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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Today is Children’s Mental Health Awareness Day! Sometimes as parents we are more comfortable talking about physical illness than mental illness, but here are some things to remember so that we can be part of reducing stigma: Mental Illness is not uncommon. 1 in 6 U.S. children aged 2–8 years (17.4%) had a diagnosed mental,…
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School has been cancelled along with other important high school events such as prom and graduation. Most teens and young adults are mixed with emotions right now and some may even begin to feel isolated while physical distancing. Our teens need our attention now more than ever, to help them cope during this pandemic. According…
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Everyone knows that self-care is important and having a self-care routine can reduce our anxiety and restore our energy (physically and mentally). But sometimes, we lack the motivation to practice self-care. So what do we do if once we lose motivation and energy to continue our self-care routines? The answer: positive self-talk. We’ve mentioned before…
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We often confuse mental wellness with feeling good all of the time. While it’s true that practicing optimism, gratitude, and other wellness skills can drastically improve mental health, we will never be exempt from experiencing uncomfortable emotions. Sadness, anxiety, grief, loneliness, and more are all normal during this time. In a recent article for in…
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Do you know about the growing body of research on laughter? Turns out the old saying, “laughter is the best medicine” has some truth to it when it comes to physical AND mental health. Short-term benefits include: Stimulate many organs. Laughter enhances your intake of oxygen-rich air, stimulates your heart, lungs and muscles, and increases the…
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OKPTA Cultivate wants to remind you that your job is hard, and you are doing your best! Let’s prioritize joy over perfection during this time…and always! We want to share this comic for parents. It’s called, “How To Turn Your Home Into A School Without Losing Your Sanity”, and it’s a quick and easy read…
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There are many factors that contribute to behavioral health so it’s important for us to identify the risk factors that are associated to negative outcomes by providing opportunities to increase protective factors that prevents or reduce the risk factor’s impact. To better understand the science of risk factors, here is a video from Communities That…
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Art has many benefits to our mental health using art in a therapeutic way can help us develop self-awareness and self-confidence. In fact, art therapy is also used to help children develop social skills and achieve their sense of well-being. No matter how creative or experienced you are, there are many art therapy practices which…
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We’ve been taking measures to flatten the curve for a while now. Anyone experiencing weariness? If so, your friends in the OKPTA are feeling it too. In the beginning our adrenaline was high, helping us attack problems head on, but we didn’t know if we were in for a sprint or a marathon. Some time…
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