Tagged With "authentic self"
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28,000 LA preschoolers are learning how to be better humans [scpr.org]
I don’t want to be your friend. Stay away. I’m not going to share with you. These harsh statements are "very normal to hear at the beginning of the school year," for preschool teachers like Rafaela Campos. To push past those moments of mean, she and more than a thousand other early educators in the Los Angeles Unified School District now have a new tool. This school year, all 86 of the early childhood centers in the district started using a program called Sanford Harmony, which provides...
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3 Ideas to Update Your Self-Care Plan [gmichelle.com]
With the concept of self-care receiving more buzz than ever before, more people are practicing routines and activities to better care for themselves. At the same time, self-care is included more in our marketing, as it is being used to promote products, services and many, many, many spa services. While getting a manicure or taking a warm bath are certainly helpful self-care ideas, we want to be mindful of how our practice of caring for ourselves is actually helping us. As we reviewed how to...
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43 Amazing Benefits of Child-led Free Play
Self-directed free play is vital for the healthy development of children. Here we see 43 science-backed benefits it brings.
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5 Ways Trauma-Informed Care Supports Children's Development
Happy Friday! Below is an excerpt from an article by Child Trends about how trauma-informed care supports children's development. I think it's a nice overview for the trauma-informed work that you're doing - why it's so important, and how it connects to the broader initiative. To see the full article click here . TIC helps service providers, parents, and systems recognize and respond to the needs of children who experience trauma. Each child reacts to trauma differently, but experiencing...
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ACEs Champion Julie Kurtz Gives Every Child (and Adult) a Voice
Julie Kurtz hasn’t stopped creating ways to build and promote resilience in herself and others who have experienced trauma since she left her family home for college at age 18. Although she experienced four types of adversity during her childhood, the CEO of the Center for Optimal Brain Integration has traveled a complex journey to mitigate those adversities by recognizing her own internal resilience, building skills to buffer her toxic and traumatic stress, uncovering her voice through...
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ACES Science 101 (FAQs)
What are ACEs? ACEs are adverse childhood experiences that harm children's developing brains so profoundly that the effects show up decades later; they cause much of chronic disease, most mental illness, and are at the root of most violence. ...
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Addressing Trauma in Early Childhood: (Issue Brief 61 - (CHDI) Child Health and Development Institute of Connecticut, Inc.)
ARC Supports Parents in Helping Young Children Recover from Trauma Through a five year SAMHSA grant awarded to CHDI as part of the National Child Traumatic Stress Network (NCTSN), the Early Childhood Trauma Collaborative (ECTC) is helping to address this gap by training clinicians to use Attachment, Self-Regulation and Competency (ARC), 5 an effective treatment for young children who have experienced trauma and their caregivers. ARC is a behavioral health treatment that supports parents (or...
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Care for Yourself, So You Can Care for Others
December can be a busy and stressful time for everyone. Please see the message below from the Office of Head Start, reminding you to take care of yourself and giving some helpful daily tips- Safe Foundations, Healthy Futures Campaign Care for Yourself, So You Can Care for Others December 2018 December can be a particularly hard time to take care of yourself. You may be busy, over-scheduled, stressed about finances, or worried about family. This month, the Safe Foundations, Healthy Futures...
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Child’s behavior may be linked to parent’s adverse childhood experiences [contemporarypediatrics.com]
Parents who have experienced adverse childhood experiences (ACEs), such as abuse, neglect, or household dysfunction, are more likely than parents without these experiences to have children with behavioral health problems, according to an analysis of data from several large, nationally representative surveys of US households that addressed ACEs and children’s behavioral problems and diagnoses. Of the more than 2500 children for whom researchers had data, one-fifth had a parent who reported...
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Connections between early childhood program and teenage outcomes [sciencedaily.com]
A new study published in PLOS ONE by researchers from New York University's Steinhardt School of Culture, Education, and Human Development examined the long-term impacts of an early childhood program called the Chicago School Readiness Project (CSRP) and found evidence suggesting that the program positively affected children's executive function and academic achievement during adolescence. The program targeted children's self-regulation skills while also raising the quality of inner-city...
