How can we keep going on with all the chronic, toxic stress in our lives these days? The “carefree summertime” is anything but for many of us here in 2020. We continue to struggle with relentless worries about the coronavirus pandemic. We worry about its effects on our physical and mental health, our economy and […]
Read MoreIn the End, we will remember not the words of our enemies, but the silence of our friends. Martin Luther King, Jr. So much pain and anger and fear. So much confusion and polarization. Protests and riots; impassioned pleas for peace and justice. Taking a knee (during the national anthem); taking a life (by taking […]
Read MoreTo every thing there is a season, and a time for every purpose under the sun: A time to be born, and a time to die; A time to plant, and a time to reap that which is planted; A time to break down, a time to build up; A time to weep, and a time […]
Read MoreWhenever I’m asked to help with a child’s disruptive behaviors – acting out, arguing, yelling, crying, hitting, throwing, lashing out, withdrawing, hiding, running away, refusing to participate, you name it – I always begin with this question: What is the child feeling right now? What is the underlying feeling or need that is driving that […]
Read MoreAre you finding it harder and harder to get your child to do his schoolwork at home? Are they more belligerent and defiant? Are they more anxious and avoidant? Are you more exhausted and fed up? Parents with school-age kids are feeling significant amounts of stress and strain these days due to the prolonged school closings and […]
Read MoreIt’s May. So, in honor of Mental Health Awareness Month, let’s take stock of our children’s current mental health and well-being. Some sobering statistics: Nearly two-thirds of youth report feeling stressed about balancing their daily activities Almost half report feeling anxious, sad, or irritable due to stress One of every three teens in America report […]
Read More“Do you have a critical voice? What do you find it saying to you?” These two questions are at the heart of the matter for self-compassion researchers Kristen Neff and Chris Germer. What they’ve confirmed over years of study is that for many of us, we are our own worst enemy. Sadly, this is true […]
Read More“You can’t stop the waves, but you can learn to surf them.” Stress is an inevitable part of life. We can’t predict, control, or stop the waves of stress from entering our lives, any more than we can stop the waves of the ocean from coming ashore. But we can learn how to surf those […]
Read MoreYou may be asking yourself these days, “How on earth do I manage my job and family, my kids and their schooling – all at home, all at once?!” Or, more succinctly, “How do I keep my sanity during these times of quarantine and uncertainty?” Two words: Time and Place. We all need structure. […]
Read MoreQUESTION: Pandemic stress – what’s mindfulness got to do with it? ANSWER: Everything! Any time we are highly stressed, the rational thinking part of our brain automatically takes a back seat to the more primitive, emotionally-reactive parts of our brain. These “amygdala hijackings” serve the purpose of self-protection in times of danger. They send us into “Fight or […]
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