As recent months have demonstrated, stress is unavoidable. Now more than ever, it’s important to understand stress and how we can manage it. While stress can be beneficial, too much of it can be harmful. Read more ›
For some students, the fire is only the beginning. The nightmares, the grief and an all-consuming dread can persist for months or even years.
That’s what teachers and school employees have observed among students in California’s fire-ravaged areas, especially Sonoma and Butte counties, where deadly wildfires have struck repeatedly in recent years. Read more ›
Parents weigh in on their kids and social media. Turns out, there’s widespread worry.
That’s according to new survey results from Lurie Children’s Hospital. With remote learning and social distancing in place during the pandemic, social media use is up. That’s no surprise, but some of the statistics are. Read more ›
Schools play a significant role in supporting the health and well-being of children and youth, including those affected by traumatic experiences. In a trauma-sensitive school, all aspects of the educational environment—from workforce training to engagement with students and families to procedures and policies—are grounded in an understanding of trauma and its impact and are designed to promote resilience for all. Read more ›
These days it can feel as if reassuring platitudes are inescapable.
“Everything will be fine.”
“It could be worse.”
“Look on the bright side.”
But as well intentioned as those who lean on such phrases may be, experts are cautioning against going overboard with the “good vibes only” trend. Too much forced positivity is not just unhelpful, they say — it’s toxic. Read more ›
Sensitive children are keen observers of the world, but tend to get overstimulated. They often live intense inner lives and are highly creative, but they are wary of new situations and of people they don’t know.
They also easily intuit the moods of others and feel their pain. This empathy draws their peers and sometimes even adults to confide in sensitive children. Later in life, they often go into helping professions like health care and counseling, where their natural gifts are put to good use. Read more ›
Expressive writing is associated with improvements in physical health, improvements in markers of mental health, and improvements in immune function. It’s also been shown to improve working memory in college students, says James Pennebaker, a professor of Psychology at the University of Texas at Austin. Read more ›
Prioritizing your needs is important, Rachel Wilkerson Miller says, but it’s often easier said than done. “Most people think that is true for everybody who is not them. And they sort of think that they’re the exception to the rule.”
Miller is the author of The Art of Showing Up: How to Be There for Yourself and Your People, a new book in which she stresses that you can’t fully show up for the people in your life until you know how to do the same for yourself. Read more ›
Over the past few years, researchers have devoted significant study to the concept of solitude — its potential benefits, its role in our lives, even its basic definition.
So, here are a few takeaways from their recent work — with an eye toward how you can make solitude a healthy practice in your life. Read more ›
You know that being kind to others is good for the recipient (obviously), but did you know that it’s also good for the giver, too? Yep, that’s right. Being kind to others will improve your mental, emotional and physical well-being. Read more ›
