Blog

The COVID-19 outbreak has forced school closures across the country. Suddenly, parents and caregivers are being turned into homeschoolers, creating makeshift schedules and study tables as parents worry about their children losing academic progress. These concerns are heightened for parents of children with Attention-Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD), learning disabilities, and other special needs.

Being stuck inside during this time can take a toll on both your mental and physical health. Setting an intention for physical exercise can not only keep you busy but can improve your overall wellbeing. There are plenty of physical activities that can keep you busy during this otherwise boring and uncertain time.

Everyday life is rapidly changing for all of us during this pandemic. Uncertainty is looming around every corner. On top of all the stressors and issues that originally brought you to therapy, there are new stressors and fears being added as a result of this pandemic. In addition to now having practice social distancing, employers are temporarily closing their doors - adding to financial stress; much-needed supplies aren't available for purchase, and of course the fear of our well-being and the ones we love.

Half of all adults in the United States have at least one chronic illness. This can range from around 20% of people ages 45 to 64 and jumps to 80% of people over the age of 65. With these rates, about 45% of adults help aid a loved one with a chronic condition at some point in their life. Chronic illnesses are those that are not immediately curable and are present for an extended period of time. Some of the most common examples in the United States include diabetes, chronic headaches or migraine, epilepsy, arthritis, and asthma.

Social anxiety is typically related to several issues, including how we related in our family of origin and what our family taught us about feelings; what we learned about relationships from our childhood and adolescent friendships; how we communicate both verbally and nonverbally; how we read other people’s verbal and non-verbal cues; and especially how we avoid or deal with conflict. Another way we may increasingly become socially uncomfortable is by using alcohol or other drugs in social settings so that we can lose some of our ability to comfortably socialize without alcohol or drugs.

Receiving a disability (intellectual, processing, emotional) diagnosis for your child, you almost feel as though you are being prepped for a battle. You are forced to justify your child’s existence and their right to all of the opportunities available the moment those words are uttered to you. Welcome to your new, never-ending and intimate relationship with the medical world. While the diagnosis can take on a role in your life that is unplanned, unwanted and emotional, you would do it all over again for your child -- because you are their biggest fan, advocate and supporter.

Several years while on vacation, I read Daring Greatly by Brene’ Brown and it changed my life. I connected with so many of the things she was writing about – perfection, shame, vulnerability - and found myself using the book as a roadmap for “showing up and being seen” in my life.

Many of us have memories of experiencing hurt caused by a parent growing up. Perhaps these experiences are only small blips in an otherwise blissful childhood. Or perhaps there are a lot of blips, much too many. For those who have these memories, a common fear when having children is “how do I make sure my child never experiences what I did?”

We’ve all had moments where we feel at odds with ourselves. Maybe it happens when our partner says something hurtful. In that moment, part of us wants to run out of the room; part of us feels vulnerable and hurt; part of us knows they didn’t really mean it, and part of us might feel ashamed of having these feelings at all. We might even tell a friend later, “Part of me wanted to scream at him and part of me was so embarrassed that I even cared.