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Technology and Anxiety

Guest Blogger:  Susan Wang, MSc (OT)

Technology has increased access to information, entertainment, and connection with others.  However, it is not without consequences. With the rise of social media and the prevalence of smartphones, people are spending more and more of their lives looking at screens. Teenagers and young adults are particularly susceptible to the negative adverse effects of excessive technology use due to their developing brains and progression into adulthood.

Adolescence is a time of learning, growing, and challenges. Wanting to fit in, developing social relationships, and figuring out your identity are important pillars of adolescence. Social media provides a platform in which adolescents are able to satisfy their need for belonging and social interaction. However, excessive use of social media also increases the risk of several mental health symptoms, including depression and anxiety.

Staying in touch through technology has become a normalized way to connect with each other.  Data indicates that 88% of teens say they spend time with friends through texting, and 55% say they text their friends every day. The numbers are likely higher in 2020. There is increasing evidence supporting a link between social media use and higher levels of anxiety, depression, and low self-esteem amongst adolescents.  These findings can be attributed to a number of factors. For example, anxious adolescents tend to use social media more; this is consistent with previous findings in which adolescents higher in neuroticism prefer social uses of the internet. Furthermore, depressed adolescents may use social media more to regulate their low mood, causing a cyclic reaction that further exacerbates those symptoms. Other studies have found a linear association between the number of social media platforms used and depression and anxiety.  It has been found that individuals who used 7-11 social media platforms had substantially higher odds of having increased levels of depression and anxiety symptoms, compared to those who used 0-2 social media platforms.

Another factor contributing to poor mental health stems from the fact that many adolescents engage in nighttime use of their smartphones, resulting in later bedtimes and poorer sleep quality which also contributes to anxiety and depression.  It has been found that teenagers aged 15-19 who were regular users of mobile phones reported health symptoms such as tiredness, stress, headache, anxiety, concentration difficulties, and sleep disturbances more often than less frequent users.  Additionally, studies show that nighttime social media use was a predictor for poorer sleep quality.

There are several components of social media that cause stress and anxiety, including:

  • Seeing friends posting about events you weren’t invited to
  • Comparing your life/appearance to that of others you see on social media
  • Feeling pressured to post positive content about your life
  • Anxiety associated with getting comments and likes on your posts

FOMO

Fomo is defined as apprehension that others might be having rewarding experiences from which one is absent and a desire to stay continually connected with what others are doing. 

The term FOMO is associated with the first component of social-media induced stressors. For adolescents, being invited to events and having social interactions is extremely important to satisfy their sense of social connectedness and a sense of belonging. Seeing posts of their peers engaged in activities which they weren’t invited to causes FOMO. Why wasn’t I invited? Is it because they don’t consider me a good friend? What if everyone’s talking about this party on Monday and I can’t contribute?

Adolescents with predispositions of psychopathological problems (especially anxiety and depression) could develop higher FOMO because of their existing perceived social deficits. Individuals with poor emotional state and life satisfaction are also more likely to confront FOMO. Research has shown that social media users with high FOMO are more likely to spend more time on social media and suffer from depressive and anxious feelings. They may feel compelled to check their social media more often to keep up to date with their friends’ plans and activities, further feeding into a cyclic cycle of social media usage and symptom exacerbation.

“As being connected is of utmost importance in adolescents, young teens use social media prominently more in order to achieve greater levels of social involvement. By using social media, adolescents may satisfy their need to belong, but they also have greater risk of suffering from anxiety when they feel they are missing out on important shared experiences, or feel that they do not belong” (Oberst et al., 2017).