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Dr. Marrow at Echo Changing the Paradigm Conference
I wanted to give the heads up to our ACESConnection friends about Dr. Monique Marrow who is one of the keynotes at Echo's March 21 & 22nd Frontiers of Resilience conference. Dr. Marrow will be speaking on “ Addressing Trauma in System-Involved Youth ," drawing on her extensive experience as a child psychologist in the juvenile justice system. She talks about the ' invisible suitcase ' that system-involved youth carry - a suitcase full of thoughts and perceptions about the world that have...
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Early childhood educators learn new ways to spot trauma triggers, build resilience in preschoolers
A hug may be comforting to many children, but for a child who has experienced trauma it may not feel safe.
That’s an example used by Julie Kurtz, co-director of trauma informed practices in early childhood education at the WestEd Center for Child & Family Studies (CCFS), as she begins a trauma training session. Her audience, preschool teachers and staff of the San Francisco-based Wu Yee Children’s Services at San Francisco’s Women’s Building, listen attentively.
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Five Ways to Help Kids Manage Frustration [greatergood.berkeley.edu]
When parents hold their newborn infants, they naturally want what’s best for them. They want to protect them, nurture them, and give them all the opportunities to have a happy life. At the same time, however, children must learn to cope with frustrations and disappointments. Luckily, there are frustrations from the very beginning of life, such as when babies want a bottle and have to wait even a few minutes while you are preparing it. Later, as toddlers, they have to wait until they can get...
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From Compassion Fatigue to Healing Centered Engagement: Turning Trauma Informed Values into Action
To pave the way for a truly strengths-based approach to full healing and recovery for both service users and burned out staff, we must educate them on (1) the central role of primal body responses to trauma (past and present), and (2) the early development of adaptive thoughts and behaviors in response to
traumatic experience.
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Growing Resilient Kids
Resiliency is defined as the ability to bounce back from stressful events we encounter in life. When something we encounter is so overwhelming to us that we become stuck in it, that is one definition of trauma. Resiliency can be viewed as the antidote to trauma. In fact, when we effectively process trauma we have experienced, we often come out the other side far more resilient than before. Our nervous systems have a higher stretch capacity, so to speak. How do we help our kids stretch and...
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Hey, am I alone here? NO we are here to help!
Do you ever think, wow .... Am I the only one doing this work? And, how come it is so hard to find the resources I need to do my job? And, isn't there a better way to share and collaborate? YOU are not alone - and YES there are amazing people and communities that want to collaborate and share what they've learned! Where do I find these people? On ( clickable ) ACEs Connectio n ! Sign up for ACEs Connection and start collaborating with parents, professionals, well known researchers, and many...
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How a story about childhood trauma in Paradise became one of community trauma [centerforhealthjournalism.org]
My project for the Center for Health Journalism’s California Fellowship was focused on childhood trauma, zeroing in on a town in Northern California. In the fall, that town — Paradise, California — burned in a harrowing wildfire. The story quickly changed to one of community loss. The story of trauma in two counties My initial project was about Adverse Childhood Experiences, or ACEs. ACEs are one way to quantify how much childhood trauma a person has experienced before the age of 18. Through...
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How to Be Your Own Emergency First Responder! (3 minute read)
https://www.optimalbrainintegration.com/post/how-to-be-your-own-emergency-first-responder-3-minute-read How to Be Your Own Emergency First Responder! (3 minute read)
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Mental Health and Resilience Month Part 1: Self-Care
Hello, everyone! Since June is Mental Health and Resilience Month, I'll be posting weekly resilience tips or resources. Hopefully these are helpful not only as you begin work in trauma-informed care, but in creating balance for your life in general. I thought I'd start us off with some information on self-care - you've probably all heard of it, and it's gotten a lot of attention recently, but what exactly does it mean? (Even if this is all familiar to you, reminders are always helpful!) See...
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Mental Health and Resilience Month Part 3: Declutter Your Mind
Happy Friday! For this week's mental health and resilience tip, I wanted to give resources on ways to declutter your mind. Some of them are more literal (#6 - declutter your workspace), but most of them are figurative ways to help you feel less stressed and more centered. My personal favorite is #5 - breathe. Taking a slow, deep breath actually lowers your heart rate and blood pressure, which signals to your brain that you're calm, which then makes you feel calmer! You can read the list...
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Mindfulness Stress Reduction Techniques for Healing
Whether you're healing from illness, trauma, or other difficult times, these mindfulness stress reduction techniques can support your healing.
