We did it! We survived the dreadful days of winter and are nearing the end of the unpredictable midwestern spring. It is almost summer! The clouds are parting, and the sun is shining bright. Nature is inviting us to step outside, soak in the sunshine, and reconnect with the world around us. Instead of rushing... Continue Reading →
Development Through Social Interaction and Attunement
It is vital for humans to practice attunement within social interactions through the developing years of their lives. Attunement is when humans synchronize their movements and emotions with others (Haidt, 2024). Similar to mirroring, babies attune to their parents in ways that teach them motor skills, the meaning of emotions, and how to stay safe.... Continue Reading →
Real-World vs. Virtual Relationships
With the exponential growth of technology in the past decade, relationships have transformed and expanded in ways that were previously impossible. There is new opportunity to add connection to your life, through relationships with people across the globe and apart of different cultures, because of the accessibility of communication through technology. This opportunity is beneficial... Continue Reading →
Adolescent Attention Fragmentation
In today’s extremely connected world, adolescents are bombarded with never ending streams of notifications, messages and digital content via their smartphones. Their attention is being pulled in multiple directions at once, making it more difficult to deeply focus on a single task at-hand. This is called attention fragmentation. Because teens are constantly exposed to digital... Continue Reading →
Breaking Free from Perfectionism
Perfectionism is often thought about as a positive trait. Constantly striving for excellence sounds like a good thing, right? But always pursuing perfection can lead to stress, self-doubt, and fear of failure. It tends to become more harmful than helpful for perfectionists. Many people who practice perfectionism struggle with setting unrealistic expectations for themselves, therefore... Continue Reading →
Defense Mode Vs. Discover Mode
In his book titled The Anxious Generation, Jonathan Haidt (2024) proposed that different parenting styles and decisions cause children to grow up practicing habits in two different modes: defense mode and discover mode. Defense mode is self-explanatory in that it occurs when someone is trying to identify a threat and defend themselves from it. This... Continue Reading →
Activities with kids while it storms
Spring brings the story weather because of the atmosphere going between the return of the warmth and the leftover coldness from winter. Unpredictable weather can create anxiety and fear in children, as well as adults. This weather causes many days of trying to find things to do inside. There are many activities families can do... Continue Reading →
The Mental Health Crisis: Generation Z
In recent years, the conversation around mental health has gained significant traction, with much attention directed toward Generation Z. As the first generation to grow up entirely in the digital age, or as Jonathan Haidt, author of The Anxious Generation, likes to call it “The Great Rewiring”, Gen. Z faces unique challenges that contribute to... Continue Reading →
Who is a woman who has influenced your life?
March was international Women’s Month. This is an annual observance to highlight the contributions of women in history to the present day. International Women’s Day is on March eighth, and in 1980 President Jimmy Carter issued the first presidential proclamation declaring the week of the 8th National Women’s Week. 7 years later congress passed a joint... Continue Reading →
