September is National Suicide Prevention Month, so we are highlighting the 5 Steps for helping someone struggling with suicidal ideation. These 5 steps make up National Suicide Prevention Lifeline’s #BeThe1To campaign. Today we’ll discuss how to help someone cope by “being there”. This year the organization has added a special emphasis on how to be…
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Has your child ever said to you that they feel like their muscles feel tight or their body is stiff whenever they are feeling stressed and anxious? Try the Noodle Caboodle! The Noodle Caboodle is a child-friendly progressive muscle relaxation technique that helps relax the physical tightness of your muscles whenever you feel tense and…
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What is a calming corner and how do you create one at home? Simple! A calming corner is a space (does not necessarily have to be a literal corner) where children can go feel comfortable and relax their mind and bodies. Alternative to “time-outs,” calming corners can actually help children regulate their emotions and provides…
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There has been a lot of talk around racism but not enough about racial trauma. Research has, in fact, shown that racism can cause anxiety, depression, chronic stress and fatigue, and other symptoms similar to post traumatic stress disorder, which results in racial trauma. We’ve mentioned before how trauma affects the mind and body, it…
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We probably all have our “go-to” coping skills that we use in time of need, but what do we do when our trusty skills aren’t working? For many this is a time of unprecedented stress be it prolonged isolation, prolonged anxiety about health and safety, systemic racism, and more. Yes, there is much to be…
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We hope poetry week inspired you and your kids to create your own poems! Not a poet? No problem! We will show you how to make a poem collage from words cut out of magazines or newspapers to create that inspire you and connects to your story. You’ll need to gather any old magazines and…
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While the connection between sunshine and mental health still needs more research, there is enough evidence to make us consider daily sunlight is part of our routine. Lack of sunlight has been linked to many conditions including depression, obesity, diabetes, and even cancer. One reason sunlight is linked to improved mood is it’s observed connection…
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When the community experiences racial violence, just like other types of traumatic events, it can cause PTSD symptoms and other forms of emotional pain. Violence perpetrated on the basis of one’s membership in a minority group exposes the threats to safety for all members of that same group. We know feeling unsafe can easily negatively…
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Everyone gets embarrassed, but children especially can have a hard time putting embarrassment into perspective. Here are two great tips for helping your child process embarrassment: Take your child’s feelings seriously, but don’t overreact. Telling your child that their experience is no big deal, might be interpreted as equivalent to saying that their feelings are…
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Being able to self-regulate means we have the ability to control our behaviors, thoughts, and emotions. But every now and then, we sometimes experience frequent stress and our ability to self-regulate becomes a challenge. So how do we prevent this and maintain the skill to self-regulate through the most difficult times in our lives? In…
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