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My hopes for a trauma-informed California
Every evening, I try to engage my daughter in reflection, gratitude, and hope. I try to practice the same, but tonight, I felt the need to share with you all. Today I had the opportunity to attend the Toward a Trauma-Informed Northern California Summit 2018 – it was an incredible experience. We were welcomed with a moving, informative, and engaging keynote speaker, Dr. Isaiah B. Pickens , who laid the foundation for what would be a day of growth, reflection, connection, and peer support. He...
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Nearly 20 communities on ACEs Connection launch Community Presentation Trackers
As part of the rollout of Growing Resilient Communities 2.0 late last year, we provided communities with an interactive tool that maps the presentations a local ACEs science initiative does in that community. So far, nearly 20 communities, out of about 150 on ACEs Connection, have launched presentation trackers, including Maryland and Arkansas. (A full list is at the bottom of this blog post.) Growing Resilience Communities 2.0 provides communities basic guidelines to growing their ACEs...
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New Health Resiliency Stress Questionnaire debuts for pediatricians, family practice, internal medicine...but anyone can use it
There's a new ACEs-resiliency survey in town! It came out of a conversation between two physicians having a conversation on a bus. Here's the story about how it was developed, and how to use it. Pilots were done in a pediatric clinic, internal medicine, addiction treatment center, group therapy, and psychiatric practice. It's now being used in two community clinics.
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Running TIC Resource List
This is a running list for trauma-informed care websites and resources that aren't downloadable, so you can access them in one place. I will keep this list updated, and you can always find it under the Running TIC Resource List blog category (this will be the only blog in there). If you have any additional resources, please post a comment below with the link, or send me a private message or email at gdimatteo@rrnetwork.org , and I will add it to the list. As always, feel free to reach out to...
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Parent Handouts: Understanding ACEs, Parenting to Prevent & Heal ACEs (English)
Please see the main post for these parent handouts in the ACEs Connection Resources Center. These two flyers ( Understanding ACEs and Parenting to Prevent & Heal ACEs ) can be downloaded, distributed, and used freely. One is brand new and the other is a revision. Both flyers were made with generous support from Family Hui, a Program of Lead for Tomorrow. Translations of these flyers are in progress and will be shared by Family Hui and updated on ACEs Connection when available.
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Promising Research on Mindfulness for Kids (eomega.org)
Mindfulness trains our brains to respond in ways we choose instead of always in a default manner, which often is a knee-jerk reaction from the reptilian part of the brain. This is especially pertinent in situations that bring up stress or conflict. For instance, if a child has learned to use violence to react to feeling scared, mindfulness can help him or her become aware of this habitual behavior and the feelings underneath it, and ultimately rewire the reaction to a constructive and...
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Registration is OPEN for the Strategies2.0 November 8, 2018 Sierra Region Learning Community! Learn How the Trauma Informed Systems Approach Can Promote Resilient Families, Agencies and Communities
Second in the Building Resiliency Series: Build Resilient Communities by Fostering Trust and Finding Champions. Explore how innovative Child Abuse Prevention Month activities can promote resilience. Learn self-care strategies to stay motivated! Thursday, November 8, 2018, 9:30 am to 12:30 pm Locations: Amador Child Abuse Prevention Council in Jackson, on-line and remote sites in Loyalton, Markleeville, and South Lake Tahoe Network in the Sierra Nevada Region to learn about innovative Child...
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Self Regulation Skills Bring Resiliency to Angry Preschool Boy
SUCCESS! RESULTS! Here's a testimonial from a preschool teacher who reinforces the Superkid Power skills I teach to a classroom of 3 and 4 year olds. "Two very active little boys were playing in the dramatic play area. Both saw a police officer uniform that they wanted to wear. We have been working on social dialogue throughout the month so one little boy responded with "Can I have it when you are done?" The other little boy responded with "Yes." Thinking that he was able to play with it...
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Sign-up for Free CEBC Webinar: Secondary Traumatic Stress/Compassion Fatigue: This Is Hard, This Work That We Do, AND We Are Making A Difference
Join us for a free CEBC-Hosted Webinar, Secondary Traumatic Stress/ Compassion Fatigue: This Is Hard, This Work That We Do, AND We Are Making A Difference on Wednesday, January 15, 2020 from 11:00 am - 12:00 pm PT Secondary Traumatic Stress/Compassion Fatigue [STS/CF] is the emotional, physical, and personal response to frequent exposure to and empathic engagement with individuals and families struggling with significant challenges in their lives. It is often referred to as the "emotional...
