For those who have been following my blog, it's been a full week since I released the post on Depression is For The Weak . ...

What do I want to talk about? An exercise to enable children to think about what they wish to discuss with an adult or the person who is helping them.

Have you ever thought about using wordless videos in your speech therapy lessons? It increases engagement! Start with these videos...

Aloha! At the end of last year, I wrote about how to be more satisfied with your life. Through that blog post, I wanted to tell you the significance of being aware of your life purpose. Today, let …

As my kids get older, I think a lot about what I need to teach them. When they were little it was all about surviving. Don't get me wrong...

Setting healthy boundaries is something I’ve only recently started to implement in my life. It isn’t easy for me and I’m learning as I go but I want to share the techniques I’ve learnt and been using because this seems to resonate with many of you. Basically, boundaries are our own personal limits on how people can treat us, how they can behave around us, and what they expect from us. This is very difficult, especially if you have lived most of your life in a codependent/enmeshed environment where you don’t see other people setting or respecting boundaries. ⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀ ⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀ ⠀⠀⠀⠀ When learning to set boundaries, the first step is to become self-aware of when you feel overwhelmed or mentally exhausted. Identify when you need more space, time, or self-respect. ⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀ ⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀ ⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀Once you have identified this, start setting simple but firm boundaries. It is important you use a kind and respectful tone when you communicate this. This will not be easy at first, but once you start implementing it more, you will notice how worthwhile it can be. ⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀ ⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀ ⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀The goal is to use simple and direct language. There is no need to over-explain or defend. It is important to be firm, yet kind and pleasant. Your tone is everything here. For example, you may notice these example statements may come off rude if your underlying tone is unkind. But if you say the same statement in a gracious way, your words will be perceived in a respectful manner. If the other person still does not want to accept your boundary, repeat it again. ⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀ ⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀Stand your ground and stay strong. If you give into the other person’s resistance, you invite him/her/them to ignore your needs. ⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀ ⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀ ⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀How have you tried to set boundaries in your life? What works for you? What you share is valuable because we all can learn from each others’ experiences

I no longer have you in my life. I no longer have the privilege of being to kiss or hug you. I no longer get to see you whenever I want to. I know that I’m probably never going to get you back ever again. And yet, I’m happy. I…

I’m usually focused on serious stuff when discussing INFJs, but today I wanted something more lighthearted. We INFJs are deep thinking and often come across as serious, but we can also be fun…

" I want others to know it’s OK to share their experiences, too, no matter how odd or scary they may be."

I am often heard saying that we NEED to understand we were a victim because we WERE... The victim role is not a place we want to live, but we must understand

Tags, memes, midnight ramblings, and other randomness :) This book is no longer being updated. For future updates, please head over to my current random book, Composed Chaos.

Borderline Personality Disorder is a psychiatric condition that leads to uncontrollable emotions. Here are 10 BPD facts that you must know.

HOW I WANT TO BE TREATED BY THE PEOPLE I CARE ABOUT SEL ACTIVITY SEL COMPETENCIES: RELATIONSHIP SKILLS, SELF-AWARENESS THIS QUICK HEALTHY RELATIONSHIPS ACTIVITY CAN BE DONE IN A SMALL GROUP COUNSELING OR INDIVIDUAL COUNSELING ENVIRONMENT. THE ACTIVITY HELPS TEENS FOCUS ON THE QUALITIES THEY WANT IN THEIR RELATIONSHIPS - WHETHER IT'S IN THEIR ROMANTIC OR PLATONIC RELATIONSHIPS. TEENS DON'T OFTEN TAKE THE TIME TO CONSIDER WHAT IS HEALTHY VS. UNHEALTHY IN THEIR RELATIONSHIPS AND WHICH QUALITIES THEY VALUE OVER OTHERS. THIS ACTIVITY TAKES ABOUT 10 MINUTES OR LESS TO COMPLETE AND CAN BE USED AS THE OPENING ACTIVITY FOR A MORE IN-DEPTH CONVERSATION OR LESSON ABOUT HEALTHY RELATIONSHIPS. I USE THIS SAME ACTIVITY WITH MY STUDENTS IN BOTH 1 ON 1 AND GROUP COUNSELING SETTINGS. ENJOY! :) - CARLA

I am doing everything I possibly can to raise my kids like it is the 90's. Find out how and why I am raising 90's kids in this fast paced world.