Common Symptoms of Social Media Anxiety

  • Interrupting conversations to check your social media accounts
  • Lying to others about how much time you spend on social media
  • Withdrawal from friends and family
  • Trying to stop or reduce your use of social media more than once before without being successful
  • Loss of interest in other activities
  • Neglecting work or school to comment on a social media account
  • Experiencing withdrawal symptoms when you are not able to access social media
  • Spending over six hours per day on social networking sites like Facebook, Twitter, or Instagram
  • An overwhelming need to share things with others on social media sites
  • Having your phone with you 24 hours a day to check your social media sites
  • Using social media more often than you planned
  • Severe nervousness or anxiety when you are not able to check your notifications
  • Negative impacts in your personal or professional life due to social media usage

Tips to Help With Social Media Anxiety: for Teens and Parents

  • Think critically about the accounts you choose to follow and unfollow accounts you are comparing yourself to, or that make you feel anxious or self-conscious
  • Recognize that everything on social media is highly orchestrated and not reflective of reality.
    • Think back to moments from your own life that you’ve omitted from social media
    • The “perfect” people you follow likely have the same negative experiences that they are not posting for everyone to see
  • Screen Time on your iPhone allows you to track how much time you are spending on your phone as well as on each app.
    • Set a limit on your phone to how much time you spend on each app.
    • When you reach the daily limit, your phone will automatically stop those apps and display a message indicating you have reached your daily limit
  • Set screen-free times where you put your phone away completely and spend time doing other activities.
    • This can be a goal set together as a family, for example, at night for an hour before bed, turn off all phones and spend time together as a family watching a movie.
  • When you start to feel anxious or experience negative thoughts about yourself, put your phone down.
    • Find another activity to keep your hands busy instead (adult colouring books, knitting, painting, exercising, etc)
  • Practice mindfulness to become aware of your surroundings
  • Spend more time outside with friends
  • Participate in a social anxiety group to relate to others with similar issues

References

Duggan, M., & Smith, A. (2013). Demographics of key social networking platforms. Pew Internet & American Life Project. Retrieved from http://www.pewinternet.org/2013/12/30/demographics-of-key-social-networking-platforms/

Oberst, U., Wegmann, E., Stoft, B., Brand, M., & Chamarro, A. (2017). Negative consequences from heavy social networking in adolescents: The mediating role of fear of missing out. Journal of Adolescence, 55, 51-60.

Hamburger, Y.A., & Ben-Artzi, E. The relationship between extraversion and neuroticism and the different uses of the Internet. Computers in Human Behaviour, 16 (4), 441-449.

Van Der Goot, M., Beentjes, J. J., & Van Selm, M. (2012). Meanings of television in older adults’ lives: an analysis of change and continuity in television viewing. Ageing & Society, 32(1). 147-168

Primack, B,A., Shensa, A., Escobar-Veira, C.G., Barrett, E.L., Sidani, J,E,, Colditz, J,B,, & Everette-James, A. (2017) Use of multiple social media platforms and symptoms of depression and anxiety: A nationally-representative study among U.S. young adults. Computers in Human
Behavior, 69 , 1-9.

Woods, H.C., & Scott, H. (2016). #Sleepyteens: Social media use in adolescence is associated with poor sleep quality, anxiety, depression and low self-esteem. Journal of Adolescence, 51. 41-49.)

Jackson, ML, Sztendur, EM, Diamond, NT, Byles, JE, & Bruck, D. (2014). Sleep difficulties and the development of depression and anxiety: a longitudinal study of young Australian women. Arch Women’s Men Health, 17 (3), 189-198.

Dhir, A., Yossatorn, Y., Kaur, P., Chen, S. (2018). Online social media fatigue and psychological wellbeing—A study of compulsive use, fear of missing out, fatigue, anxiety and depression.  International Journal of Information Management, 40 , 141-152.

Desjarlais, M,, & Willoughby, T. (2010). A longitudinal study of the relation between adolescent boys and girls’ computer use with friends and friendship quality: Support for the social compensation or the rich-get-richer hypothesis? Computers in Human Behaviour, 26 (5), 896-905.

