Have you found that you’re experiencing similar weeks and are stressing about the variables? Or perhaps you notice difficulties completing similar tasks. Whether we’re starting change, in the midst of it, or waiting on it, adjustments can have a huge impact on our mood, daily dynamics, and overall mental health. In this post we will discuss the algorithm and explore some tips on helping with a smoother transition.

Grief is a feeling that many know,  although it's likely we wish we didn't. Bereavement after end stage cancer is so difficult and the loss of a loved one is immeasurable. Together, it may feel that it would be impossible to heal. In this blog, I will explore some strategies to help you, your family, and the cancer community to process and grieve. Know that as you start and continue this journey of healing that there is more than one "right" way to grieve a loss. The overall goal is not to forget but to balance our feelings in remembering the love and the light and not the illness.  To live in the pain without breaks would be unbearable. To try to only ignore and hide would likely lead to unhealthy tendencies. Let's explore finding a balance for you.

With the warming temperatures and school bells on mute, summer is often a major time of change for most. Individuals are likely to experience mental health changes, physical changes, and life changes in the next few months. Sound like you or a loved one? Here’s what we can keep in mind for a smoother transition.

Have you noticed more opportunities to discuss health with your child? Have they been asking more questions about something they heard on the news? Have you recently donated resources to an organization centered around health? Perhaps more conversations are centered around someone in the family undergoing treatment. Whatever your reason for starting the conversation, we want our youth to feel heard and supported while talking about illness.

I frequently hear parents’ misconceptions about the Special Education system. It’s a fallacy to think that every student may receive services under the same qualifications. Students may receive services for a number of reasons including: Autism spectrum, Speech, Learning Disability, Emotional Disturbance (ED), Intellectual Disability (ID), and Other Health Impairment (OHI). Students can qualify with at least one of the aforementioned categories. A student may have more than one area in which the Individualized Education Plan (IEP) Team is focusing on.

Psychiatrists can be a vital part of a mental health team. They have great knowledge of mental health diagnoses, symptoms, and medication. Along with therapy, Psychiatrists can help their patients make improvements in their mental health and well-being.

As a follow up from the last blog, when we discussed the anxiety cycle, today we will be discussing cognitive distortions. Cognitive distortions are negative ways of thinking about ourselves or situations that involve us. We all have a tendency to use negative logic but some of us are more likely to have them more frequently than others. Sometimes, these negative beliefs are so ingrained that it’s hard for us to view it another way. ​

Anxiety can be a vicious cycle, often changing from physical symptoms, thoughts, beliefs, and behaviors. The cycle can happen so naturally that people often don’t recognize that it’s even occurring.

Ever finish a workout and get a burst of energy? Runners call this a “runners high” but you don’t have to be a runner to receive the benefits of exercise.

As you read this, you are most likely at “baseline.” Baseline is when an individual is cool, calm, and collected. While most of us stay at or around baseline the majority of the day, we all deviate from this area and experience highs and lows.

Have you ever asked someone how they are doing and they respond with an answer that sounds forced? They might feel forced to answer with a “fine” or “okay” or any similar resemblance because that’s the social norm. However, their body language and their tone might be telling you that there’s something they would like to say and they don’t know how. ​

Parents and Teachers frequently ask me what they can do to help their child or students.  We know that like adults, children can have bad days.  Some more frequently than others.  As we communicate with our children, we can try to make the hard days a little easier when we keep just 5 easy topics in mind.