What Does it Mean to be Psychologically Flexible in the Face of the Pandemic?

What Does it Mean to be Psychologically Flexible in the Face of the Pandemic? Many experts argue that psychological flexibility is the ‘super skill’ of resilience and mental health. Research has found that it is associated with improved quality of life and both mental and physical well-being (Bond et.al, 2013; Gloster, Meyer & Lieb, 2017). … Read more

Making Sense of Grief and Loss

Making Sense of Grief and Loss Grief.  Even just saying the word out loud – there’s a heaviness to it.  In these past 12 months, our world has been confronted with grief and loss at a scale never before seen in our lifetimes.  It seems that nearly everyone worldwide has been personally affected by COVID-19 … Read more

Parents: Don’t Forget to Praise Your Kids for Their Resiliency

Parents: Don’t Forget to Praise Your Kids for Their Resiliency Since March of last year, our children have faced unprecedented, unpredictable, difficult and scary times. COVID-19 continues to negatively impact the daily lives of all age groups. When stepping back and reflecting on what our children have endured this past year with lock downs, school … Read more

Helping Kids Cope with a COVID Winter

Boy playing with ice man

As COVID-19 continues, we officially find ourselves deep in the cold winter season. Even before the pandemic, winter has always presented its own set of challenges to our youngsters: colder weather and shorter days mean less time outside to burn off energy; shorter, darker days can mean a change in circadian rhythms, mood, and potentially … Read more

Supporting Athletes During Covid-19

As we continue our ongoing adjustment to the restrictions of the current pandemic, we are recognizing that student-athletes are faced with a unique set of challenges and difficulties. Not only did they have to quickly adjust to online learning like all students last March, but also the abrupt cancellation of their season, practices, and games. … Read more

Thoughts on Getting Through a COVID-19 Winter

Now that we have weathered several seasons of life in a pandemic, many of us have settled into the anxiety a bit.  By now, most of us have given up countless get-togethers, forgone summer vacations or family reunions, and lost all kinds of previously taken-for-granted aspects of our day-to-day work or school lives.  We have … Read more

Parenting During the Pandemic: Lessons to Learn and Remember

In early March (what I have come to refer to as “the before times”), none of us could have imagined that we would be heading into a new school year with social distancing, mask wearing, and limits on travel and other activities still necessary and still in place. As time goes on, it may become … Read more

Parenting During the Pandemic: 5 Mindfulness Strategies for Coping

mindfulness

Cultivating a mindfulness practice where one nurtures being in the present moment with lovingkindness and without judgment can prove to be a valuable coping tool for managing the COVID-19 pandemic. The uncertainty thrust upon us along with the burdensome daily extras inherent in the quarantine and home schooling can serve to increase our personal and … Read more

Helping Teens Make Healthy Choices During the Pandemic

The stereotype surrounding teens and risky behavior is one that, in this case, is well-founded.  Teens often don’t consider the consequences of their actions, even when they are well-informed about the risks.  Or if they do consider the possible negative outcomes, somehow those consequences don’t get factored in to their decision making. This trouble with … Read more