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Strengthening self-regulation in childhood may improve resiliency later in life [medicalxpress.com]
Millions of families live in poverty in the United States. Associated stressors can often lead to adverse life experiences for children in those families, and negative socioemotional outcomes later in life. Family-centered programs are a well-supported way of buffering against these effects. More than two decades of peer-reviewed research suggests family -focused interventions play a role in improving outcomes over a long period of time. Now, a paper published in Child Development finally...
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Tell State Leaders: Do More for California's Babies
Check out this exciting opportunity to support babies and strengthen families! Please join hundreds of other organizations in signing on to this letter urging our state leaders to fund critical home visiting supports for babies and families living in poverty. Children’s earliest brain development is the foundation for their lifelong health and success. Yet too often families, especially those who are struggling to make ends meet, don’t have the support they need during the stressful time of...
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TIC Training & Coaching E-News: April 2019
E-Newsletter Emergency Child Care Bridge Program Network Updates 2019 Join Network/CAPPA Conference: Call for Presenters The California Child Care Resource & Referral Network (Network) and the California Alternative Payment Program Association (CAPPA), along with our 2019 Joint Conference Committee are excited to announce the 2019 Joint Network/CAPPA Conference. The Joint Conference will be held October 2 – 4, 2019 at the DoubleTree by Hilton Hotel in Sacramento. We look forward to an...
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Trauma Informed Practices for Schools Training April 23, 2018
Trauma Informed Practices are the link to academic achievement and social/emotional success for students who’ve experienced toxic stress and trauma. Due to repeated triggering of the fight or flight system, the neurology of these students is different than their grade level counterparts, and taking in new knowledge can often be challenging. Navigating social/emotional situations can also be difficult. Trauma Informed Practices help teachers and students to be better regulated, which...
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Trauma Informed Principles through a Culturally Specific Lens (pdf)
This document attempts to define the core principles of trauma informed work through a culturally specific analysis. The content of this resource is primarily intended for culturally specific, communitybased organizations and seeks to provide practitioners with accessible language to describe the trauma informed/culturally specific overlap of their work. In our experience at Casa de Esperanza, as a national technical assistance provider, we come in contact with many culturally specific...
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Webinar and resources: Creating Trauma-Informed Early Childhood Learning Environments (101)
To see Strategies 2.0's webinar on creating trauma-informed early childhood learning environments, click here: https://attendee.gototraining.com/anytimetrainings/7638586943043063554/registrants/6349740514948050945/anytime.tmpl?branding=15k9n Below is a list of resources on self-regulation and trauma provided at the end of the webinar: Self-regulation https://childmind.org/article/can-help-kids-self-regulation/...
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Understanding the role of cultural stigma on seeking mental health services
By Dr. Sheila Modir , pediatric psychologist; Baleska Alfaro, licensed marriage and family therapist; and Dr. Ava Casados and Dr. Sarah Ruiz, post-doctoral fellows at CHOC For some people, making an appointment with a mental health provider may be a personal and independent decision. For others, the decision to seek therapy services may be influenced by their culture or community, as each culture has its own understanding, interpretation and beliefs around mental health symptoms. Our own...
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Hello Bridge Community!
I would like to formally introduce myself as the new Trauma-Informed Care Wellness Coordinator here at the California Child Care Resource & Referral Network (CCCRRN). My name is Kristina Modeste and I am so grateful to be a resource to you all! As a yoga instructor and mindfulness advocate here in the Bay Area, I have had the privilege of witnessing the transformative power of community support and collective healing. Together we will begin to explore what self-care can look like and...
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The Mental Health Care Crisis Continues One Year Later...Maintaining Emotional Wellness during the COVID-19 Pandemic
Join Dr. Monique Collier Nickles on 4/13/21 for a live discussion related to this post by registering for ChildWIN's free Zoom event at https://us02web.zoom.us/meetin...FcfKOVI9rg9X5Xh8EHBY The outbreak of coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) has been stressful and traumatic for many people, particularly our children and adolescents. As we approach the pandemic’s one year anniversary, unfortunately, many of us are continuing to grapple with its distressing effects both physically and...
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Thirty Ways to Self-Care!
