Expressing love to children is critical to their healthy development and can help youth feel bonded to the adults in their lives. Children who are bonded to healthy adults are less likely to try risky behaviors, such as misusing substances. Make sure your child gets them message that you love them by using their love language to express love. To figure out your child’s love … Continue reading Five Love Languages for Children
Kids today deal with so much. How can they cope with everything with which they are confronted? There are options. A great tool that was created for youth today is the SafeUT app. This app is available 24/7, it’s 100% confidential and always free. Most people think of it in connection with suicide prevention, but that’s definitely not it’s only purpose. This app was designed … Continue reading SafeUT app: It’s not just for suicide prevention!
When life gets stressful self-care can get pushed to the back burner. However, the less we care for ourselves, the less we’ll have to give. Yoga is a simple and free way to manage stress that anyone can do. It can be as simple as breathing exercises all the way up to complicated, challenging poses. What’s important is to connect your mind and body and … Continue reading Yoga for Stress Management
People with medical conditions need a supportive network to help them recover. Substance use disorder is just as much a valid condition as someone who is recovering from cancer. Any chronic medical condition requires support from a recovery community. Unfortunately, not all health conditions receive the same level of support. People with a substance use disorder can experience social isolation, stigma, and shaming, all of … Continue reading Choose Compassion, Break Down Stigma
NAMI is the National Alliance on Mental Illness. NAMI Utah’s mission is to ensure the dignity and improve the lives of those who live with mental illness and their families through support, education and advocacy. NAMI Utah County offers the following FREE programs: Connections Support Group – Twice monthly for individuals living with a mental health condition Family Support Group – Twice monthly for families … Continue reading Free NAMI Classes
Starting a conversation about drugs with children can be difficult and awkward. However, communication between parents and children about this difficult topic is one of the most important protective and preventative factors. It may seem early, but starting these conversations with elementary school children is appropriate. Youth can experiment with drugs and alcohol even in elementary school, and it’s a great time to start clearly … Continue reading Talking to Your Kids About Drugs
Teens today face a lot of challenges. When teens are struggling, they are more likely to make poor choices that will affect their future negatively, such as misusing drugs and alcohol. On the other hand, when a teen feels good, they thrive! As parent’s, grandparents, teachers and mentors, we can do a lot to help protect our teens against some of those challenges. Check out … Continue reading Protect Your Teens
Handling big, negative emotions can be challenging. When you become overwhelmed by sadness, worry, or anger, there are some things you can do to help you get through that moment. One strategy is called the Four A’s. This simple tool can help in many different situations. The Four A’s Lynda Silva, Ph.D. Awareness Try to notice the emotion when it is just starting—when the ‘wave’ … Continue reading Managing Emotions
According to the Oxford Dictionary, stress is “a state of mental or emotional strain or tension resulting from adverse or very demanding circumstances.” Though we typically talk about stress negatively, not all stress is bad. Eu-stress, or good stress, is stress from positive things. Like going to a party for example, may be fun and exciting, but it can still cause strain on energy levels, … Continue reading Understanding The Signs of Stress
What is a risk factor? A risk factor is a condition that increases the likelihood of a problem behavior. Let’s use the example of heart problems, what are the risk factors? Diet, smoking, family history, not exercising, and high cholesterol. All of those things increase our risk for having a heart attack, stroke, or heart failure. The more you have the more you are at … Continue reading Risk Factors