Self-compassion is an important part of parenting children and adolescents. A few years ago, the Washington Post published an article called “Teaching Children Self-Compassion by Modeling it Ourselves” by Mandy Lange. The article addresses the idea that children learn how to respond to their difficulties, stressors, and mistakes through their own experiences, and through what […]
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The summer before college represents a huge transition between high school graduation and leaving for school in the fall. Families are proud, excited, worried, and quite busy. There is much to do and prepare for, especially if that teen is headed to college in the fall. The summer after graduation is an exciting and overwhelming […]
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Communication is difficult, and often very complex. Everyone has a slightly different style; some people are highly animated, while others are quiet and reserved. Some people tend to be very direct and clear about what they mean, and others use more subtle clues in their communication to get their meaning across. As we all try […]
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It’s really hard to be a student You don’t have a choice over how your day goes. You have to ask permission for everything. It’s easy to feel like your day is full of people trying to catch your mistakes. You are constantly being evaluated. You have a full day of class, then a full […]
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Sportsmanship (and compassion for people) is important in both the participation and viewing of sports Sports are a common past-time for many of us. I was watching the big Bears/Packers rivalry game this week, and saw Aaron Rodgers leave the field with a very painful, and very distressing, injury. I went online to see if […]
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Kindness is an important concept to understand. We are programmed to be kind to one another, even though sometimes it seems that the world has lost this instinct. You can train yourself to be kinder, and as a result, you may also be happier, healthier, and find more meaning in your life. Kindness makes us […]
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Getting angry is a part of life. None of us will live a life free of stressors, and sometimes, whether we want it to or not, anger bubbles up as we try to deal with our stress. Anger is natural, but the behaviors that come out of anger can be scary, hurtful, and harmful. Below […]
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“And” is a word that we don’t often think about. It is quite powerful Let’s start by looking at the following examples “I really liked your presentation, but I think you could make a few improvements” What do you take away from that statement? Do you think you would walk away thinking “boy, that person […]
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Here in eastern Iowa, we have had a huge March snow, with a likely April snow ahead. The winter has been long, and many of us are feeling it. Given that we can’t control (or even reliably predict) the weather, especially here in Iowa, here are a few tips for pushing through until the warmth […]
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The other day, someone bumped me with their cart on the way by, while I was quietly searching for a nice soup for lunch. And I turned around and said, “Oh, sorry!” A friend was talking to me about the loss of her pet, and when her tears came (which, of course they would) she […]
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I love the internet. I have a serious Buzzfeed problem (I’m Mollie, and I’ve taken a quiz about which Disney princess I would be based on my preference for snack foods). I cruise Twitter, I scroll the news, and I get sucked into my screens just like everybody else. But it isn’t… great. I don’t […]
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Chances are that you or someone you know has gotten sick in the last month. As we lead into the new year, with frigid temperatures and a return to routine (school and work), it’s likely that there will be more waves of viruses and colds moving through. Getting sick often involves all parts of our […]
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