"You don't need to tithe."

Anna Bykova is a lazy mom. And she isn’t ashamed to admit that. Moreover, the psychologist and the author of several best-selling books is even proud of this “title” as she believes that it gives her children an opportunity to become more independent. However, by laziness, Anna doesn’t mean lying on the sofa all day long, but a desire to not do everything herself. For example, sometimes it’s better to be “lazy” and let a 7-year-old do the dishes to improve their fine motor skills. And it’s fine that you’ll have to wipe the floor dry after this and wash the dishes again when the child isn’t looking.

Once you identify narcissistic traits in others you might suddenly think, wait am I the Narcissist? Learn the two ingredients a narcissist can never have.

A selection of images from the collective project by Filipino artist Geloy Concepcion that gives new life to discarded images exposing our most intimate thoughts, fears and hopes

I found today’s #therapeutictuesday thanks to Pinterest! All during my time as a student, I pinned as many child life pins as possible for future reference. Pinterest is a great resource of…

I share these stories because I suspect you have also had moments you’re not proud of, stories you’ve never told anyone; I want you to know you’re not alone.

There are many things that I could stand to improve in as a writer‒say, everything‒but I have been told that one of the things that I have halfway down is creating characters. Since I started sharing my writing a year or two ago, I have heard time and time again that my characters are alive, so I sat down today, thought about my character process, and put together my strategy. Getting to know your characters is a lot like getting to know real people. You must spend time with them‒or in the case of characters, think on them. You must consider how all of their traits feed into other ones, and how they affect them. It’s easier said than done, but I do believe that with some practice, it can be as natural as getting ideas, and far simpler than English grammar. So here is the list that I compiled of things to consider‒in order of what I believe to be more important to less important. Flaws Quirks Interests Preferences Kind of vague, isn’t it? Here’s the more in-depth version with one of my characters being used as an example. Flaws‒Aaand this is the one that makes people people. It’s also the one that writers seem to enjoy to leave out, and I think I know why. This is why: Flaws make people less-desirable, (while some won’t admit that they think that, it’s the underlying reason for all of the picture-perfect characters in books), and people are afraid of people not liking their characters. But with that said, people are not interesting without flaws. Character‒These are the more plot-affecting flaws, usually. They’re the problems such as “not knowing when to shut up”, “finding other’s misfortunes hilarious”, or even “a tendency to lie about everything”. The latter is one of the character flaws of my character, Riley. Psychological‒These are the flaws that give the characters more depth of mind, in my opinion. Personality disorders and disabilities are good additions to any character, even though they in themselves are not good things. For example, Riley is a borderline sociopath. That makes her very complex, as well as creating a great deal of tension between her and the other characters, Physical‒I don’t find this one to be the most important, but it adds some depth as well. Imperfect people are much easier to sympathize with than the golden people we read about who have perfectly symmetrical faces and flawless physique. I don’t really enjoy reading about those people, unless there is a good reason for it. (i.e., the character is a model or the result of a genetic experiment. In which case, perfection is almost acceptable. ;) ) Riley is short‒not quite 5 feet tall‒and weighs more than would be acceptable according to most modeling agencies guidelines. Which doesn’t quite fit the cookie-cutter character list, if ya get me. Quirks‒My personal favorite. As a person who is quite quirky, as well as loving adversity, this has always been the category that I don’t run out of ideas for. So now are your characters not only imperfect, they are also unusual. It’s starting to sound like a nightmare for every Mary-Jane in the world! (It’s starting to sound real. *gasp*) Speech‒I personally love different voices. Accents, improper uses of long words, improper grammar‒they make speech a fun thing to listen to. Not lawful, (grammarly speaking,) but fun. (What fun is obeying every rule? Not much.) Riley’s manner of speech and her isms are subtle, but “there” enough that she doesn’t sound like