Amen… Leave me a 🙏🏼♥️ if this resonates #grace #forgiveness #mentalhealth #relationships #relationshipgoals #life
As parents we always want to alleviate our children’s worries and wobbles … of course we do, we never want to see our children in distress… but if we are too quick to try to FIX the problem – it doesn’t necessarily build resilience ( we want to help our children to find solutions ) and it can leave big feelings left ‘unexpressed’ and our child feeling unheard. It’s why, as I explain in my book, it’s ok to ‘press into the emotional pain’ a child might be carrying – not because we are mean, but because it helps our children to sit with and ultimately work through big and often difficult emotions – but only with us by their side, listening, offering little other than our empathy and understanding. We might say ‘oh my goodness that sounds difficult I wonder what that was like for you?’ Or ‘I imagine that must have felt really embarrassing I am so sorry you had to go through that alone today’ or ‘oh wow I can feel your hurt right here in my chest.. where did you feel it?’ Having what I call conversations that count, where we open up what may feel like painful conversations rather than shutting them down – actually helps to ‘exorcise’ difficult feelings and is much more likely to have our children feeling relieved of them and build resilience in time as our children realise they can come to us when they feel sad / worried / anxious – and we will offer them the space to explore the feelings and THEN support them to use their ‘little owl ‘ ( the pre frontal cortex) to find the solution themselves … I explain all this in detail in the book … ‘there’s STILL no such thing as naughty’ … it helps us to lend our wise owl in our children’s moments of overwhelm and demonstrates that, even in the most painful moments, they can still come through #parenting #parentingtips #anxiety #compassion #feelings
If you are in support you can see the ways in which you can help to effect change in the caption below … #repost safescreenscampaign The time is now to protect our children. The evidence of harms from smartphone addiction is overwhelming, and as a society, we cannot stand by and let this continue. Pressure is increasing to take action as we can see from Miriam Cate’s brilliant speech debate in Parliament to discuss the impact of smartphones and social media on children. Pressure is growing on our government to take action. We need action, and we need it now. If you’re ready to support this vital call for change, there are two urgent actions you can take today: 1️⃣ Use our template (see link in bio) to send a single email to all of the main political party leaders and your MP. Your voice matters, and your advocacy can make a difference. 2️⃣ Support this call by adding your name to our campaign to help us to evidence the strength of public feeling around this issue. We implore you to take action. #safescreens #safescreensforteens #regulatesmartphones #screentime #screentimeforkids #screentimelimits
If you are in support you can see the ways in which you can help to effect change in the caption below … #repost safescreenscampaign The time is now to protect our children. The evidence of harms from smartphone addiction is overwhelming, and as a society, we cannot stand by and let this continue. Pressure is increasing to take action as we can see from Miriam Cate’s brilliant speech debate in Parliament to discuss the impact of smartphones and social media on children. Pressure is growing on our government to take action. We need action, and we need it now. If you’re ready to support this vital call for change, there are two urgent actions you can take today: 1️⃣ Use our template (see link in bio) to send a single email to all of the main political party leaders and your MP. Your voice matters, and your advocacy can make a difference. 2️⃣ Support this call by adding your name to our campaign to help us to evidence the strength of public feeling around this issue. We implore you to take action. #safescreens #safescreensforteens #regulatesmartphones #screentime #screentimeforkids #screentimelimits
If you are in support you can see the ways in which you can help to effect change in the caption below … #repost safescreenscampaign The time is now to protect our children. The evidence of harms from smartphone addiction is overwhelming, and as a society, we cannot stand by and let this continue. Pressure is increasing to take action as we can see from Miriam Cate’s brilliant speech debate in Parliament to discuss the impact of smartphones and social media on children. Pressure is growing on our government to take action. We need action, and we need it now. If you’re ready to support this vital call for change, there are two urgent actions you can take today: 1️⃣ Use our template (see link in bio) to send a single email to all of the main political party leaders and your MP. Your voice matters, and your advocacy can make a difference. 2️⃣ Support this call by adding your name to our campaign to help us to evidence the strength of public feeling around this issue. We implore you to take action. #safescreens #safescreensforteens #regulatesmartphones #screentime #screentimeforkids #screentimelimits
