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Mental Health

Helping Kids Deal With Big Emotions

We’ve all been there: Your three-year-old has a meltdown in the middle of the grocery checkout line or you become beyond exasperated when your eldest clobbers your youngest for no apparent reason. Feelings. They push us to our limits. They’re big and at times, seem to come out of nowhere. We realize that we have difficulty managing our own emotions, so it’s easy to understand when our children have the same problem. Here are some strategies to help your children first identify their feelings, and then learn to manage their feelings in acceptable ways.

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How to Make a Five Senses Stress-Busting Kit for Your Kids

Have you ever been on the way to the pediatrician’s office when you happened to mention to your kids that it’s time for their annual flu shot? Then all chaos breaks out - they start shaking, screaming, crying, and begging that you turn around and take them home right away. Children may face situations on the go that cause them great anxiety: It may be a trip to the doctor, the first day of school, a challenging test, traveling on an airplane, or going to an unfamiliar place, like a friend’s party or relative’s house. How can you help your kids get through these stressful times, so they can learn to calm themselves down?

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Parenting Children Diagnosed with ADHD

Attention-deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) is thought to be the most common childhood mental health disorder. Whether your child has been newly diagnosed or you and your child have been on this journey for quite some time, here are some tips.

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Don't Panic About Anxiety - Teaching Your Teen to Navigate Nerves

Can you anxiety-proof your teen? Probably not completely, but you can teach your teen the necessary and important life skills for navigating anxious feelings that are bound to crop up. If your teen begins to show signs of persistent anxiousness, don’t panic; this is your opportunity to spark an ongoing discussion about mood management. Have a talk with your child while you take a walk outdoors or go for a drive together. Without making a huge, dramatic deal about it, revisit the topic of managing emotional ups and downs frequently, so your child understands they can and will learn to navigate challenging emotions (see sidebar for when to seek help).

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