University of British Columbia (2019). Social Media Anxiety Disorder. Retrieved from http://etec.ctlt.ubc.ca/510wiki/Social_Media_Anxiety_Disorder

Fader, S. (2018) Anxiety and Depression Association of American – Social Media Obsession and Anxiety. Retrieved from https://adaa.org/social-media-obsession

Cuncic, A. (2019) Very Well Mind – Social Media and Social Anxiety Disorder. Retrieved from https://www.verywellmind.com/social-network-use-and-social-anxiety-disorder-4117143

Shafer, L. (2017). Harvard Graduate School of Education – Usable Research. Social Media and Teen Anxiety . Retrieved from https://www.gse.harvard.edu/news/uk/17/12/social-media-and-teen-anxiety

Soderqvist, F., Carlberg, M., & Hardell, L. (2008). Use of wireless telephones and self-reported health symptoms: a population-based study among Swedish adolescents aged 15–19 years.  Environ Health, 7: 18-10.1186/1476-069X-7-18.

Lenhart, A. (2015). Pew Research Center – Report: Teens, Technology and Friendships. Retrieved from  https://www.pewinternet.org/2015/08/06/teens-technology-and-friendships/

 

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COPING WITH COVID — Youth and Teen Mental Health

 

Social Work Consulting Group’s Emma Fogel MSW, RSW and Lynne Harford, MSW, RSW discuss strategies to help teens and youth cope with “the new normal” with COVID-19.

About the Expert:
Emma Fogel, MSW, RSW is a Registered Social Worker with a Master’s degree in Social Work from the University of Toronto.

In 2016, Emma joined The Social Work Consulting Group, a large community-based clinical social work practice within the Greater Toronto Area established in 2006. In 2017, Emma co-created MindCALM, a therapeutic counseling service within The Social Work Consulting Group, specifically designed to assist youth and their families through the provision of counseling/psychotherapy, psychoeducation and the implementation of effective strategies to promote emotional regulation, increase resilience, coping capacity and overall emotional well-being. The program aims to help improve children/adolescents’ experience of varying psychoemotional challenges such as stress, anxiety, sadness, and navigating social/family relationships.

MindCALM offers both in-home or in-clinic counseling to youth and families within the GTA in addition to offering a variety of educational training and presentations to schools and camps across Ontario.

MindCALM is proud to be a preferred vendor the Ontario Camp Association (OCA). Emma provides camps throughout the OCA with mental health training for both staff and campers to ensure happy and healthy summer experiences at camp.

Emma’s true passion is in working with youth and families whereby she draws upon an eclectic framework to provide client-centered counseling support, which includes Cognitive Behavioural Therapy, Dialectical Behavioural Therapy, Mindfulness-Based Therapy, Solution Focused Therapy, and Play.

Lynne Harford, BA, MSW, RSW, D.VATI is a Registered Social Worker, Director of Pediatrics and a Clinical Supervisor with The Social Work Consulting Group. She obtained a Master of Social Work degree from the University of Toronto and a Bachelor of Arts degree in Sociology from Glendon College-York University. Prior to her university studies, Lynne pursued a career in business and received a Marketing Administration Diploma from Seneca College of Applied Arts and Technology. In 2013, Lynne achieved her designation of Art Therapist graduating with an advanced diploma in Art Therapy from the Vancouver Art Therapy Institute.

Lynne has had an extensive work history in both the private and public sectors. Prior to joining The Social Work Consulting Group in 2008, she was employed at The Hospital for Sick Children (SickKids) where she spent five years providing clinical social work services to children and their families in the Trauma Program. Throughout her career, Lynne has been an active member in the larger community participating in various committees as well as presenting at a number of community-based, insurance and legal conferences. Other areas of specialization in which Lynne has focused and devoted her practice to include, acquired brain injury in children and youth, acute and chronic illness, domestic violence, separation/divorce and issues related to grief and loss. Lynne is both a therapist and advocate who is committed to enriching the lives of children and adults in the aftermath of physical and emotional trauma.

