Archive for 'On Your Mind' Category
On Your Mind: Why Am I So Mad?
Dear Tom, Lately I feel like I get angry a lot more often than I used to. It feels irrational because I can’t really figure out what I’m mad about or stressed about. But the anger ends up coming out at my kids, my husband, traffic, etc. If I don’t have an obvious reason to [...]
Take me out to the ballgame (for Teal in the Park!)
This is the perfect time of year to take the kids to a baseball game — not too hot, not too cool. And the Arkansas Naturals have one of the most kid-friendly ballparks around. On Saturday, May 5, 2012, the Naturals will take on the Tulsa Drillers at 7 p.m. Ozark Guidance is partnering with [...]
On Your Mind: Answer to local mom’s question
NOTE: The following is an anonymous note we received from an nwaMotherlode reader who asked this mental health question about how best to help her daughter. This is Tom’s response to the reader’s question. Please feel free to use the anonymous form (at the bottom of this post) to send additional questions to our local [...]
On Your Mind: Answer to a local mom’s question
NOTE: The following is an anonymous note we received from a nwaMotherlode reader who had a question after reading the most recent On Your Mind post about panic attacks. (Click here if you missed that one.) This is Tom’s response to the reader’s question. Please feel free to use the anonymous form (at the bottom [...]
On Your Mind: Is this a panic attack?
Dear Tom, Last year was a hard one for me emotionally and my husband thinks I may be having some panic attacks. Now and then I get really nervous, start sweating and my heart feels like it’s going to beat out of my chest. It can get so intense that, if I’m worried it might [...]
On Your Mind: Could my college student be having a nervous breakdown?
Dear Tom, My 19-year-old daughter is a freshman in college, and I’m worried that she may be having a nervous breakdown. She was overwhelmed with worry during her final exams and her stress level didn’t go down once the exams were over. She’s a perfectionist who puts a lot of pressure on herself so I [...]
On Your Mind: Post-divorce dating and kids
Dear Tom, My husband and I divorced about two years ago. We have two kids, both in elementary school. He remarried very quickly, and I’ve been dating regularly since the divorce. My mother thinks that dating is distracting me from being a mom and that I should concentrate more on the kids’ needs instead of [...]
On Your Mind: Grief and “getting over it”
Dear Tom, My sister died suddenly about a year ago, and I am still really struggling with it. I don’t know how long grief usually lasts, but I feel like people around me, including my husband, expect me to be “over it” by now. I have read about the five stages of grief but my [...]
On Your Mind: Helping a preschooler through divorce fall-out
Dear Tom, My husband and I divorced about 6 months ago, and I’m noticing lately how clingy our 4-year-old son is to any man in our circle of friends (church friends, neighbors, etc.) His dad moved to a different town so he only sees him every other weekend. How can I help him fill the [...]
On Your Mind: Meet your new online counselor
Dear Tom, Lately I feel like I’m in a slump I can’t get out of. I don’t feel like doing anything, and my husband says I’m always in a bad mood. How do I know whether or not this is a real depression that needs treatment or just a passing phase? My husband thinks I [...]
On Your Mind: Top 5 ways to keep your kids mentally healthy
As a mom, it’s pretty easy to know my child’s physical needs — good food, safe housing, plenty of sleep and exercise. But children’s mental and emotional needs aren’t as obvious. Good mental health allows kids to develop emotionally, socially and intellectually. More than 20 percent of children and teens have mental health problems. These [...]
On Your Mind: ADHD – Life doesn’t have to be this hard!
By Deborah Dawes, PhD, Ozark Guidance Until very recently Attention Deficit Disorder was considered to be a problem of childhood that kids grew out of. Now it is becoming clear that it is a neuropsychological disorder that persists, but that many sufferers have developed coping skills or struggle without knowing what the real problem is. [...]
On Your Mind: Do you spank?
By Allie Hennis, Director of Therapeutic Foster Care, Ozark Guidance What’s the big deal about spanking anyway? We tend to say to ourselves, “Well, I was spanked and I turned out okay didn’t I?” However, have you ever stopped to think about what you may have learned from spankings? While you may have learned not [...]
Family Event: Teal in the Park Night @ May 7 Naturals game!
The Northwest Arkansas Naturals are stepping up to the plate for mental wellness awareness with a family event called Teal in the Park Night on May 7th. This will be a special family event that the Ozark Guidance Auxiliary and Foundation Board are working hard to make memorable. Naturals team members will be wearing teal [...]
On Your Mind: Practical step-parenting strategies
By Paige Stephens, Ozark Guidance PARENTING can be one of the most challenging jobs known to man — or womankind. You are never allowed to resign or take a vacation or even a sick day. If parenting is hard, imagine yourself as a step-parent. Wow, why would anyone ever sign up for that? It’s a [...]
On Your Mind: Letting kids just play!
By Leigh Wade, Early Childhood Center clinic manager Since the day to day world of mothers is anything but calm, it’s important to make time for unstructured play with your child. Today, so much significance is placed on how to provide the most for your child and obtain the best opportunities, but these great intentions [...]
On Your Mind: Taking the temperature of your family
By Lori Chalmers, Director of Children and Family Services, Ozark Guidance Everyone is part of a family, whether it’s one you are born into or one you choose and create yourself. Some families are healthier than others, but every family takes a certain amount of work to keep it alive and growing. Sometimes we get [...]
Mental Wellness Tips for Mom and Families
By Jane Guyton, Ozark Guidance Mental illness isn’t choosy. It can touch anyone, regardless of age, race, religion or income level. It might be a result of a biological, inherited trait, or it might be triggered by a traumatic life experience. No matter how it happens, there ARE things that moms and families can do [...]