If you are in support you can see the ways in which you can help to effect change in the caption below … #repost safescreenscampaign The time is now to protect our children. The evidence of harms from smartphone addiction is overwhelming, and as a society, we cannot stand by and let this continue. Pressure is increasing to take action as we can see from Miriam Cate’s brilliant speech debate in Parliament to discuss the impact of smartphones and social media on children. Pressure is growing on our government to take action. We need action, and we need it now. If you’re ready to support this vital call for change, there are two urgent actions you can take today: 1️⃣ Use our template (see link in bio) to send a single email to all of the main political party leaders and your MP. Your voice matters, and your advocacy can make a difference. 2️⃣ Support this call by adding your name to our campaign to help us to evidence the strength of public feeling around this issue. We implore you to take action. #safescreens #safescreensforteens #regulatesmartphones #screentime #screentimeforkids #screentimelimits
If you are in support you can see the ways in which you can help to effect change in the caption below … #repost safescreenscampaign The time is now to protect our children. The evidence of harms from smartphone addiction is overwhelming, and as a society, we cannot stand by and let this continue. Pressure is increasing to take action as we can see from Miriam Cate’s brilliant speech debate in Parliament to discuss the impact of smartphones and social media on children. Pressure is growing on our government to take action. We need action, and we need it now. If you’re ready to support this vital call for change, there are two urgent actions you can take today: 1️⃣ Use our template (see link in bio) to send a single email to all of the main political party leaders and your MP. Your voice matters, and your advocacy can make a difference. 2️⃣ Support this call by adding your name to our campaign to help us to evidence the strength of public feeling around this issue. We implore you to take action. #safescreens #safescreensforteens #regulatesmartphones #screentime #screentimeforkids #screentimelimits
If you are in support you can see the ways in which you can help to effect change in the caption below … #repost safescreenscampaign The time is now to protect our children. The evidence of harms from smartphone addiction is overwhelming, and as a society, we cannot stand by and let this continue. Pressure is increasing to take action as we can see from Miriam Cate’s brilliant speech debate in Parliament to discuss the impact of smartphones and social media on children. Pressure is growing on our government to take action. We need action, and we need it now. If you’re ready to support this vital call for change, there are two urgent actions you can take today: 1️⃣ Use our template (see link in bio) to send a single email to all of the main political party leaders and your MP. Your voice matters, and your advocacy can make a difference. 2️⃣ Support this call by adding your name to our campaign to help us to evidence the strength of public feeling around this issue. We implore you to take action. #safescreens #safescreensforteens #regulatesmartphones #screentime #screentimeforkids #screentimelimits
Quick hacks for #mentalhealth in #mentalhealthawarenessmonth When we are caught in the grip of a ‘stress response’ we may think of ourselves as experiencing a neurochemical wildfire as our system gears up to confront what our nervous system and brain have perceived to be threatening – whether that’s a ‘threatening’ thought or something active that’s happening to or around us. It can make us feel very anxious and see us experiencing uncomfortable sensations inside One quick way to ‘intervene’ and trigger the release of anti-anxiety chemicals is to HUM! The vibrations are thought to trigger our vagus nerve – part of the parasympathetic nervous system whose job it is to calm us down after we have experienced short bursts of stress. Humming with and alongside our children can help their nervous system to feel soothed too, and in addition because it can evoke times past when we hummed to them as babies Hum as loudly or softly and for as long as you like .. and, if you want to try it with a trusted friend or partner, hum together and see if you can match each others tone.. or have your child try to join you too ( if it feels silly get playful with it – it’s also fun!) notice any shifts in your body as you do… it can be a rather bonding and beautiful thing to share .. mentalhealthawareness #mentalhealth #nervoussystem #vagus #vagusnerve #anxiety #vagusnervestimulation
What’s the one sure fire healthy way to hack your mood ? SLEEP!!!! Life is so busy it can often get neglected but we should see sleep as our body’s life support machine .. without it, we’re putting ourselves behind the curve rather than feeling able to embrace each day feeling whole … Do you feel get enough sleep ?
