It requires a different approach than previous years: an approach composed of determination, patience, compassion, and mindfulness. If you’re looking for ways to ease this especially challenging back to school transition for the kids (and for yourself), here are some helpful tips…
Are you concerned about the impact of the pandemic on your child’s social skills? It’s been months since children and teens have been in school in-person. With the new year approaching and many schools opting for hybrid or remote learning, kids will not experience the same amount of in-person interactions as they did during this time last year. It’s understandably troubling for parents who want to ensure that their children develop proper social skills for a healthy life ahead. Don’t worry—kids and teens continue to have opportunities to cultivate their social skills while social distancing! Help your child make the most of this time by taking an encouraging, purposeful approach with their social interactions. Here are some strategies to get you started…
As parents, we know that something is wrong when our teens lash out, act up, or isolate. The tough part is figuring out what they are struggling with and how to solve it. And when the issue at hand is procrastination, anxiety, self-harming, or other problem behaviors, many parents at a loss for where to begin. This is where DBT comes into play. DBT skills like Behavioral Chain Analysis can help you and your teen identify and prevent problem behaviors before they get out of control. With the uncertainty of the school year just around the corner, now is a great time to get a handle on negative patterns of behavior so that they don’t escalate in the weeks to come. Here’s your teen’s guide to identifying and preventing negative behaviors…
Has your child been emotional lately? Do certain things make your teen feel angry, upset, or on-edge? Maybe the tone of your voice sets them off, or a passing thunderstorm dampens their mood for the day. It’s understandable that some things will make people feel one way or another. Sometimes (especially with added stress of a pandemic), experiences can be very emotionally triggering—so much so, that they cause teens to get stuck in negative emotions for longer than necessary. Do you wish there was a way to help your teen not feel as frustrated by a friend who canceled Facetime plans or as anxious about ? Try using DBT skills, specifically emotion regulation skills! It’s simpler than you’d think…
It’s totally understandable for teens to be feeling heightened emotions lately. The current situation may seem crazy, unfair, or just plain frustrating to your teen. While it’s valid to see things this way, constant negative thinking can take its toll on your teen’s mental health. It can get them stuck in unhappiness, anger, shame, sadness, bitterness, or other painful emotions. Let DBT skills like radical acceptance help you and your teen through this challenging time. Radical acceptance skill of accepting the things that you cannot change. It doesn’t mean that your teen has to like the current situation or agree with it. Instead, When your teen cannot solve a problem or change how they feel about the problem, encourage them to try acceptance as a way of reducing their suffering.
Are you tired of hearing your kids say, “I’m bored!” all of the time? Many teens and tweens are struggling with a common emotion this summer: boredom. Too often, kids respond to boredom with negative pattern behaviors. With time, teens and tweens get stuck in a cycle of negative behavior, in which they immediately go to TikTok or the cookie tin when they feel bored. Luckily, there are just as many positive responses to boredom as negative ones! By creating challenges, trying new activities, and getting creative, your child can have a fun, engaging summer during coronavirus. Here are some ways to help your teen or tween beat that summer boredom…
Have you ever wondered what online therapy is like? Like many businesses lately, Mindsoother transitioned to telehealth, or online therapy. Therapy sessions are conducted via Zoom so that clients continue to receive the support they need, especially during these stressful times. The pandemic and its repercussions have caused many people to experience heightened negative emotions. When our lives are upended, it’s normal to feel more anxious, upset, or frustrated than usual. That’s where therapists can help. Like anything that’s new, online therapy may seem daunting at first. The therapists at Mindsoother are here to ease your worries! The Mindsoother team answered some commonly asked questions about online therapy sessions. Learn about what it’s like to practice online therapy from the therapists themselves…
Do you feel like you’re stuck in the same quarantine routine? If you and your family have been following the same cycle since quarantine began, it might be time for a change. Following the same patterns of behavior can make you feel anxious, hopeless, or frustrated. You’re often on autopilot, going through the motions of typical tasks while your mind wanders and worries about other things. Luckily, there is a way to break out of these patterns of behavior and have an improved connection to daily experiences: mindfulness! Mindfulness helps you break the cycle of passive “autopilot” behavior. You build awareness of what’s happening around you without letting your emotions take control. Mindfulness isn’t as complicated as you might think. Here are some simple ways to incorporate mindfulness into your routine and find meaning in mundane experiences…
Has the pandemic taken its toll on your family? Constant family time can strain family dynamics, even in the most agreeable of families. Spending 24/7 with the same people makes it more likely for conflicts to arise. Are you tired of arguing with your partner or pulling your hair out over your kids’ bickering? Take a dialectical approach. When you think dialectically, you acknowledge that two opposing ideas are both true; then, you find balance between those ideas in order to be most effective. Are you ready to make family time less stressful? Let’s learn about dialectics and how you can apply it to your family dynamics for calmer days ahead…
As your child seeks independence, you may be asking yourself "What's the right balance?" Creating more independence is often a topic in family therapy and in therapy with teens. For parents, the struggle lies in giving your children enough space to make mistakes that they can learn from AND not so much space that it risks your child getting seriously hurt. It’s not easy to find middle ground between your child’s needs to be independent and venture out and your need to keep your child forever safe and close. So how do you strike a balance? Where is the line between creating independence and promoting safety? Here are 3 tips on how to approach this topic in your family discussions…
Are you often at odds with your kids, partner, or other people in your quarantine bubble? Disagreements during already stressful times can make everyday life difficult for everyone. With continuous conflict caused by being around each other all of the time, your family may feel out of touch, tense, or distant. How can you strengthen your family relationships, reduce conflict, and feel happier? Next time you encounter conflict, give the VALIDATE skill a try! VALIDATE helps you validate others; you verbally recognize how they are feeling in order to reach a mutual understanding and find a solution. It’s perfect for families because it encourages open, honest communication, allowing family members to connect on a deeper level. Let’s explore how VALIDATE can help your family…
