The relationship we have with food can be a lifelong frustration for many.  Smolak L. (2012) indicated that children as young as age six may start to emphasize body dissatisfaction. With fast diet trends and emphasis on body image, many find it difficult to find the healthy balance required to love their body.  In research conducted by León, M. P., González-Martí, I., & Contreras-Jordán, O. R. (2021), four year olds were talking about differences between two figures for height and weight. With so much negativity often surrounding body size, it's no wonder that many adults are trying to leave this negative space and provide body positivity to our youngest and most vulnerable population.  In this post we will review some conversation builders we can use with children and how we can express body positivity through the holidays and year round. ​

Sleep disturbances can be a caused by changes, growth spurts, fears, and problems at school. Sleep issues can lead to health concerns, behavioral issues, lower grades, dysregulation, and can create communication challenges. Not to mention the extra stress and frustration for wanting to help a child sleep who, for some reason, may fight their adults through the process. If you’re like many parents out there, you may be experiencing sleep difficulties with your child when it’s close to bedtime. In this post, we will be discussing a few factors of sleep routines and we will provide some tools that can be tailored to your families needs.

The postpartum journey is filled with new experiences.  Even with multiples, every newborn experience can be hectic and unique.  From getting to know our body again, healing, and trying to connect with your most precious little baby. Mix all of these changes in with hormones, body pains, and fresh emotions, the feeding experience may be a high form of stress for you. 

​Trying to exclusively breastfeed, there could be high pressure to be constantly needed but touched out and tired. Anxiety, fear, loneliness, and sadness may be especially high if the expectation and reality of feeding your new baby is not what you expected.

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.

​Understanding the impact of lifestyle choices on mental health is more important than ever. Among these choices, the role of alcohol is significant and often misunderstood. Let’s dig deep into how alcohol use can exacerbate mental health symptoms, shedding light on the complex interaction between substance use and psychological well-being.

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.

​Whether you have repetitive negative thoughts or not, you likely feel some anxiety throughout your body.  This form of stress may be felt regularly and intensely and is a physical symptom of worry. 

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.