Coping Skills, Podcast
Janine Halloran
Take a Mini Mental Vacation

Today, I’m highlighting one of my favorite coping skills to use: Take a mini mental vacation wherever you are. You’ll hear an example of what a mini mental vacation can look like and how to practice this method. 

Coping Skills, Podcast
Janine Halloran
Overcoming Social Anxiety from Childhood to ...

What is social anxiety and how big an impact does this have for a child and the difference for an adult? How can you tell the difference between social anxiety and being an introvert? These are just some of the questions Janine speaks about with Natasha Daniels as she also talks about her memoir Out of My Shell. 

In today’s episode Janine speaks to Emily about:

Coping Skills, Podcast
Janine Halloran
Becoming a Tech Intentional Family with Emily ...

What does it mean to be a tech intentional family? Now phones, ipads and other forms of technology are in most areas of life. There’s no size that fits all and what works for you and your family will look so different to your next door neighbor and the other parents you meet at the school gate. So where do you begin? 

In today’s episode Janine speaks to Emily about:

Coping Skills, Podcast
Janine Halloran
Three Playful and Creative Ways to Explore ...

Play is such a powerful way for kids you learn ANYTHING including coping skills. Games can also be a way to help us learn and identify the feelings we have. Plus being a lot of fun along the way!  

Coping Skills, Podcast
Janine Halloran
Three playful ways to explore feelings with kids

What does happy feel like? What about being nervous? Sad or excited? Learning to identify feelings is so important for kids - when kids can label their feelings, it’s easier for them to self-regulate. One of the best ways to learn is through play, and you can work on feelings identification in fun and playful ways. 

In this episode Janine discusses:

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Book Review: Bloom

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Book Review: Bloom

Before I had children, I thought I would be pretty well equipped to deal with any issue that came my way. I was a Licensed Mental Health Counselor and had some experience working with some pretty challenging students.

 

Then I had my daughter, followed two years later by my son. And I realized just how incredibly challenging parenting is. Parenting is HARD work. It’s stressful and overwhelming. Some days you want to quit, but you can’t. And you don’t always know which way to go. It can feel lonely and you can feel like a failure.

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Coping Skill Spotlight: Using a Worry Box

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Coping Skill Spotlight: Using a Worry Box

Sometimes, to really help deal with stress, you need to take some focused time to think and talk about your worries. However, it’s helpful to limit the amount of time that you are dwelling on these thoughts. You don’t want to be thinking about it constantly. Using a worry box is a good way to help manage stressful feelings.

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Homemade Stress Balls

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Homemade Stress Balls

Did you know that you can make your own stress balls? There are 3 different ways I’ve made stress balls. All of them use balloons, but I used 3 different materials to see how each one would feel: flour, rice and play dough. Each of them feels different and you can have your children try them all to see which one they like the most.

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Coping Skill Spotlight: Imagine Your Favorite Place

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Coping Skill Spotlight: Imagine Your Favorite Place

Sometimes all you want to do is run away when you’re faced with a tough or stressful situation. However, you can’t really run away and escape. What you can do is pretend. Your imagination is a powerful tool you can use anywhere to help you calm down and relax.

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10 Coping Skills to Help Kids Calm Down

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10 Coping Skills to Help Kids Calm Down

As a school counselor, I often had kids come into my office in a heightened state, and it was my job to be able to help them calm down and get back to work in class. I had lots of items in my room to help achieve that. It’s always easier for kids to talk about what’s bothering them when they’re doing another activity or playing a game. As a mom, I know that there are lots of things that can help my kids reset when they are having a hard time, or getting into arguments or just have on their cranky pants. Here are some of my favorite items to help kids calm down.

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Using Music as a Coping Skill

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Using Music as a Coping Skill

Has a song ever filled you with happiness and joy so that you can’t help but sing and dance?

Have you ever had strong memories come flooding back when you hear a certain song?

Have you ever cried when listening to a piece of music?

You have experienced the power of music.

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The Value of Movement

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The Value of Movement

Have you ever been at a busy playground surrounded by children moving in all sorts of different directions? As a mom of two, I often find myself there. And every time, it always strikes me as beautiful chaos. The cacophony of voices and the constant movement. All you see is children running, almost in a blur.

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Coping Skill Spotlight: Take a Mindful Walk

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Coping Skill Spotlight: Take a Mindful Walk

Mindfulness can be a helpful tool if you have a hard time managing your thoughts and emotions or if you want to improve your concentration. Mindfulness is being aware of what’s happening in the present moment. It’s not about trying to clear your mind, but allowing thoughts and emotions to come and go without judgment and familiarizing ourselves with the present moment. It takes practice to be able to do this.

Copyright © Coping Skills for Kids, part of Encourage Play, LLC 2021