Let’s consider giving and gratitude. The very act of giving, when offered without hope for reward or return, brings fascinating benefit. Even when feeling some ‘lack’ in our lives, these moments of giving yield a reward of immense gratitude, instantly and automatically. It just flows into us with overwhelming feelings of warmth and appreciation.
We are creatures of familiarity. We tend to seek out the same experiences, over and over, regardless of whether those experiences are fulfilling. We can be quite dissatisfied, frustrated, anxious, or depressed, and yet we tend to repeatedly turn to the same solutions.
We want our children to be strong, resilient, and eager to tackle the challenges ahead. So, let us discuss how to get there.
Life is often challenging. Few argue with that conclusion. And what is needed in those challenging moments is not a wimpy attitude and more whining. Despite this, many of us are raising our children to be wimps. They tend to lean away from challenges, from struggles, and effort. This rarely works out well.
Temper tantrums are a topic of perennial relevance, except more now than ever. Why? Because Covid has pushed the limits of many homes, with children and teens learning to ‘rule the roost’ through demand and tantrums.
When we wake up in the morning, here’s what happens to most of us. Residual thought from the day before, whether it be more positive or negative, quickly comes to mind. With that and all the familiarity from yesterday’s events, the mind is quickly back on track to...
As a psychologist working with individuals and organizations, I am frequently offered numerous reasons justifying our personal psychological struggles. And many of these reasons would appear valid to anyone listening. They tend to take one of the following forms: It’s...
Our minds are like a telescopic lens, and the more we focus on something, the larger it becomes. As a child, we begin with a starter telescope, and this makes it hard to get locked into one perspective. As we age, we evolve to giant telescopes, with a great capacity to focus in on a single point of view. As we zoom in on perception or a belief (and this creates an emotion), the mind then expands upon that over and over.
In recent years, there is an explosion of children and adults struggling with anxiety disorders. These range from anxiety disorders that are uncomfortable to those that lead to disabling fears and panic symptoms. Turning to medications for a solution is often filled...
Our minds seem to be incessantly creating questions to be answered. We engage in this inner dialogue, answering the internal questions and following the train of thought. The question controls our energy and attention!
Pattern recognition is exactly what it implies: Noticing patterns of behavior or emotion, and the behavioral or emotional consequences that are paired with those choices. Thus, it is essential to include both child and adult behaviors and emotions in any behavioral issue.
Many of us have been (falsely) taught that children need a stronger voice in making decisions in their life. We hear the battle cry: “Give kids more choice.” And so we listen and turn to our children to offer them more choice.
