Red Robin Psychology

27/10/2021

What do you need to hear today?

❤️ (Via )

08/10/2021

With QLD stepping back down to Stage 3 Covid restrictions, we look forward to seeing our wonderful clients *fully* face to face again from next week! 😷😁

Masks are still required when attending the clinic, but may be removed in session once everyone is seated.

Enjoy a wonderful Spring weekend everyone!

📢 Restrictions are easing in parts of Queensland

Due to no community cases of COVID-19, from 4pm Friday 8 October, restrictions will ease across 📍Brisbane 📍Gold Coast 📍Logan 📍Moreton Bay 📍Townsville 📍Magnetic Island 📍Palm Island

Ongoing restrictions will include 👇

😷 You must wear a face mask indoors unless seated and outdoors when you can't social distance (in South East Queensland only)
🏡 Gatherings restricted to 100 people in homes and unlimited in public spaces
☕ Cafés and restaurants can have 1 person per 2 square metres
💒 Weddings and funerals can have 1 person per 2 square metres or 200 people (whichever is greater) or 100% capacity with ticketed and allocated seating
🏟️ Stadiums and events can have 100% capacity

Please also remember to:

📏 Social distance from others
🧼 Wash your hands often and properly
🏡 Get tested if you're sick and stay home
📱 Use the Check In QLD app
💉 Get vaccinated when you're eligible

For more information, visit https://www.qld.gov.au/health/conditions/health-alerts/coronavirus-covid-19/current-status/public-health-directions/restrictions-impacted-areas

27/08/2021

Let's say it again together...
~We do not have to rescue little people from their big feelings~

Instead, we:
BREATHE
ALLOW
BE WITH
(and where required... CONTAIN and KEEP SAFE)

Witnessing emotional storms and struggles in those we love can be triggering and uncomfortable. Breathing through our initial reaction and reminding ourselves that it’s not our crisis helps us to bring ourselves back to a place of calm so we can remain compassionately present and peaceful until their storm has passed.

A mantra to tuck in your pocket:

“When little people are overwhelmed by big emotions, it’s our job to share our calm, not join their chaos.”
-L.R.Knost

📷

—————————————————————
🌎Raising Humans Kind: http://t.co/T8goym3P6Z
—————————————————————
Please respect the work of authors, photographers, and artists. You are welcome to share provided you include appropriate credit and do not crop out author’s names from quote memes. Thank you. 🙂

www.LRKnost.com

Fighting a rare, incurable cancer, but I'm still here!💞 L.R.

21/08/2021

my brain and
heart divorced

a decade ago

over who was
to blame about
how big of a mess
I have become

eventually,
they couldn't be
in the same room
with each other

now my head and heart
share custody of me

I stay with my brain
during the week

and my heart
gets me on weekends

they never speak to one another

- instead, they give me
the same note to pass
to each other every week

and their notes they
send to one another always
says the same thing:

"This is all your fault"

on Sundays
my heart complains
about how my
head has let me down
in the past

and on Wednesday
my head lists all
of the times my
heart has screwed
things up for me
in the future

they blame each
other for the
state of my life

there's been a lot
of yelling - and crying

so,

lately, I've been
spending a lot of
time with my gut

who serves as my
unofficial therapist

most nights, I sneak out of the
window in my ribcage

and slide down my spine
and collapse on my
gut's plush leather chair
that's always open for me

~ and I just sit sit sit sit
until the sun comes up

last evening,
my gut asked me
if I was having a hard
time being caught
between my heart
and my head

I nodded

I said I didn't know
if I could live with
either of them anymore

"my heart is always sad about
something that happened yesterday
while my head is always worried
about something that may happen tomorrow,"
I lamented

my gut squeezed my hand

"I just can't live with
my mistakes of the past
or my anxiety about the future,"
I sighed

my gut smiled and said:

"in that case,
you should
go stay with your
lungs for a while,"