Links to resources:
https://www.cdc.gov/coronavirus/2019-ncov/daily-life-coping/talking-with-children.html

https://www.who.int/docs/default-source/coronaviruse/helping-children-cope-with-stress-print.pdf?sfvrsn=f3a063ff_2

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Self-Esteem Boosting Tips

We all seem to have a tendency to look in the mirror and focus on the negative; however, it is known that the power of positivity can help boost self-esteem.  The following article from Today’s Parent discusses the importance of building self-esteem in children from a young age and tips on how to boost their confidence so they can happily look themselves in the mirror every day.

Today’s Parent:  How To Build Your Child’s Self-Esteem

These tips aren’t just great for boosting self-esteem in kids, but can work for adults too!

 

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Keeping Up Appearances: Social Media and Self-Esteem

Guest Blogger:  Susan Wang, Occupational Therapist

In the current age of media, the internet and social media sites (especially Instagram) contribute heavily towards bombarding young girls with images and videos of models. Approx. 90% of adolescents use social media daily, frequently for more than 2 hours a day.  Girls are more exposed in higher rates to media than boys which make females much more vulnerable to the negative impacts of media than boys. With the rise of social media use for marketing and advertising, content creators and models can interact heavily with their viewers through comments and live videos. They create heavily curated profiles and document intimate moments of their lives that thousands (sometimes millions) of individuals follow and keep up with. This, in addition to the popularity of Instagram use by celebrities, can create the illusion of forming authentic relationships with their audience. The interactive nature of social networking also provides opportunities for girls to compare their appearance with their peers. For example, taking selfies may cause women to scrutinize their own image from an observer’s perspective, which is then further reinforced by instant feedback on their appearance through the form of comments and ‘likes.’

Social media presents unique pressures on body dissatisfaction and disordered eating. It is a highly visual environment in which appearance ideals and the pursuit of thinness are promoted. Indeed, the interactive nature of social media appears to contribute to increases in disordered eating. As social media marketing and advertising continues to grow, competition amongst content creators and “influencers” also rises. There is a need to create a persona and create images/videos that stand out amongst the thousands of other marketers competing for the same sponsorships. This results in models utilizing photo editing apps to alter their images. With the rise of “FaceTune” and other photo editing apps, it is increasingly easier for individuals to alter their images, without needing to consult professionals or develop skills in photo editing. This has resulted in girls comparing themselves to unrealistic beauty standards.

In addition, celebrities such as Kim Kardashian have normalized the usage of surgical enhancements. Lip injections, breast augmentations, “fillers”, and other cosmetic surgery has been on the rise in recent years.  Cosmetic doctors have reported an increase in teens seeking lip injections, citing photos of Kylie Jenner as an inspiration. Studies have shown that women who rated their self-esteem, life-satisfaction, and attractiveness as low, were more likely to undergo cosmetic surgery.  This study also indicated that women with high social media exposure were more likely to undergo plastic surgery.  There is also an increase in the number of teenagers seeking plastic surgery. In 2017, approximately 220,000 cosmetic procedures were performed on patients aged 13-19 and social media plays a large part in this trend.  The average Millenial takes over 25,000 selfies in their lifetime, which is one of the major reasons for the self-esteem issues in this age group. In a recent American Academy of Facial Plastic and Reconstructive Surgery survey, more than 40% of surgeons said looking better in selfies on Instagram, Snapchat, and Facebook was an incentive for patients of all ages getting surgery. This is magnified for teens, who use social media more often.

Instagram vs. Reality

There are existing efforts to combat the rise in unrealistic beauty standards by raising awareness about the increasing use of photo editing apps. One such example is a community on the forum “Reddit” that posts side-by-side comparisons of edited images posted by models and celebrities and non-edited photos or videos depicting what they actually look like. While some of the posts contain borderline offensive/body-shaming comments, the concept can be helpful, especially for young girls, in highlighting the efforts and altering (posing, editing) that goes into celebrities’ images.

