Breathe in, Breathe out, slowly, deeply. Click on the image to have the gif help you pattern your breath.
Lot’s of things can trigger anxiety, having something visual to focus your breathing on can be a useful tool to calm down in the moment.
Did this help you? Do you think it could help your adolescent?
Our deepest fear is not that we are inadequate. Our deepest fear is that we are powerful beyond measure. It is our light, not our darkness that most frightens us. We ask ourselves, ‘Who am I to be brilliant, gorgeous, talented, fabulous?’ Actually, who are you not to be? You are a child of God. Your playing small does not serve the world. There is nothing enlightened about shrinking so that other people won’t feel insecure around you. We are all meant to shine, as children do. We were born to make manifest the glory of God that is within us. It’s not just in some of us; it’s in everyone. And as we let our own light shine, we unconsciously give other people permission to do the same. As we are liberated from our own fear, our presence automatically liberates others.”
― Marianne Williamson, A Return to Love: Reflections on the Principles of “A Course in Miracles”
What do you think? Are you letting your light shine?
Depression is more than sadness. It is more than not being able to get out of bed. Depression means many things to many people.
It can be hard to talk about or even get a handle on what your depression is.
How do you talk to your adolescent about their depression? How do they talk to their friends about it?
Has your adolescent signed up for the SOVA website yet?
We found a great article about how to have more effective communication, not just with your parents, but with everyone!
Why this resource is helpful: It gives advice on good communication, not only between parents and teenagers, but between people in general. It stresses being a good listener. It also stresses paying attention to non-verbal communication. Non-verbal communication is difficult, and takes time to learn how to do.
Paying attention to your own stress and emotions while communicating is important.
What do you want to work on when it comes to communication? Tell us in your comments!
How did this video impact you? What makes a day good for you?
We believe we should work hard in order to be happy, but could we be thinking about things backwards? In this fast-moving and very funny talk, psychologist Shawn Achor argues that, actually, happiness inspires us to be more productive.
What helps you to be more productive? What makes your day fly by?
“Twenty years from now you will be more disappointed by the things you didn’t do than by the ones you did. So throw off the bowlines. Sail away from the safe harbor. Catch the trade winds in your sails. Explore. Dream. Discover.” – Mark Twain
What brings Joy into your life? What makes you happy? Would puddle splashing also make you happy?
Martin Seligman talks about psychology — as a field of study and as it works one-on-one with each patient and each practitioner. As it moves beyond a focus on disease, what can modern psychology help us to become?
Have you talked about positive psychology with your child? With mental health professionals? With your friends? What were some responses you received?
Cognitive researcher Nancy Etcoff looks at happiness — the ways we try to achieve and increase it, the way it’s untethered to our real circumstances, and its surprising effect on our bodies.
How do you feel when you’re happy? Or sad? Or angry? How do you see this both in yourself and in your child?
