“I’m bored”, those two words uttered by so many children and adults over the last year….but, how much is boredom a problem and how much is it a blessing? Boredom, in it’s simplest form, is mental fatigue created by monotony or lack of stimulation which often leaves us with a lack of interest and empty sensation. Has, living in a world where everything is at our finger tips 24/7 added to the depth of those empty sensations? In a world where you can shop online 24/7, get lost in phones and computer games, we work all hours of the day…

Managing anxiety  When children experience anxiety they can quickly start to avoid activities, not wanting to aggravate the uncomfortable feelings. This leads to a situation where their world becomes smaller and smaller, whilst their worries when they need to step out of it grow bigger and bigger. Whilst allowing them to avoid things can feel the best option, as watching them navigate distressing or uncomfortable feelings is unpleasant, restricting the size of their comfort zone can have longer term consequences, particularly when they come across situations that they cannot avoid. This concept can be referred to as a 'window of…

In a world which is currently filled with uncertainty, it can be challenging to keep spirits optimistic, particularly when there are frequent changes, disappointments or question marks. Whilst, for adults, we may be able to rationalise some of the challenges that are occurring, for children, whose frontal cortex, responsible for logical and rational thought, is less developed managing the situation can be extremely hard. 2020 was challenging for many reasons, the disruptions to routines, the cancelled plans, the lack of interaction and the loss of events that filled our calendars with joy. Many families have quickly developed the art of…

Resilience describes our ability to bounce back from stress, adversity, failure and challenges. However, it is often misunderstood that failure is not something we are born with, or something that some people have and others do not. Rather, resilience is something that we develop, grow and foster over time and with support and guidance. So what are the benefits of resilience? Resilience allows us: Better manage stress and worries Te able to overcome obstacles To look for solutions and opportunities To navigate challenging situations Cope with rejection Process and move past failure See the lessons and opportunities in life's lessons…

Does your child walk in the door after school and….. Explode? Fall apart? Lose the plot? Struggle to cope? Become distresses? Restraint Collapse is a term developed by Andrea Loewen Nair, a parenting educator. It is used to describe children who bottle up their feelings and anxieties all day, doing all they can to hold themselves together to fit in and be the same as everyone else, to then come home to their safe place and release everything. The challenge of holding in their emotional needs leaves them feeling emotionally, intellectually and physically exhausted and the entry into a safe…