Psychology Archives

How to Practice Intentional Focus: Choosing to Stay on Task

Do you struggle to stay on task? How much more could you get done if you stayed focused? Focus doesn’t just happen; it’s a result of a decision you make. Manage Your Day-to-Day provides advice on practicing intentional focus, including setting up the right environment, handling internal discomforts to minimize distractions, focusing for longer periods of time, and embracing boredom. Read more to learn about these practical tips from Dan Ariely, Chris Bailey, Nir Eyal, Cal Newport, and Leo Babauta.

Parenting Siblings: 3 Tools to Help Them Manage Their Emotions

Should you allow your children to complain about each other? How can you minimize sibling rivalry among your kids? When should you intervene in their fights? Dr. Becky Kennedy is a clinical psychologist. She’s also a mother of three, so she knows all about sibling dynamics and the special challenges they can bring. In Good Inside, Dr. Becky shares three tools you can use to help your children navigate the emotions involved in sibling relationships. Keep reading for Kennedy’s advice for parenting siblings.

How to Handle an Anxious Child: Address Their Vulnerability

How do kids express vulnerability? Why do some children pretend to cry? Most parenting advice sees children’s behavior as a problem to be fixed through time-outs, rewards, and serious conversations. But, Dr. Becky Kennedy argues that these strategies jeopardize your connection with your children. That’s a high price to pay for band-aid strategies. Read more to learn how to handle an anxious child by addressing the real issue behind their anxieties, fears, and tears.

Reject Perfectionism in Art—Mistakes Are Part of the Process

Are you a creator and a perfectionist? Are you aware that perfectionism actually hinders creativity? One aspect of being an artist is cultivating a creative mindset. Such a mindset keeps you inspired and helps you work through challenges and creative blocks. Perfectionism isn’t part of a creative mindset; in fact, it gets in the way of the artistic process. Read more to understand why perfectionism in art is problematic.

How to Support a Shy Child: It’s Not About Confidence

Do you have a child who’s hesitant in social situations? What’s the best way to encourage them? In her book Good Inside, clinical psychologist and parent Dr. Becky Kennedy contends that hesitancy in a child isn’t about confidence. In fact, she argues, a shy child knows who they are and what makes them comfortable or uncomfortable. Keep reading to learn how social hesitancy is more about comfort than confidence and how this understanding can help you provide a shy child with the kind of support they need.

Have a Frustrated Child? How to Build Their Frustration Tolerance

Is your child easily frustrated with themselves? Do they have perfectionistic tendencies? Parenting is hard. That doesn’t mean that you’re a bad parent or that you have a bad kid. Dr. Becky Kennedy provides strategies that help you get to the root of your child’s behaviors so that you can effect lasting change while keeping your relationship positive. Here’s her advice for building up frustration tolerance in an easily-frustrated child.

“My Child Won’t Eat”: How to Foster Bodily Autonomy in Kids

Have you ever said, “My child won’t eat”? Is the dinner table a battlefield in your house? Bodily autonomy enables a child to say “no” when they don’t feel comfortable with something. That can be incredibly important when a threat is real. It also can be incredibly frustrating if they’re exercising bodily autonomy when they don’t want to eat Brussels sprouts. Keep reading to learn how to deal with a child who doesn’t want to eat and how to encourage bodily autonomy in the right ways at the right times.

Dr. Becky: Tantrums Help Your Child Know What They Want

What, exactly, is a tantrum? What role do tantrums play in a child’s development? What’s the best way to deal with them? According to Dr. Becky, tantrums are one of the most common challenges that parents face. She suggests specific approaches for handling tantrums so that you can foster behavioral change without jeopardizing your connection to your child. Read more to learn Dr. Becky’s approach to emotional tantrums.

The Dictionary of Body Language: A Field Guide to Human Behavior

Do you want to better understand nonverbal communication? Do you wish you could read people’s emotions using their body language? In The Dictionary of Body Language: A Field Guide to Human Behavior, retired FBI Special Agent Joe Navarro offers a reference guide that explains a wide breadth of body language cues. The guide is intended to create a foundation you can use to study and interpret nonverbal communication. Continue reading for an overview of this book that provides a broad introduction to body language.

Dr. Becky: Separation Anxiety & Bedtime Struggles Are Solvable

Is your child afraid to be away from you, even when just going to bed? What’s the anxiety really about? According to Dr. Becky, separation anxiety results from your child’s natural wiring. Children need to feel safe, and their sense of security comes largely from their parents’ presence. Dr. Becky shares several tools you can use to soothe separation anxiety, especially at bedtime. Continue reading to discover how to put these strategies into practice in your family.