#parentinghacks #parenting #parentingtips The READATHON! How to get your kids to sleep with ease … top tips from my book ‘there’s STILL no such thing as naughty’ Xx @lfmarkey showing off my latest purchase from you – my first pair of dungarees 😆
All animals have a library of responses they turn to when feeling threatened or afraid. Typically we may experience fight / flight / but there’s also freeze / flop and faint too … When we have too much on our plate our whole system can feel under threat and we may experience that sense of flop, or ‘collapse’, it’s a sign that our nervous system needs is signalling that we need to ‘lie low’ for a bit, in order to feel safe. Listening to our nervous system means we can take action – to rest – which for busy parents I know can feel nigh on impossible – but having a few early nights, sitting and reading with the kids rather than worrying about the ‘to do list’ .. can help to soothe your nervous system and recharge … trusting that everything will get done in time Once we are rested we can move through that sense of ‘flop’ by taking small steps of action. We can start by considering the small jobs we can get done in a minute. Maybe it’s wiping down some dusty shelves as I’ve just done, making the bed, or ticking off just one thing on the ‘to do ‘ list … these small steps of action can help us to feel more empowered and able to move through that ‘overwhelmed’ state .. When did you last listen to your nervous system and hear that message to REST – to ‘lie low’ for a bit? TAG anyone who needs to see this and let me know what steps you take / will take to gift yourself some rest this week ♥️🙏🏼 #overwhelm #anxiety #anxietyrelief #mentalhealth #parenting #selfcare #nervoussystem
What to do and say if your child tells you they are ‘sad’ or ‘upset’ but when you try to help or ask them ‘why?’ – they push you away saying ‘I DON’T KNOW!’ It can feel like a rejection – and trigger old feelings of rejection that we may have experienced ourselves in childhood … so be mindful of any ‘baboon’ ( anger / irritable ) feelings that might arise in response Resist any immediate urge to say ‘oh well FINE then I was only trying to help !!! ( we’ve all been there !) and instead dig deep with your ‘wise owl’ ( pre frontal cortex ) and go into SOOTHE … letting your child know that ‘it’s ok’ sometimes we don’t have the words to explain how we feel .. but we can still sit with our feelings and let them feel ‘heard’ in the silence … if your child is lying down it can help them to feel grounded by placing a palm gently on their solar plexus … or just sitting / lying side by side … using soothing words and reassuring you will always be there … and ‘you’ve got them ‘… this can often be enough to soothe your child’s nervous system ( which is driving the behaviour ) and bring them to calm … trust that when they are ready, this response will be more helpful in seeing them come to you in the future with the words to tell you why they’re upset, rather than if you let your own ‘baboon’ ( our limbic brain ) take over instead ! Let me know if this resonates and if you can practice it – how you get on 🙏🏼♥️ #parenting #parentingtips #mentalhealth #anxiety #upset
This … amen for your wise words @laurenoflove ♥️🙏🏼 #repost @itsanitarani …
Kids helping with the chores – where do you stand ? For me as a parent, collaboration builds connection, it builds a sense of the family as a unit – a team – and doing chores around the house together in what I call a big ‘team tidy’ helps to cement strong bonds because we are ‘all in it together’ …but how does it feel for you ? A mum who is solo parenting reached out this week to ask my advice. For young children we can be playful – encouraging them to help us tidy away toys and put them ‘to bed’ and kiss them all goodnight as we do.. making a game out of throwing toys to each other and seeing if we can aim them into their correct baskets .. For older children we can make tidy up time playful too – putting on music, making up silly dances as we vaccum or make the bed… using this time to connect with our children not making it FEEL like a chore will have them more inclined to help us out when they are asked given it has come to be associated with time spent with us – which all our kids crave I also explain to my kids, especially on the days / weeks when I am solo parenting – that I need help if I am going to be the ‘fun mum’ at bedtime who has time for games and reading .. I explain that when we work as a team the jobs get done more quickly and I can have more time snuggled up reading with them or playing a game.. My kids are not perfect ( as neither am I ) and sometimes the house can look like a wreck with pants left strewn in bedrooms and beds left unmade but I take the small wins, knowing that practice will hopefully make perfect over time and that when my children do help, they do so willingly, not because of threats or financial reward – ( although I am starting to think about pocket money as it’s good for children to begin to understand the concept – so will love to hear your thoughts on this ) but because there is a sense of belonging, a sense of wanting to help, and that we are indeed a team and that they want to help me & having fun together is seen as reward enough Love to hear your thoughts on this topic and let me know if you manage to make any team tidies happen in your household this weekend ! #team #parenting #parentingtips
Kate Silverton talks about fostering children’s well-being through nature. 🌿 In this episode of #PublicHealthDisrupted, our experts explore the pressing issue of children’s mental health in the UK. Listen to the full episode ‘Redefining the Classroom: Nurturing Health Through Nature, Arts, and Understanding’ link to Public Health Disrupted Podcast in bio 🔗 #parenting #parentingtips #education #mentalhealthawareness #mentalhealth #childhealth #childdevelopment
So privileged to work with @project.giving.back @the_rhs @rhschelsea yesterday… I got to learn how some incredible gardens were designed and brought to life to raise awareness and ‘give back’ to charities like @freedomfromtorture @bowelresearchuk @panathlonchallenge @planetgoodearth @suerydercharity @wchildcancer and more besides thank you to @alexatchelsea and all those who made it such a special day including old friends and new @brunotonioliofficial @elliejanetaylor @juliabradbury @rubywax @errolreubenfernandes @fehintibalogun @levison.wood thank you for sharing your knowledge and company … such a special day and hope the coverage this week allows more people to see the work of these extraordinary charities and the people who support them #horticulture #healing #gardening #rhschelsea
