My wife and I are recovering helicopter parents. Helicopter parenting is a form of over involvement in a child’s life, taking away the child’s ability to learn coping skills and healthy independence. It is linked to higher anxiety, higher depression, higher substance abuse, and lower coping abilities in the child’s later life. 1 2 Being a parent, and well, living...
Read MoreAs a parent, I’m always trying to find ways to connect with my teenagers and so I decided to start using the app BeReal with them. BeReal will daily, at any time of day, notify you that it’s time to "be real". When the alert comes on, you capture the photo from both directions on your phone. Typically it's a picture of me and...
Read MoreSelf-compassion is such a gift we can give ourselves. But what does it mean to be self-compassionate? Compassion means “to suffer together.” When we see someone suffering, we are moved by their suffering and want to alleviate it for them. And yet somehow it continuously feels so challenging, even impossible at times, to turn some of that compassion toward ourselves. ...
Read MoreTalking about sex, in movies and television it never seems to happen where couples talk before, during, or after engaging in sexual activities. Even during a first time hook up, the partners on screen seem to already know exactly what to do and give their partner a fantastic orgasm in record time. However, this depiction isn’t reality and often creates...
Read MoreWhat is sex to you? There are many ideas that come to mind when one hears the word sex. Most people may think of intercourse. However, this idea that sex equals intercourse may not fit for everyone and does not encompass all that sex can be. Now for some experiences, sex can absolutely include intercourse and for other experiences intercourse...
Read MoreThe journey to adulthood is paved with countless moments of childhood. In a child we see innocence, wonder, hope, and unknowing dependency. Oftentimes, in reflecting on our childhood, we find precious memories of meaning coupled with aches of desires unfulfilled for the child we once were. Leo Tolstoy begins his greatest novel Anna Karenina with a stunner line, “All happy...
Read MoreValidation from others helps us feel understood and safe. Validating different parts of ourselves – especially the parts we are ashamed of – helps to align our goals and gain self-assuredness. I was out with my toddler son when he became tired and absolutely hangry. He quickly delved into full tantrum mode as he repeated that he wanted to hit....
Read MoreIs wanting validation from others a sign of weakness? Yes, and that’s not a bad thing. When we validate someone, we make them stronger. In fact, the words “valid” and “value” come from the same Latin root “valere,” or what we now call “valor,” which means be strong. Understanding validation is so important because it communicates that who the other...
Read MoreDoes connection happen effortlessly? Or does it take work? An inside joke among close friends. An encouraging word from a parent to their child. A gentle hand on the lower back from a loved one. These are all small ways that we connect with one another effortlessly. When we feel loved and accepted in our relationships, these gestures are simply...
Read MoreNeuroscientist Dan Siegel defines the mind as an embodied, relational, self-organizing entity that processes and regulates the flow of information and energy. This means that the mind is not simply the brain or brain activity—the mind is connected to the entire body. EMBODIED Mindfulness is key to deepening self-awareness, acceptance, and emotional regulation. There is a pre-sensing activity of being...
Read More
