Coping means to invest own conscious effort, to solve personal and interpersonal problems, in order to try to master, minimize or tolerate stress and conflict. The psychological coping mechanisms are commonly termed coping strategies or coping skills.
“Hey idiot, what are you doing reading a book?” A classmate asked my 9 year-old son as he ran by on the playground. It had been my son’s first day at a new school, he didn’t know anyone, so he took a book out to recess. “I didn’t even know what to say,” my son reported. […]
“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 […]
“I should be able to do this better,” thinks April. “I just can’t get this project to go well. My work is so hard!” April, like many people, is feeling frustrated and upset about a task at her workplace. As a result, she blames herself, which likely increases her stress, sadness, and job satisfaction. Some […]
“I am so stupid, I can’t believe I did that!” Cathy yelled out loud and hit her steering wheel. Unintentionally, she just backed her car into a fire hydrant. Her car was damaged, she was going to be late, and her stress was high. Worst of all, at some point, she had to tell her […]
Perfectionism, or the tendency to want to do everything flawlessly, is often associated with increased stress and anxiety. Perfectionism combines excessively high personal standards (“I have to do my best at everything”), as well as feelings of failure if the person falls short of those benchmarks. Oftentimes, our need to be perfect stems from fear. […]
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 […]
SO, YOU’VE HAD A TOUGH DAY….. Tough day step 1: Ask yourself, “Have I taken care of my body today?” On the hardest of days, many of us typically miss a meal. Some of us eat only foods that make us feel good right away (think: sugar). We can also overload on caffeine to get […]
Being present and experiencing the world around us is so important. Around the holidays, many of us experience a wide array of emotions, from stress and overwhelm, to joy, excitement, and love. Grounding in the here and now can be a great way to slow down and experience the world around you. Here are two […]
In my work with adolescents, marijuana issues are occasionally discussed. Sometimes, the teen has been using. However, often she or he reports that other friends and classmates are regular users. Frequently, I am told that it is easier for teens to buy marijuana than alcohol or cigarettes. Marijuana is a common drug that is used […]
Threats to school safety are an increasingly common fear. Many parents have expressed concerns on how to respond to lock-downs, threats, and reports of violence at their child’s school. Given the high number of reports of school violence in the last number of years, as well as the 24-hour news coverage of these events, people are understandably […]
“Give me a Brake!” Caitlin Hayes It was my first year on my own It had to be close to one hundred degrees outside, and my little 1994 Ford Taurus didn’t have A/C. I pulled into the Kirkwood parking lot and went to class. When I came out, my car wouldn’t start, so I called […]
We are a culture that CONSUMES We are great consumers of food, coffee, alcohol, information, clothes, cars, concerts – if there is a thing, and that thing is good, we consume as much of it as we can. Sometimes, this tendency is harmless; then again, sometimes, it’s a pretty big problem. One of the ways […]