Following the terrible events in Hainault – how can we best support our children if they experience or are witness to traumatic events ? Whilst this is a short interview and cannot do justice to such a complex subject, I hope it might be helpful to share for any parents with children who may be affected by what they are seeing or hearing on the news or more widely. I will be speaking in greater depth about trauma in due course. Please know that it is in being there for our children, in being emotionally available and gently providing support, they can be helped to process trauma and to heal .. but they cannot do it alone. So do seek professional support from a trauma-informed professional if you feel there is need to do so and if you are able – there are some good resources online if you search ‘how to talk to children about trauma’ Sending my deepest condolences and in grief for the family of Daniel Anjorin. #trauma #traumarecovery #traumahealing #traumainformed #parenting
Recap of a busy few days – My first ‘school talk’ – it was fantastic to meet so many parents, teachers and even GPs (!) who are so engaged with supporting our children and their healthy development and wellbeing I reunited with clinical colleagues today as we formally celebrated our graduation ( as a graduation token , I received a ‘wise owl’ !) and together we remembered the indomitable, inspirational Camila Batmanghelidjh who showed children what it was to receive and feel ‘unrelenting love’ And on my journey home I have just met Maisie … she was out with friends celebrating the birthday of a young man they had come to know through their ‘walking group’ .. Maisie told me she has been a member of @meetup for more than ten years, and had met other like-minded people to walk and talk with .. she said they were all ages and different cultures, but with the single intention to become part of a community where they each felt they belonged… One of the most basic and essential human needs is to feel that we ‘belong’ to something other than just ourselves; to know that we are safe, cared for, our needs considered, and understood. As I head home to see my own ‘tribe’, I feel very lucky to be doing the work I do, and to have met the people I have … here’s to meeting more .. and I hope you may do the same … Have a wonderful weekend and I would love to hear your thoughts in the comments – a ♥️ if this speaks to you – and even your stories of how you have created your own safe community – because family doesn’t always have to start at home. #belonging #community #love
📢 Call to Action for Health Professionals The Education Select Committee report, released last weekend, has been fully endorsed by Health Professionals for Safer Screens, a group established by Dr. Becky Foljambe. This group is dedicated to health and social care professionals who share concerns about the harmful impact of smartphones on children. Dr. Foljambe has been collaborating with our campaign, Safe Screens, to advocate for regulation around smartphones and social media for the past two years. Together, we are driving awareness of these harms and pushing to change cultural norms and regulations. Health professionals play a crucial role in educating about these issues and advocating for necessary changes. Your expertise and voice are vital to this mission. Please join us in this important endeavour. Link in bio. #healthcareprofessionals #healthcareworkers #healthcareheroes #healthcareworker #safescreens #safescreensforteens #regulatesmartphones #screentime #screentimeforkids #screentimelimits
📢 Call to Action for Health Professionals The Education Select Committee report, released last weekend, has been fully endorsed by Health Professionals for Safer Screens, a group established by Dr. Becky Foljambe. This group is dedicated to health and social care professionals who share concerns about the harmful impact of smartphones on children. Dr. Foljambe has been collaborating with our campaign, Safe Screens, to advocate for regulation around smartphones and social media for the past two years. Together, we are driving awareness of these harms and pushing to change cultural norms and regulations. Health professionals play a crucial role in educating about these issues and advocating for necessary changes. Your expertise and voice are vital to this mission. Please join us in this important endeavour. Link in bio. #healthcareprofessionals #healthcareworkers #healthcareheroes #healthcareworker #safescreens #safescreensforteens #regulatesmartphones #screentime #screentimeforkids #screentimelimits
📢 Call to Action for Health Professionals The Education Select Committee report, released last weekend, has been fully endorsed by Health Professionals for Safer Screens, a group established by Dr. Becky Foljambe. This group is dedicated to health and social care professionals who share concerns about the harmful impact of smartphones on children. Dr. Foljambe has been collaborating with our campaign, Safe Screens, to advocate for regulation around smartphones and social media for the past two years. Together, we are driving awareness of these harms and pushing to change cultural norms and regulations. Health professionals play a crucial role in educating about these issues and advocating for necessary changes. Your expertise and voice are vital to this mission. Please join us in this important endeavour. Link in bio. #healthcareprofessionals #healthcareworkers #healthcareheroes #healthcareworker #safescreens #safescreensforteens #regulatesmartphones #screentime #screentimeforkids #screentimelimits
Legacy building work as @earlychildhood launch this hugely important campaign having collaborated with business leaders to create a Taskforce dedicated to supporting families and children in their Early Years. Do head to @princeandprincessofwales for more information and see how you can get involved and see the link to the Royal Foundation Business Taskforce for early childhood report #caseforearlychildhood #parenting #healthy
Embrace your full potential! This month in our brilliant dossier we’re checking our psychological blindspots to help us live brighter, happier lives and unlock our full potential. So discover how to silence your inner critic with the art of self-compassion, recognise your strengths that are hiding in plain sight, and open your mind to new opportunities. Newsreader-turned-child therapist @KateSilverton did just that, and shares her secrets on how to embrace your ‘second act’. Plus, let go of your need to be a ‘good girl’, find out how to rest in just 20 minutes, and discover why your smartphone means you’ve got no clean pants!