Helping Your Child Manage Nightmares
Nearly all children have bad dreams at some point. They tend to peak in the preschool years when fears of the dark are common. It is helpful for parents to know how to promote restful sleep and to help your child cope with bad dreams when they occur.
5 Myths about Marriage
The Gottman Institute has been researching what makes marriages work for 40 years. In a recent article in the Washington Post, John Gottman and Christopher Dollard addressed five common myths on what makes marriages work.
Exercise Is a Powerful Treatment for Depression
Finding motivation to exercise when you are depressed can be difficult. However, exercise can be one of the best things you can do for your mental health. There are many facts to consider, read more to find out.
All it Takes is 10 Mindful Minutes
When is the last time you did absolutely nothing for 10 whole minutes? Not texting, talking or even thinking? Mindfulness expert Andy Puddicombe describes the transformative power of doing just that: Refreshing your mind for 10 minutes a day, simply by being mindful and experiencing the present moment. (No need for incense or sitting in uncomfortable positions.)
Tips for Parents
“We find what we expect to find, and we receive what we ask for.” Elbert Hubbard, editor, publicist and writer
Does this scenario sound familiar?
Parent: “Johnny (six years old), would you clean your bedroom?”
(2 minutes later) “Johnny, would you pleeeeease pick up your bedroom?”
(2 hours later, after many more times of asking, in an angry voice) “Go do it now! How many times do I have to tell you to pick up your bedroom!”
Simply Happy
If there is one thing we can all agree on, it’s that we want to be happy. What can science tell us about what boosts happiness? This TED radio hour explores these issues, including how we may be happier if we own less stuff or when we stay in the moment rather than being distracted.
How to Improve Your Marriage
The preeminent marital therapist of our time, John Gottman, reports that couples who convey positive messages as compared to negative, critical messages at a ratio of 5/1 are more likely to have healthy relationships. This refers to balancing every negative message to their partners with five positive ones. Think of the positive messages as a “deposit” and the negative messages as a “withdrawal.”
The Pursuit of Happiness
Most of us make life choices hoping to increase our happiness. It seems like a simple goal, one that shouldn’t be too difficult to achieve, assuming that our basic needs are being met. Ironically, however, the pursuit of happiness has been found to negatively impact our well-being. For example, a study reviewing daily diary entries found that those who highly valued happiness reported feeling more lonely on a daily basis. Instead, the clearest path to happiness seems to be not just solely pursuing happiness , but also meaningfulness as well.
Brene Brown: The Power of Vulnerability
In an honest and poignant presentation, Brene Brown, Ph.D., shares her profound wisdom about the power of vulnerability to overcome feelings of shame. She explains how many of us internalize societal messages of unworthiness, and spend much of our efforts trying to achieve perfection by pleasing others and proving our worth. Dr. Brown instead advocates forWholehearted living: a way of engaging in the world from a place of inherent worthiness. This choice makes all the difference. If Dr. Brown’s presentation speaks to you, check out her published books that explore these issues in greater detail: The Gifts of Imperfection: Let go of who you think you’re supposed to be and embrace who you are and Daring Greatly: How the courage to be vulnerable transforms the way we live, love, parent and lead.
5 Myths of Self-Compassion
While most of us have positive responses to the idea of having compassion for others, we often balk at self-compassion, believing that it is narcissistic, harmful or indulgent. Researcher Kristen Neff has devoted her professional life to proving that in addition to improving one’s well-being, self-compassion actually leads to more caring and supportive actions towards others. In a recent article, she summarizes current studies that validate her claim.
A Simple Way to Stop Bad Habits
To learn a simple way to stop bad habits, watch this TED talk from Dr. Judson Brewer, a psychiatrist specializing in mindfulness training for addictions. This video lasts about 9 minutes.
Building Your Child’s Optimism
Optimism can be an important tool in combating depression. Studies have shown that happy people are more optimistic, and optimistic people are less vulnerable to depression. When bad things happen, they bounce back, and continue to expect that good things will continue to happen to them. Surprisingly, good things don’t happen more often to happy people than to unhappy people. Everyone experiences sadness and difficulty. It is merely a part of life. The difference is how one explains what happens. Happy, optimistic people tend to maintain three beliefs or explanatory styles; that good events last a long time, and bad events pass quickly; that good events are caused by their own efforts and bad things just happen without a reason; and good things have global implications and bad things are very specific (i.e., I am very smart, vs. I am good at math; Jose doesn’t like me vs. no one likes me.) The good news is that optimism can be learned, and it is especially helpful to learn it at an early age.
Managing Parenting Stress
No one said being a parent is easy! Having children makes life exciting, fun and challenging, but can cause significant stress as well. Being a parent can make it difficult to maintain regular self-help routines, particularly if your child has special needs like ADHD or autism. Whether you work outside the home or not, are single or married, have one child or five, the pressures of managing parental stress can be daunting. Of course, a stressed out parent is a less effective one, so any efforts to manage difficulties in a healthy way are always beneficial.
Everyday Mindfulness
Mindfulness is the practice of cultivating nonjudgmental awareness in day-to-day life. Have you ever noticed when driving your car on a very familiar route that once you arrive, you don’t remember anything about your trip? That is referred to as being on “automatic pilot.” Mindfulness is the opposite experience. It is about experiencing your life fully, befriending and inhabiting the present moment , and participating intimately in life as it is unfolding. Mindfulness involves being grounded in the body, and bringing a kind, gentle and nonjudgmental curiosity to your current experience, whether positive, negative, or neutral.
5 Ways to Stop Overthinking
Overthinking is thinking too much, endlessly, repetitively, and unnecessarily considering words we have said, pondering implications for our actions, and analyzing the causes of our feelings. Some folks believe that when we are down, they should try to focus inwardly to figure out the causes and solutions to their problems. However, researchers in the field of depression have consistently found that ruminating worsens sadness, interferes with one’s ability to problem solve, saps motivation, and impedes concentration and initiative. Although people strongly believe that by overthinking they may be gaining insight into themselves and their life situation, that is rarely the case.
So what can one do to stop this alluring, yet harmful habit?
Let’s Talk About Parenting Taboos
All Natural Treatment of Depression
Treatment of depression is as diverse as those who suffer from it. While medications have been shown to help reduce symptoms in moderate to severe depression, they do not address the underlying causes and may not be a good long-term solution. Life-style changes are powerful tools for improving mood. But they may not be as simple as taking a pill. However, today consumers are increasingly interested in finding life-style solutions that don’t rely on psychotropic medication.
Signs of Excessive Anxiety in Children
Anxiety is a common experience for children and adults alike, and it often serves a useful purpose. Most parents want their young children to be apprehensive around strangers or to think twice before engaging in daring or risky activities. A little caution can help keep children safe. It is also common for children to be somewhat anxious in the dark, on their first day of school, or when speaking in front of their classroom. However, when a child’s initial anxiety in attending school doesn’t reduce over time, makes it difficult for the them to attend school, or becomes worse as they mature rather than better, then it has become a problem. Problematic anxiety interferes with children’s daily lives and keeps them from meeting developmental milestones. It is the combination of excessive levels of anxiety and interference in daily activities that suggest further assessment and intervention.