Hello community! Did you know that April is National Stress Awareness Month? Along with ushering in warmer weather, this new season marks a time for us to take inventory of our stressors and readjust as needed. We know how compassionate and dedicated our Bridge community continues to be, your consistent advocacy is an inspiration to us all! I want to honor your hard work by providing a few tips to help lighten your load this next month. Please feel free to participate in a fun 30 day...
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Breathing for Self-Regulation
There are many wonderful ways to begin cultivating awareness in our own bodies. Today, we will take a look at square breathing or diaphragmatic breathing. Regularly practicing this ancient belly breathing technique activates our Vagus nerve and increases endorphins and serotonin. Comment below with a few ways you like to cultivate awareness in your own wellness journey!
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Simple Self-Care
How has your self-care evolved over these past few months? This past year? Your self-care is valid, no matter what it looks like. Each step you take to nurture yourself is a radical act of community care. Check out this fun self-care bingo sheet offering a few new ways to spice up your wellness journey!
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Me & My Emotions: A New, Free Resource for Teens
The pandemic has had a lasting effect on youth mental health. Moved by a desire to reduce youth’s toxic stress and increase their resilience, The Dibble Institute, in partnership with a team of students and alumni from ArtCenter College of Design and author Carolyn Curtis, PhD, is releasing Me & My Emotions —a new, free adaptation of our beloved Mind Matters Curriculum. The mobile-friendly Me & My Emotions website features engaging graphics and bite-sized lessons teens can access and...
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Scholarships now available for Mind Matters Now!
Has the pandemic stressed you out? Want to learn the self-soothing skills of Mind Matters: Overcoming Adversity and Building Resilience directly from the author, Dr. Carolyn Curtis? Good news! The Dibble Institute has received generous funding for scholarships to the online, full 12-lesson series, Mind Matters Now . The course helps teachers, social workers, medical professionals, and others manage their stress by building resilience skills and practices for mental well-being. (CEUs are...
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Upcoming 6/9 Webinar and New Report and Brief: Community Strategies to Address California’s Digital Divide and Its Impact on Children and Families
PACEs Connection and the Essentials for Childhood (EfC) Initiative, a project of the California Department of Public Health (CDPH) and the California Department of Social Services (CDSS) have developed two new resources, “Community Strategies to Address California’s Digital Divide and Its Impact on Children and Families” Report and the “Digital Divide Brief: Community Strategies to Address California’s Digital Divide and Its Impact on Children and Families”
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New Transforming Trauma Episode: Creating Trauma-Informed Systems with Dr. Sandra Bloom
In this episode of Transforming Trauma, our host Emily is joined by Dr. Sandra Bloom. Dr. Bloom is a Board-Certified psychiatrist, Associate Professor of Health Management and Policy at Drexel University, and the Founder of Creating Presence , an online organization for creating trauma-informed systems. She is the founder of the Sanctuary Model which provides inpatient psychiatric programs for the treatment of trauma-related emotional disorders. Dr. Bloom is the author of a series of books...
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Fall Is the Season for Building Mindfulness and Resilience [nytimes.com]
By Erik Vance, The New York Times, September 21, 2022 Whether you like it or not, fall is here. Soon the weather will get colder, the leaves will die and the nights will stretch longer than the days. Outdoor pools have closed and the holidays are coming. Another year is dying; that’s just how it goes. At least, that’s the way autumn often is cast — as a time of aging and decay. The poet Percy Bysshe Shelley compared autumn’s falling leaves to corpses in the grave. William Shakespeare called...
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Trauma-Informed Yoga for Kids (Echo)
November 9, 2022 11:00 AM 3:30 PM EST Virtual via Zoom Learning how little bodies register and retain trauma physically and physiologically is key to helping children release toxic stress. Register HERE. After any long period of stress or trauma—such as getting through a pandemic—it is normal to experience emotional de-regulation. As we prepare for post-pandemic life, it is normal to experience de-regulation as a result of long periods of stress or trauma. In Echo's Trauma-Informed Yoga for...
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Lightening the Load We Carry from Childhood: 10 Ways to Forgive the Unkindest Cuts
While the process of forgiving painful offenses from childhood can be very difficult, efforts to forgive bring great rewards. The process begins with acknowledging the pain, applying self-compassion, and taking even small and faltering steps to get the forgiveness ball rolling.