Parenting isn’t always the rosy picture we see portrayed on social media. Most parents struggle sometimes or often, and one of the significant triggers for their distress, especially when their children are young, is meltdowns. Meltdowns, or tantrums, are emotional storms that take their toll on anyone present. And while we can’t really prevent theseContinue reading Coping with Meltdowns: DBT in Action
Holiday Coping Guide
For some, the winter holidays aren’t all festivities and fun. They might be fraught with discomfort or distress. Experiences of grief, loneliness, anxiety, and an uptick in trauma symptoms are not uncommon. We’ve assembled some tips in this holiday coping guide to help get you through the season. Acknowledge your struggle. Acknowledge that this timeContinue reading Holiday Coping Guide
TIP Skills: Regulating Our Bodies to Cope with Distress
TIP Skills The TIP skills in DBT help you cope with a difficult situation or crisis without making things worse. They represent part of our crisis survival skills. You might use them when flooded with emotion, when in distress, or when you have the urge to engage in a destructive behavior. With the TIP skills,Continue reading TIP Skills: Regulating Our Bodies to Cope with Distress
Wise Mind: A Balanced Synthesis
What Is A Dialectic? One of the main concepts in DBT is the goal of balancing opposites. That’s actually the “D” is DBT, “dialectical.” A dialectical stance incorporates multiple – even potentially conflicting – points of view. It’s a both/and versus either/or way of thinking. One of the primary dialectics in DBT is acceptance andContinue reading Wise Mind: A Balanced Synthesis
Body Acceptance Practices – Stop Hating Your Body Today
Struggling with body acceptance – It’s Not Your Fault But It Is Your Problem Most of us are socialized to be critical of our bodies. Whether it’s our families, communities, or our culture at large, we are bombarded by messaging regarding what constitutes an acceptable body. Children as young as preschoolers learn that certain bodiesContinue reading Body Acceptance Practices – Stop Hating Your Body Today
Practicing Radical Acceptance
What Is Radical Acceptance? According to DBT, radical acceptance occurs when we stop fighting (or “tantruming” about) reality. Even in pain and in difficult times, we can come to a place of complete and total acceptance of what is happening – accepting in our minds, bodies, hearts, and souls – by practicing radical acceptance. WhileContinue reading Practicing Radical Acceptance
When Supermom Must Go Above & Beyond
You do it all – manage a home, a job, the children, and more. But now, with the spread of coronavirus and resulting school and activity closures, you’re being asked to do even more. Educate your children while you work from home and simultaneously cope with isolation, uncertainty, and other aspects of a pandemic? Check.Continue reading When Supermom Must Go Above & Beyond
Half-Smile and Willing Hands – Parenting with DBT: A Series on Effective Parenting Strategies
The Mind-Body Connection: Half-Smile and Willing Hands Think of a stressful parenting situation you’ve been in lately. . . riding out a tantrum, getting homework done, confronting your teen about a lie. How were you feeling? What were you thinking? Were you aware of any sensations in your body? We often think about how situationsContinue reading Half-Smile and Willing Hands – Parenting with DBT: A Series on Effective Parenting Strategies
Coping with Infertility
The Trauma of Infertility Coping with infertility can be one of the most trying experiences you face, with the process challenging you physically, emotionally, financially – and for many – spiritually. Often, folks struggling with infertility end up experiencing anxiety, depression, and other mental health outcomes. Relationships and responsibilities can suffer, self-esteem can plummet, andContinue reading Coping with Infertility
3 Things to Do Following a Binge
Let’s face it – most people aren’t feeling so great after a binge. Whether it’s physical discomfort or the mental and emotional experience of guilt, frustration, or self-attack, the moments (or hours) following a binge can be rather unpleasant. But there are some things you can do to reduce your distress, as well as theContinue reading 3 Things to Do Following a Binge