7 Activities to Improve Your Family’s Mental Health This Summer
After a busy school year, filled with early start times, homework, extracurricular activities, and family members busily running in different directions, it’s time to take a deep breath and lean into a slower rhythm of life. That slower pace provides an opportunity to improve your family’s connection, peace, and overall mental health. Below are a variety of mental health-friendly ideas to try to see what fits your family best. The goal, of course, is not to pile on more to-dos, but to add [...]
Emotional Infidelity: What It Is, Why It Occurs, and How to Overcome It
Having access to the incredible technology we now possess can be a good thing, but it opens other, darker possibilities. The same tools we can use to connect with others across the globe to collaborate on a project can also be used to enter and cultivate an illicit relationship. People conducted illicit relationships with others long before the invention of the cellphone or email. However, technology makes it that much easier to do so because of ease of access, and the boldness that [...]
Social Media and Body Image
Does looking at people on social media who seem to have perfect bodies and perfect lives depress you or make you feel inadequate? If so, you are not alone. Studies indicate that the unrealistic beauty ideals promoted by social media (increasingly digitally altered to look great) are a contributing factor to negative body image and disordered eating. Comparison is the thief of joy. – Theodore Roosevelt What is Body Image? Body image is the way you see yourself and feel about yourself, as [...]
What Every Parent Should Know Before Working With a Child Therapist
Starting therapy for your child is not significantly different from venturing into an unfamiliar, uncharted territory, wondering what might come at you. It’s a poignant step in supporting their emotional and mental health, and it’s natural to have questions or concerns about the process and how a child therapist might help. The great thing about working with a child therapist is that it’s a tried and tested collaborative effort between the therapist, your child, and you as a parent. The goal is to [...]
10 Tips for Preventing an Anger Outburst
An anger outburst is an intense and sudden expression of anger. A variety of factors can cause anger outbursts, including frustration, perceived wrongs, and stress. Anger itself is a natural and normal emotion. However, excessive anger can damage you and others. It’s essential to learn how to manage anger in effective and healthy ways. How Anger Damages Relationships Anger affects relationships in negative ways. When anger is not managed carefully and wisely. It can wreak havoc in relationships. Problems can include communication breakdown, [...]
Small Clues to Big Signs of Depression in Children
Have you ever imagined that your child, who always seems happy and cheerful, could be hiding a deep struggle? He or she always wears a smile, tells you everything is “great,” or “fine”, appears to brush off any challenges, and never displays negative emotions so as not to burden others. While this jovial attitude might seem perfect, what if it’s actually masking something much darker, such as depression in children? Signs of depression in children sometimes surprisingly hide behind the most unexpected and [...]