How Parents can Promote Patience at Home

Do you get easily frustrated with your family? Maybe it’s the way your kids chew with their mouths open or the way your partner stacks the dishes in the sink that gets on your nerves. These minor bothers can get exacerbated during a pandemic. Your emotions are only heightened with the added stress of health, financial, and social concerns. With so many things to worry about, it’s understandable that the little things might put your emotional state over the edge. One of the best ways to keep your cool during a pandemic is to practice patience. Patience is more than being able to wait for something or someone. It’s also the ability to tolerate unpleasant situations without getting angry or upset (without getting into Emotion Mind, as it’s called in DBT). Parents who are patient are better able to handle daily challenges within the family without losing their cool. Like playing the piano or riding a bike, patience is a learned skill that you can strengthen over time. Here are some ways to cultivate patience…

Managing Emotional Ups and Downs

Has your child been emotional lately? Do certain things make your teen feel angry, upset, or on-edge? Maybe the tone of your voice sets them off, or a passing thunderstorm dampens their mood for the day. It’s understandable that some things will make people feel one way or another. Sometimes (especially with added stress of a pandemic), experiences can be very emotionally triggering—so much so, that they cause teens to get stuck in negative emotions for longer than necessary. Do you wish there was a way to help your teen not feel as frustrated by a friend who canceled Facetime plans or as anxious about ? Try using DBT skills, specifically emotion regulation skills! It’s simpler than you’d think…

How Radical Acceptance Can Help Teens During a Pandemic

It’s totally understandable for teens to be feeling heightened emotions lately. The current situation may seem crazy, unfair, or just plain frustrating to your teen. While it’s valid to see things this way, constant negative thinking can take its toll on your teen’s mental health. It can get them stuck in unhappiness, anger, shame, sadness, bitterness, or other painful emotions. Let DBT skills like radical acceptance help you and your teen through this challenging time. Radical acceptance skill of accepting the things that you cannot change. It doesn’t mean that your teen has to like the current situation or agree with it. Instead, When your teen cannot solve a problem or change how they feel about the problem, encourage them to try acceptance as a way of reducing their suffering.

The Inside Scoop About Online Therapy

Have you ever wondered what online therapy is like? Like many businesses lately, Mindsoother transitioned to telehealth, or online therapy. Therapy sessions are conducted via Zoom so that clients continue to receive the support they need, especially during these stressful times. The pandemic and its repercussions have caused many people to experience heightened negative emotions. When our lives are upended, it’s normal to feel more anxious, upset, or frustrated than usual. That’s where therapists can help. Like anything that’s new, online therapy may seem daunting at first. The therapists at Mindsoother are here to ease your worries! The Mindsoother team answered some commonly asked questions about online therapy sessions. Learn about what it’s like to practice online therapy from the therapists themselves…

How to Transform Mundane Daily Tasks into Mindful Ones

Do you feel like you’re stuck in the same quarantine routine? If you and your family have been following the same cycle since quarantine began, it might be time for a change. Following the same patterns of behavior can make you feel anxious, hopeless, or frustrated. You’re often on autopilot, going through the motions of typical tasks while your mind wanders and worries about other things. Luckily, there is a way to break out of these patterns of behavior and have an improved connection to daily experiences: mindfulness! Mindfulness helps you break the cycle of passive “autopilot” behavior. You build awareness of what’s happening around you without letting your emotions take control. Mindfulness isn’t as complicated as you might think. Here are some simple ways to incorporate mindfulness into your routine and find meaning in mundane experiences…

Using Dialectical Thinking to Manage Emotions

Dialectics are two opposing forces, feelings, or situations that happen simultaneously. For example, quarantine is hard AND we will get through it. By thinking and acting dialectically, you can keep your emotions calm AND you can look through a new lens to see two truths in a situation. Dialectics is the foundation of DBT. It teaches us that there is an opposite of everything and we tend to be most effective when we find balance between opposites. In DBT, it is particularly important to balance the idea of acceptance and change. However, it’s very difficult to stay in a neutral or calm emotional state lately if you use the word “but” often or if you tend to discount positives with negatives. Manage your emotions more effectively and keep your cool by practicing dialectics! Here are some tips on how to think and act dialectically right now…

The Amazing Benefits of Therapy Online

Over the past four weeks, we’ve learned that traditional in-person therapy isn’t the only effective way for us to lend support, insight and comfort to you. Online therapy works too! Simply spending dedicating time together, being with you face-to-face for 45-50 minutes, and continuing our dialogue can be effective as an in-person therapy session. If you are considering seeking mental health support right now, challenge any negative assumptions or beliefs that you have about online therapy being “not good enough” or “second best.” During COVID-19 and social distancing, our practice’s individual, family and group therapy sessions are 100% online. We believe that now, more than ever, we all need caring, compassion, support, and strategies and we are here to provide that for you 7 days a week. Interested in learning more about how online therapy works? Read more…

Simple Tips for Busy Parents to Create Balance

As a parent, you give your all for your children. You do your best to support them, as well as other loved ones. Now consider, what was the last time you did something to help yourself? Many parents find that they are too busy or that they don’t know how to create balance and care for themselves. Whether you are a new parent or a veteran mom or dad of four, you deserve to find time for yourself in order to unwind. Are you ready to find balance in your life? Here are some easy ways to create balance and decompress…

Acting Opposite to your Emotions

Ever feel like you’re stuck in a cycle of difficult emotions? You might experience intense emotions and respond to them in ways that aren’t helpful in the long run. All feelings come with action urges that tell us to act in certain ways. For example, when we feel fearful, we try to avoid or escape a situation. When feeling sad, our urge might be to withdraw. However, some emotional urges do more harm than good. They cause us to act in ways we later regret. In those cases, try acting opposite to your emotion! Deliberately responding with the opposite to your emotion urge can change your response to a healthier option that’s more fitting. Let’s explore how it works with different emotions…