Some additional helpful resources we came across include:

References:

Brown, A., Furnham, A., Glanville, L., & Swami, V. (2007). Factors that affect the likelihood of undergoing cosmetic surgery. Aesthet Surg J, 27 (5). 501-508.

Paul, K. (2018, October 10). Do Instagram and Snapchat distort how teenagers see themselves? MarketWatch. Retrieved from
https://www.marketwatch.com/story/the-unsettling-relationship-between-selfie-filters-and-plasticsurgery-2018-08-02

Paul, K. (2018, September 30). More than 200,000 teens had plastic surgery last year, and social media had a lot to do with it. MarketWatch. Retrieved from https://www.marketwatch.com/story/should-you-let-your-teenager-get-plastic-surgery-2018-08-29

Fardouly, J., Diedrichs, P. C., Vartanian, L. R., & Halliwell, E. (2015). The mediating role of appearance comparisons in the relationship between media usage and self-objectification in young women. Psychology of Women Quarterly, 39, 447–457.

Oberst, U., Wegmann, E., Stoft, B., Brand, M., & Chamarro, A. (2017). Negative consequences from heavy social networking in adolescents: The mediating role of fear of missing out. Journal of Adolescence, 55, 51-60.

Costa, L. D. C. F., de Vasconcelos, F. D. A. G., & Peres, K. G. (2010). Influence of biological, social and psychological factors on abnormal eating attitudes among female university students in Brazil.

Journal of Facial Plastic Surgery (2014). Selfie trend increases demand for facial plastic surgery. Retrieved from https://www.aafprs.org/media/press_release/20140311.html

Salmela-Aro, K,, Upadyaya, K., Hakkarainen, K,, & Lonka, K. (2016). The Dark Side of Internet Use: Two Longitudinal Studies of Excessive Internet Use, Depressive Symptoms, School Burnout and Engagement Among Finnish Early and Late Adolescents. Journal of Youth and
Adolescence, 46 (2). DO – 10.1007/s10964-016-0494-2

de Vries, D. A., & Peter, J. (2013). Women on display: The effect of portraying the self online on women’s self-objectification. Computers in Human Behavior, 29, 1483e1489. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.chb.2013.01.015 .

Spettigue, W., & Henderson, K.A. (2004). Eating disorders and the role of the media. The Canadian Child and Adolescent Psychiatry Review, 13 (1), 16-19.

 

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The Rights of a Child

Written by Justine Huszczynski, Occupational Therapist

November 20th marks the date when Canada adopted the United Nations Convention on the Rights of the Child (UNCRC). Simply put, the UNCRC is a treaty that outlines the basic human rights for children and youth.

Among other rights, the UNCRC outlines “survival and development rights” which are explained as “the basic rights to life, survival and development of one’s full potential”. Looking into this a little deeper, Article 23 under the “survival and development rights” states:

“Children who have any kind of disability have the right to special care and support, as well as all the rights in the Convention, so that they can live full and independent lives.”

So, how is Canada ensuring that the rights of children with disabilities are being fulfilled? Of course, we have public healthcare which provides children prompt access to medical attention. But Article 23 goes beyond this. It also includes the right to services – therapy services perhaps – that children with “any kind of disability” should be able to access such that they can become independent adults and experience a fulfilling life.

While Ontario offers plenty of publicly funded early intervention services for children with disabilities (based on the availability of government-funded children’s treatment centres across the province), how are the outrageous waitlists for some of the most valuable services offered in these centres acceptable? For example, in 2013 the Toronto Star surveyed nine of the government-funded treatment centres and found average waitlist times ranging from one to four years for a child to receive intensive behavioural intervention (IBI) therapy.

So how does this follow the guidelines of the UNCRC? Honestly, it doesn’t. Simply having a service available to a child with a disability is not enough. The service needs to be provided. Long waitlists do not allow children to “live full and independent lives” but in fact can stifle a child’s development by denying access to programs that are most effective as “early intervention”.

