Tag Archives: mental health

More Ideas for Developing Logical Thinking

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I have discussed how many educators are now turning to the reasoning behind problems more than just simply asking for the answers. The ability for children to solve problems comes from two basic concepts. Those concepts are memory and reasoning. I had offered some ideas for parents to help their children enhance these skills at the ages of two and three. In this article those tips will continue for other ages. By the age of four most children can recall events in the form of memories. Children can remember places that they have been and people that they have seen. … Continue reading →

Depression vs. Depression

When I was a little girl, the term “depression” was used when someone was having a bad day, felt sad over something that had happened, and was having a hard time finding joy in life. In a lot of cases, getting some good sleep and spending time with friends and family was enough to pull the person out of it. Sometimes this depression was a natural result of sin, the depression coming about because of guilt over transgression, and after visiting with the bishop and going through a process of repentance, the person could be restored to a state of … Continue reading →

What Helps You Feel More Grounded?

We all have activities and coping mechanisms that help us feel more grounded—those things we can do when we start to feel restless, unsettled, or as though we would fly off the face of the planet if it wasn’t for gravity! What do you do to make you feel more settled and grounded? If you’re looking for some ideas to help you during those unsettling times, here are some suggestions: I tend to either clean house or sort and purge when I am feeling ungrounded. I have to admit that the feeling does not come to me as often as … Continue reading →

Earthquake May Prove to be a Milestone for Chinese Adoptions

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In a stunning departure from centuries of tradition, thousands of China’s people are considering adoption, moved by the stories of the orphans of the massive earthquake which shook Sichuan Province as well as neighboring provinces on May 12. In the past, adoption has been unusual in Chinese society. Until recently the government discouraged it, fearing that some people would use adoption to get around the one-child (or one-boy or two-girl in some rural areas) policy. But more than that, cultural mores have deterred adoption. An official from the China Center for Adoption Affairs explained that previously, people who adopted would … Continue reading →

Why Waste Time Hating?

How can feeling hateful be such a natural emotion and still be so bad for us? It is hard sometimes not to hate someone or hate a situation or something that has happened in our past, but the truth is, holding on to that hate only hurts us and is a waste of valuable time. Surely hate is not the sole challenge for a single parent, but holding on to hateful feelings and/or resentment can definitely keep us from moving on and being happy. If you have been through a painful and horrendous divorce, or have been hurt by an … Continue reading →

Are You Feeling Removed From Your Emotions?

Trauma and grief can cause us to withdraw into ourselves and cut ourselves off from emotions and feelings in order to get through some really painful and trying times. For those of us who have become single parents by going through a separation, divorce, or death—we might be carrying some of that grief and trauma with us and it may make us feel removed from our bodies, feelings, and other physical sensations. While this might have been a reasonable survival skill when we were in the midst of the tough time, as we heal, we have to learn how to … Continue reading →

Different Ways Jealousy Sidelines a Single Parent Family

I do not want to imply that jealousy is can only be an issue for single parent families, but I do think that it is one of those realities that we can wrestle with. It can peep up and rear its ugly green head in so many different ways for both our children and ourselves that facing down the jealousy beast can help to make for a happier, healthier family. Recently, one of my daughters and I were talking about jealousy as an “issue.” We decided that there are so many ways that single parent families can feel as though … Continue reading →

Single Parents and Guilt–Part Three–Helping Our Children Deal with Guilt

Single parents are not the only ones in the family affected and influenced by feelings of guilt–our children can be susceptible too. They might feel guilty and believe that they are one of the reasons for a separation or divorce, or they might feel guilty if they want to play on a sports team or need money for a school field trip. There are all sorts of reasons that children of divorced and single parent families might feel guilty and as parents, we can help them learn how to let those feelings go… Of course, helping our children deal with … Continue reading →

Single Parents and Guilt–Part Two–When Others Work to Make You Feel Guilty

We’ve talked about how we can carry around guilt ourselves as single parents and ways to dig in and figure out where it is coming from and letting it go–but the truth is, guilt is not always self-generated. Sometimes, our single parent guilt is originating from people and situation outside of us. We might have an ex partner or spouse who is “laying on the guilt” because we have moved on; we may have family and friends who are putting their own values and belief systems onto us and trying to make us feel guilty for whatever reasons. What can … Continue reading →

Single Parents and Guilt–Part One–Identify the Source and Symptoms

I know that guilt and single parenthood has come up before here in the Single Parents Blog, but I don’t know if enough can be said on the subject. When I woke this morning, I started thinking about guilt and the single parent family from three different angles or directions and decided to write a three-part “series” on guilt and the single parent–first, how to figure out where it is coming from and how it is manifesting itself in your life; secondly, how not to let other people add to your feelings of guilt; and finally–a subject I don’t think … Continue reading →