Recently a friend of mine’s teenage daughter was going through a difficult time. They were desperate to find a therapy style that would work to support her needs. And spent a great deal of time researching, talking and investigating different therapeutic styles that would support their daughter. A wind-up finding a CBT therapist and after weeks of intensive therapy. Their daughter is doing well. Her mom attributes it to CBT therapy and said that it was such a game-changer I should look into it and become CBT certified myself.
If the holidays are all about family, togetherness, food and fun, at least that’s what mine are about, then why the hell do I feel so much holiday stress? Shopping for the perfect gifts, budgeting for those gifts, wrapping and hiding those gifts(my brother and I were masters at finding the wrapped gifts my mom thought she had hidden well!). lol #sorrynotsorrymom Maybe we’re missing loved ones who have passed, or are no longer in our lives. Perhaps that one family member who has to talk all the time about his favorite orange president until you find yourself silently stabbing yourself under the table with a fork. Many people suffer from all these different types of stress during the holidays. So let’s chat about them and how to work to prevent the holiday blues from tarnishing your holiday mood.
Mindfulness is a buzz word for this decade it appears. And more recently in the last several years as we have struggled through covid and everything that comes with it. Having a healthy grasp of your mindfulness is more important than ever. However, oftentimes we only look at mindfulness as it applies to adults. In this blog we’re going to talk about mindfulness with our kids, teens and young adults.
As a child growing up Jewish, I remember celebrating certain BIG Jewish holidays, like Rosh Hashanah, in a large synagogue outside San Francisco somewhere. Don’t ask me, I don’t remember the name. (maybe ask my mom) But the place was HUGE and with many buildings. I also don’t remember the inside of the sanctuary ONE BIT. But I remember the lobby, which was the sanctuary for kids looking for sanctuary from the sanctuary. LOL!
Your kids may be having a serious case of the feels these days—from sadness and anxiety to feeling disconnected, lonely, and bored. And no wonder! While most of us are not certified art therapists, we can still incorporate a few art therapy activities to help them identify and manage their emotions.
Have you ever wondered how an artist like Salvador Dali came up with the paintings that he did? Have you ever stared at an MC Escher painting and wondered what the heck is going on in that guy’s head that he was able to not only think of the works that he created but actually make them? How are their creative minds different from your mind?