Teenagers are living their lives online; they spend a lot of their time on social media, posting updates, checking others’ updates, watching videos and shows, playing games, etc. Given that 75% of teens have profiles on social networking sites and that they value the social connections that social media provides, it is important for parents … Read more
Empathy represents a complex, often misunderstood, and sometimes taken-for-granted set of skills that help us to navigate our social and emotional world. It includes not just feeling concern for others who are in distress, but also our ability to “see” things from another’s perspective as well as to imagine how someone else might be feeling. … Read more
“I don’t have to chase extraordinary moments to find happiness – it’s right in front of me if I’m paying attention and practicing gratitude” – Brené Brown “Gratitude is a potent vaccine that inoculates us against negativity” – Donald Altman In the 1990s, the field of positive psychology ushered in a new awareness of how … Read more
More Americans than ever before are feeling lonely. In 2010, approximately 40 percent of Americans reported regularly feeling lonely, whereas only 20 percent of Americans in the 1980’s regularly felt lonely. The feeling of loneliness is all about perception. We become lonely if we do not feel meaningfully connecting with our friends or if we … Read more
My two daughters are graduates of Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School in Parkland, Florida – Class of 2008 and Class of 2012. As a result, the news surrounding the terrible shooting there a few weeks ago has had a resonance for me even beyond the shock, sadness, fear, and anger experienced by all of us … Read more
Resilience, or the capacity to recover or adjust from difficulties, is a vital characteristic to nurture for coping in our complex, ever-changing world. Children can experience stressors at school with teachers, academics, and peers, with extra-curricular activities such as sports, and within the family with parents and siblings. The newest research on resilience indicates that … Read more
The term “executive functioning skills” is a stand-in for a range of thinking and problem-solving skills that help us to manage our day-to-day lives. They are mental processes that enable us to plan, focus attention, remember instructions, and juggle multiple tasks successfully. Executive functioning skills can be broken down into 3 inter-related cognitive processes: 1. … Read more
You are not your thoughts. Thoughts are just electrical impulses that are rapidly transmitted between neurons in the brain. It is our actions, not our thoughts, that define us. That being said, the way we think has an enormous impact on how we feel; this can have both positive and negative implications. Before our brains … Read more
Hopefully this holiday season was filled with fun, laughter, downtime, and served as a mini break from the daily routine of running and stress. With the winter holiday coming to an end, many parents and their children have mixed emotions about school starting again. While getting back to a routine is healthy, having enjoyed a … Read more
As winter break quickly approaches, many children and their families are eager for a chance to relax, unwind, and enjoy some much-needed time away from the demands of school. However, for many children, this time of year can also be a source of significant stress. In particular, children with developmental delays, AD/HD, anxiety disorders, and … Read more