Therefore, while we celebrate how far we have come to secure the rights of children, we need to look ahead and aim for a brighter future for those children that may need some extra support – sooner rather than later. An example of striving for a brighter future comes from the parents of one of my clients who devoted their time to being their child’s advocate when “he didn’t have a voice”. After this young client was denied services by one of the government-funded children’s treatment centres in Ontario, his parents scheduled a meeting with their local Member of Provincial Parliament (MPP) to advocate for their son’s dire need for early intervention services. As a result of the advocacy skills of my client’s parents, the MPP ordered the treatment centre to complete a reassessment and the child was granted the early intervention services that he absolutely deserved and required. During a conversation with the mother of this client, she stated, “It is my job to be make my child’s life better”. This statement is heartwarming, and perhaps we should view it as a challenge. A challenge for all of us – therapists, health professionals, teachers, citizens, governments– to truly make it our “job” to ensure children are given the best life possible. So take the challenge and advocate for our children – ask more questions, get second opinions, research the available charitable funding, schedule meetings with your MPP, school board trustee, and don’t take no for an answer.

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Mental Health Services for Youth

Nicole Kelday, Student Occupational Therapist (University of Toronto)

Cowritten by:  Julie Entwistle, MBA, BHSc (OT), BSc (Health / Gerontology)

 

It is staggering to realize that 39% of Ontario high school students show active symptoms of anxiety and depression. And while there are a multitude of resources available to help students that may require mental health services, only 40% of Canadians aged 15-19 reported they have not accessed these when needed. This begs the question…why are these youths not seeking services?

Reaching out for help can be daunting and many report stigma related to mental health concerns, especially in high schools. So, how do we encourage youth to access the services available to them and talk to those who may be experiencing similar concerns? A new emerging trend in mental health care is the concept of youth-led groups. Youth-led groups involve a shift in thinking, instead of viewing youth as our clients; they are viewed as partners and leaders to improve the practice of youth engagement in the mental healthcare system.

Across the province, community agencies have begun to initiate youth-led groups by involving youth with mental health illness in leading each other to raise mental health awareness and fight existing stigma. With support from a clinical adult ally, youth have participated in the creation of youth-friendly services by designing waiting rooms in clinical environments to encompass the interests of this group.

It is known that participation in meaningful activities and roles can enhance emotional well-being and social competence. Occupational therapists (OTs) have the unique ability to evaluate and facilitate supportive environments in order to promote mental health amongst children and youth. By involving all key stakeholders, OTs are able to determine factors that influence the ability of a youth to fulfill their primary roles and occupations and provide interventions to promote maximal functional participation in such.

As a student occupational therapist, I could immediately recognize how this concept strongly resonated with the core beliefs of client-centredness. Youth-led groups truly highlight the client as not only an active partner but also a leader, in their healthcare experience. Youth are equipped with vast knowledge and perspectives that we as healthcare professionals may not immediately recognize, which may help to explain why youth are not seeking available services in the first place.

 

References

1. Centre for Addiction and Mental Health (2018). Transforming mental health for children and youth. Retrieved from https://www.camh.ca/en/camh-news-and-stories/transforming-mental-health-for-children-and-youth

2. Hartman, L., Michel, N., Winter, A., Young, R., Flett, G. & Goldberg, J. (2013). Self-Stigma of Mental Illness in High School Youth. Canadian Journal of School Psychology, 28(1), 28-42.