Make Yourself a Priority

Everyone’s busy this holiday season. Between travel plans, gift giving, and meal preparation, it’s no wonder that the most wonderful time of the year is also one of the most stressful times of the year.Don’t let the holiday stress get you down! Instead, make yourself a priority and avoid feeling overwhelmed using a DBT skill called Self Soothe. Self Soothe encourages you to care for yourself and improve your mood through your senses. You can comfort yourself, giving yourself the mental health break that you deserve this holiday season. Here are some ideas for self-soothing with each of your senses…

Improving the Moment

Ever wish there was a way to turn negative experiences around? Of course—nobody enjoys feeling upset, angry, or stressed. When we experience powerful feelings like these, our emotions can feel out of control. Generally, we act impulsively—meaning that we put our emotions before our logic—when we face unexpected and overwhelming situations. But sometimes, this is not the best option. We can deal with daily challenges more effectively by replacing negative emotions with positive ones. The DBT skill IMPROVE the Moment gives us a variety of options to help us do so. It's a skill that's designed to help us manage difficult emotions during stressful situations. Let’s learn more about it…

Practicing Gratitude

Fall is a time of change. We swap our flip-flops for socks and boots, we feel the cool breeze blow away summer heat, and we watch the colorful leaves fall. Although this season brings great beauty and festivities, increasing thoughts of the chilly weather and fewer daylight hours may start to affect your mood. Nature’s changes can cause us to feel more sluggish, uninterested, and like we’re lacking focus. Looking for a good mood-booster to lighten your mood and feel reenergized? Try incorporating moments of gratitude into your daily routine to help you out of that late fall, early winter slump...

Understanding Emotions: Why are They Important?

Emotions play a crucial role in our lives, as they serve a wide variety of purposes. They guide us through stressful situations and help us connect with others in friendships and relationships. Emotions can be fleeting, powerful, complex, persistent, and even life-changing. They motivate us to act in particular ways and give us the tools and resources we need to interact meaningfully in our social worlds. At the same time, emotions can be difficult to understand. Some people struggle with the complexity of their feelings, and many people may prefer not to have to experience them at all. Life would be easier if we didn't have to undergo the ups and downs that emotions play in our lives. So why are they so important?

Tips to Help Unplug on Vacation

Looking for a chance to de-stress and take a break from your digital life? Why not unplug while you unwind on vacation? Phones, tablets, and laptops tend to stress us out with endless work emails, constant notifications, and comparisons to people’s “perfect” lives on social media. Vacation is your opportunity to relax and enjoy new experiences, so it makes sense to unplug while you’re away. When you disconnect, you’re able to avoid digital distractions and focus on the experience. You’re able to be fully present in the moment, to take it all in, and enjoy your trip. Whether you want to take a phone-free vacation or simply limit your phone usage, here are some tips to make the most of your vacation...

What is DBT?

Sometimes, life can be challenging. It’s not easy to keep our emotions in check during distressing times. We may have trouble communicating with others and may unintentionally cause conflicts. We might feel like we’re on an emotional roller coaster without any control of where we’re headed. What can you do if you’re feeling this way? Try DBT! Let’s learn more about DBT, as well as how it can help you manage your emotions and create a life worth living…

Volunteering as a Family

Volunteering is a gift to yourself, to your family, and to others. It’s a great way to engage with your community and practice your mindfulness skills. It’s also quite a fulfilling experience for everyone, no matter your age or background. Have you ever considered volunteering as a family activity? It may not be your typical weekend or summer activity, but it can be a fun and rewarding experience for the entire family. What are the benefits of volunteering as a family? Let’s find out…

Helping Children with Anger

Everyone feels and expresses their anger from time to time. It’s natural to feel angry or frustrated. Anger is an intense emotion that can be difficult for children, as well as many adults, to deal with. Sometimes anger becomes overwhelming, making us feel like our emotions are out of our control. Therefore, it’s not surprising that anger is a challenging emotion for children. Does your child struggle to manage anger in healthy ways? Does he or she get angered easily or frequently feel frustrated? Here are some strategies to help you support your child with anger…

How to IMPROVE the Moment

Let’s face it—life is full of curveballs. Things may be going smoothly one minute, and the next, something turns your day upside down. There’s a mix of good and bad surprises every day. How do you deal with daily challenges? Generally, people act impulsively—meaning that they put their emotions before their logic when they face unexpected and overwhelming situations. But sometimes, this is not the best option. Do you need a better way to keep your cool during surprising or frustrating circumstances? A dialectical behavior therapy (DBT) skill called IMPROVE the Moment can help you manage difficult emotions during stressful situations. By reducing the intensity of emotion, you can feel more in-control when life throws you a curveball. Here’s how it works…

Giving Yourself Credit

It’s a super busy and stressful time of year for everyone. There are many ways to deal with distressing situations. Often times, your mindset is crucial to managing stress effectively. Do you criticize yourself for not getting enough done at the end of the day? Or are you hard on yourself when things don’t go as planned? No matter what your goal is, a negative state of mind—one that’s pessimistic, self-critical, or discouraging—won’t do you any good. There’s a great DBT skill that you can apply to improve your mindset, feel less stressed, and reach your goals: “Give Myself Credit.” Let’s learn more about how it works…

Quick and Simple Self-Care Strategies

When life gets hectic, how do you practice self-care? Do you feel like there's not enough time in the day to do so? It may feel like you can't take time to de-stress because of all of the “to-do's” of the day or week. But when you neglect practicing self-care, you may feel run down or burnt out. It can certainly impact your emotional and physical well-being. Here are some easy ways to practice self-care in order to feel more refreshed, present, and productive.

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