the others. For example, when someone asks her a question, the order in which she replies is unusual. Like this: “Are you okay?” “I’m okay, yeah. It’s been a weird week, but I’m okay. Man, I’d like a break.” And that’s the way she talks. She never says yes, just “yeah”, and she directly refers to people as “man”, even if they’re not. Mannerisms‒These are not my strong suit, but I know that they’re important. Things like wringing your hands when you’re nervous, clearing your throat when you have nothing to say, and pursing your lips are all different mannerisms‒and all people have them. That should make it obvious that all characters should have them, too. Riley smirks a lot‒very generic, I know. Don’t judge my lack of creativity, hehe‒and when she cries she does so without making any noise. (I really need to work on giving my characters mannerisms.) Fears‒(This one probably could have been placed with the “Flaws”, but I thought it more of a quirk, since it isn’t exactly something that is wrong with people.) Fears are the darkest parts of people’s subconscious. They influence the character’s behavior, the other characters’ behavior, and the plot of the story. They’re very important, in other words. In my recently finished manuscript, Riley has a horrible fear of water, caused by an accident in her teenage years, which entangles itself throughout the entire story and gives her character some flavor. (She seems completely collected and arrogant, but water turns her into a frightened child.) Interests‒These are fun, but a bit harder to think of. I mean, it’s pretty simple to give non-cliché interests to characters. But at the same time, it’s a lot of fun to give them things to do aside from carrying the plot on their shoulders‒and it’s even more fun to think about. (I daydream a lot.) Hobbies‒Ah, yes. The silver lining of the cloud of the subject. Give them a love of art, of sports, of literature‒is there anything more fun than designing lives? My only advice: to go crazy. Don’t rationalize the hobby thing. That’s the fun of it. (Riley loves to prank people, play video games, and be dramatic. She would have more hobbies, but her life hasn’t been very supportive of normal pastimes.) Dreams‒Some characters have more dreams than others. Not all characters have to have many dreams. After all, not all people dream about a better future, learning how to fly an airplane, or solving world hunger. Some people are just more grounded in the present, are more rational, and for that reason don’t dream. But for your more fanciful characters, dreams are the icing on the cake. The hopes, dreams, desires, and etc. are the things that drive the plot forward. Riley, however, unlike her fellow characters, doesn’t really dream at all. She knows what’s up and doesn’t really think about the future. (It’s a dangerous habit to get into. Just ask her.) Preferences‒The less important category of individual qualities, preferences are the finishing details of the character. But details are fun. Don’t let their lesser importance stop you from making them unique. =) Style‒This encompasses two different things‒clothes and other appearance factors. What is your character’s style like? How do they wear their hair? If relevant, do they wear makeup? What kind of clothes do they wear? Do they dress eccentrically? These are all fun things to consider. Riley doesn’t wear makeup or do her hair, and she dresses very casually. These things make her much more real, personality-wise. Her personality and her style match perfectly, which is the way it’s supposed to be. Dislikes‒Haha… how fun. Give them something to hate. Find a food, an animal, or basically anything that they can’t stand, and let them do the rest. Whining makes it authentic, if the character is prone to that sort of shenanigans. Riley doesn’t like nosy people or following rules. Does that help you? I hope so‒that was my intention with sharing the list, anyway. Tell me what you think! And I’ll see you all again next week, with another post. (Don’t know what about yet, though.) ~Alyssa

Let’s state the obvious first: Finding passion is hard If anyone told they know what their calling is within a few moments, either they are lying or they are a superhero who gets cryptic mess…

My therapist: Hi. Me: *STARTS CRYING*

The linked article is so true it hurts. I’m experiencing a lot of this right now, in thinking about this disorder so much and the ways I have harmed and hurt people in my past and the little …

Here's what people in healthy relationships do differently. These five key things can make or break a romantic relationship.

Pokud je měsíc únor pro Vás také takový náročný a únavný měsíc, připravily jsme pro Vás několik povzbuzení z Pinterestu....;-) :-)