A Real Break on School Break
written by Nicole Filiberti MSW, LCSW
written by Nicole Filiberti MSW, LCSW
by Erin Bunch, featured in wellandgood.com, 2/2/2021
After a year of moving from your bed to your desk to your couch—because pandemics are not conducive to much else—it wouldn’t be surprising if your entire body feels like garbage. Most specifically, your neck and shoulders are probably crying out for a massage. On the latest episode of Good Moves, Brooklyn-based BK yoga club co-founders Alicia Ferguson and Paris Alexandra demo just how easy it is to relieve such stiffness and pain with a simple yoga flow that serves as a neck-and-shoulder stretch.
Written by Dr. Liz Matheis/Featured in The Mighty 1/2021
The beginning of the new year usually brings hope, resolutions and plans. This January 2021, the new year feels different. More of the same. It’s been 10 months, almost one year of living through the coronavirus (COVID-19) pandemic. Our lives are the most isolated they have been given the dark, cold winter and a holiday season that was “OK” and pretty much unsatisfying for many. As we continue to parent day by day with virtual learning, working from home, video meetings and chats and limited interactions with the outside world, our stress and exhaustion level is increasing.
What a Mess!
written by Dr. Liz Matheis, published on www.shieldhealthcare.com 1/25/21
The beginning of the new year usually brings hope, resolutions and plans. This January 2021, the new year feels different. More of the same. It’s been 10 months, almost one year of living through the COVID-19 pandemic. Our lives are the most isolated they have been given the dark, cold winter and a holiday season that was “okay” and pretty much unsatisfying.
As we continue to parent day by day with virtual learning, working from home, video meetings and chats and limited interactions with the outside world, our stress and exhaustion level is increasing.
The struggles of parenting during this time have been immense. Think about how you and your family are coping. Are you, your significant other or children:
• Over eating?
• Under eating?
• Over sleeping?
• Under sleeping?
• Struggling to fall asleep?
• Feeling lethargic?
• Over exercising?
• Feeling anxious?
• OCD-like behaviors?
As we continue to not be able to identify an end in sight, we may be finding ways to cope that aren’t necessarily helpful. Take note of how you and your family are coping and discuss if your go-to ways of managing through this time are not bringing relief.
Many of us, as parents, and our children feel out of control, anxious, and our usual outlets are not available. Mom’s nights out, going to the spa, exercising at the gym or extracurricular activities, hanging with friends and other ways to have fun and decompress are no longer available to us, or are available with significant limitations.
Written by Dr. Liz Matheis/ Published 1.18.2021 on www.shieldhealthcare.com
Virtual Learning. It’s become the bane of our existence.
As parents, we are watching our children struggle while we struggle with them. Our children are having a hard time paying attention, finding assignments, completing them, and turning them in via virtual learning. It requires additional skills such as typing, navigating email, portals such as the Google Classroom and grading portals. Prior to the pandemic, many of our children entered into the classroom, were supervised during each task, had the ability to ask questions, and were provided with handouts that they were able to complete and return without forgetting to click “Turn In.”
For middle school students and high school students, it is difficult for our children to sit for hours and complete written or online work. For example, if your child has ADHD, sitting at a desk or table for several hours will likely result in lost periods of time staring out the window, chatting with friends, or even staring at the riveting ceiling fan.
For younger students, it’s difficult to cover the multiple demands of being a student with little teacher assistance through a computer. Our young children are required to type some of their responses, or even essays. How many children in kindergarten do you know who are proficient typists? Not many. That leaves parents to type their children’s answers or incomplete assignments if parents are not available.
With teaching taking place via video screen, there is plenty of room and time for our children to log on to YouTube or watch videos while appearing to be present and attentive in class. For many adolescents and young adults, they are struggling to get started on assignments and end up having multiple missed assignments which is resulting in lower grades than in past years. Low motivation and anxiety and depression are also on the rise for many of our children. They miss seeing friends, walking to school, getting on and off the bus, participating in specials and playing on the playground.
Written by Gabrielle Ferrara, MSW, LSW/ Featured in The Mighty 9/17/2020
“How do you feel?”
No, really. How do you actually feel?
Identifying our emotions can be one of the most difficult things we do on a regular basis. It’s easy to say we are feeling “good” or “happy”; even saying we’re feeling “stressed” has become normalized. However, how we are truly feeling (and why) is often much more nuanced and complicated. Luckily, various artists, authors and researchers in the field of psychology have created charts and tools to help us out. Here are five charts you may need if you have a hard time identifying your emotions.
Source: www.mindful.org
When we teach mindfulness to kids, we equip them with tools to build self-esteem, manage stress, and skillfully approach challenges. Explore our guide on how to introduce mindfulness and meditation to your children—at any age.
Written by Dr. Liz Matheis
Featured in: Psychology Today, 1/17/2021
I am so tired of thinking about COVID-19. I’m tired of having to think about masks, disinfecting, and all the consideration that goes into making decisions about things that were effortless.
A great many of us are anxious, sad, and feeling exhausted. There is no end in sight. We don’t know when life will return to “normal” or if life after the pandemic will ever return to “normal.”