3. The New Mentality (2016). TNM Groups. Retrieved from https://www.thenewmentality.ca/what/tnmgroups/

4. The American Occupational Therapy Association, Inc. Mental health in children and youth: the benefit and role of occupational therapy. Retrieved from https://www.aota.org/~/media/Corporate/Files/AboutOT/Professionals/WhatIsOT/MH/Facts/MH%20in%20Children%20and%20Youth%20fact%20sheet.pdf

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The Accessible Playground

How does your local playground stack up when it comes to access for all?  Is it accessible?  Older playgrounds were not built with accessibility in mind; however, newer builds are breaking barriers for users with not only physical disabilities but invisible disabilities such as autism and sensory processing disorders.  In the following article learn more about how the universal design of playgrounds is becoming standard, creating more welcoming spaces for children and youth of all abilities.

The Globe and Mail: Playgrounds can alienate children with disabilities. Now, they’re being built with accessibility in mind

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Foster Independence with Memory Mantras

Julie Entwistle, MBA, BHSc (OT), BSc (Health / Gerontology)

Being an Occupational Therapist can also be a curse when it comes to parenting.  As an OT, the goals are always functional independence.  As a parent, I am no different.  I remember a video I watched in OT school.  This was of a boy (young adult) with cerebral palsy and he was putting his coat on.  The video was probably 20 minutes (or it felt that long).  As I watched this boy struggle with his coat for what seemed liked eternity, I wanted to jump through the TV to help him.  Clearly, with some help, this could be done faster and easier.  But in the end, it was not about that.  It was about independence.

As parents, it is often faster and easier to do things for our kids.  Or, we feel the need to continuously protect our kids from failure by ensuring that we are their second brain.  But is this the right choice when the goal is to create people that can manage on their own?

I have created two memory mantras that are used in our house to ensure my kids are seeing the big picture and are developing some executive functioning (note I also use these mantras with my clients who suffer from memory impairment):

  1. When leaving the house our mantra is:  WHERE AM I GOING AND WHAT DO I NEED?  When my children ask themselves this question, they need to stop and think “I am going to X and thus need Y (water, shoes, birthday present, tennis racquet, money)”.  This prevents them from showing up at X unprepared.
  2. When leaving a place in the community our mantra is:  WHAT DID I COME WITH AND WHAT DO I HAVE?  By asking themselves this question, they quickly realize that they came with X and thus need to bring X home (coat, shoes, water, bag, lunch).  This prevents them from leaving things behind.

The success is in hearing my children repeat this to themselves when on their way out the door.  Recently, at a sporting event, we heard a teenage boy blame his mother for forgetting his water.  She was profusely apologetic and rushed out to find him a drink.  My children (who were younger at the time) turned to me and said: “shouldn’t he remember his own water”?  My thoughts exactly.

Originally posted June 2013

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Get Back to Routine with These Helpful Resources

Summer vacation is coming to a close and the kids are heading back to school!  Due to vacations, sleepovers, and the unstructured nature of no school, daily routines are often disrupted over the summer months. A consistent daily routine for kids is critical to them learning responsibility, time management, and so they get a good sleep.

Therefore in September, it is important to re-establish what morning, after-school and bedtime time should look like.

While growing up, in our house, we had each of our girls “daily routines” typed, laminated and posted in the back hall. Though each differed slightly, they included:

Morning: 

  • wake up at 7:00 am
  • make beds
  • get dressed
  • eat a healthy breakfast
  • brush teeth and hair
  • pack lunch and backpack
  • out the door by 7:40


After-School: 

  • shoes and back-packs away
  • lunch boxes emptied
  • dry snacks and water bottle packed for the next day
  • paperwork from school in the “in box”
  • have a healthy snack
  • do any homework
  • then play (no technology)!


Before Bed:  

  • dinner dishes put away
  • play areas and bedroom are tidy
  • shower
  • healthy bedtime snack
  • reading time
  • lights out at 9:00 pm

Use our great free printable that can be customized for your children. This will help them to stay on track each day in the morning, after-school and before bed. Be sure to review this with the kids before implementing, confirm the expectations, and get their commitment.  You’ll be well on your way to creating a less stressful and more organized home!  

Check out more of our FREE printables for both children and adults, available on our website!