I was confused
- the look on my face gave it away

"if you are exhausted about
your heart's obsession with
the fixed past and your mind's focus
on the uncertain future

your lungs are the perfect place for you

there is no yesterday in your lungs
there is no tomorrow there either

there is only now
there is only inhale
there is only exhale
there is only this moment

there is only breath

and in that breath
you can rest while your
heart and head work
their relationship out."

this morning,
while my brain
was busy reading
tea leaves

and while my
heart was staring
at old photographs

I packed a little
bag and walked
to the door of
my lungs

before I could even knock
she opened the door
with a smile and as
a gust of air embraced me
she said

"what took you so long?"

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Beautiful words by poet John Roedel (johnroedel.com)

03/08/2021

Some good advice from Children's Health Queensland regarding taking to your kids about COVID-19.

30 March 2020 In this everchanging ‘new normal’ of social distancing, shutdowns and empty supermarket shelves the COVID-19 pandemic has thrust upon us, it’s not surprising that people are experiencing some stress and anxiety. And that’s just the grown-ups! Many parents are wondering what the...

01/08/2021

LOCKDOWN UPDATE: To our valued community... you know the drill!

Due to the increased risk and stricter restrictions during this lockdown, we will be shifting to telehealth (phone or video) appointments only until Tuesday. **UPDATED: this will continue until at least the end of this week**

If you have an appointment this week, we will be in touch with options, but as always you are welcome to reach out should you have any questions or concerns.

Please be assured that should the lockdown be extended, we will continue to evaluate the risks, requirements and needs of clients and staff in order to determine how best to provide ongoing safe access to care during this period.

Stay safe everyone!

27/07/2021

Love this teachable moment from Caroline Ellen - Safer Stronger Kids

Simone Biles came on the TV screen.

My husband commented to our girls - “She’s the world’s greatest gymnast”.

I added, “and she’s really brave”.

My 5yo looked at me and asked, “why?”

So I told her.

“Because the American gymnasts used to have a team doctor, who turned out to be a tricky person. He was touching the girls’ private parts. For the girls it was so scary to tell anyone. They didn’t know if anyone would believe them and they were scared they’d lose their spot on the team.

But Simone Biles was one of the girls who spoke up and said what had been happening, and now that tricky doctor is in jail”.

I could see she was still listening, so I added,
“And now, she’s got her own Gymnastics centre, where they make sure the kids are all safe, where their parents can easily watch over them, and they are spoken to kindly instead of being yelled at, which is what lots of coaches do, but it’s not ok”.

My daughter didn’t respond.

She got out of her chair, and watched every moment of Simone Biles’ routine.

⬆️ Teachable moments about body safety and children’s rights are everywhere.

Take them.

(Photo from the Team USA Instagram page, Getty Images).

** Editing to add: please know that this post was never intended as a history lesson. I’ve written word for word what I said to my 5yo - I did my best to simplify the story for her, and I represented that here.

Simone Biles was not the first athlete to speak out, she spoke out later - I don’t think this makes her less brave. People go through their own journeys and speak up in their own time. She has kept showing up. She has pressed for change. All of this is brave beyond measure.

If you haven’t heard the story, or want more information, please watch the documentary Athlete A. Or just Google it. You can find all the details just about everywhere.

The response to this post has been overwhelming.

I hope the key point was clear: Seize the moments to talk to your kids. Be open. There are age-appropriate ways to talk about everything. They are ready for more than you think.

19/07/2021

We know how important it is, but we don't often come across such nice concrete detail about ways to use our body language to de-escalate conflict with children.

These inforgraphics are a great starting point if you're looking for ideas to bring down the tone of your interactions with your child. Try them out, tweak them, and explore what works for you and your family!

📷 via L.R.Knost - Little Hearts/Gentle Parenting Resources

12/07/2021

Gratitude practice has been shown to have so many positive effects on our well-being. But this one in particular - allowing us to lean in to, and truly experience Joy, instead of being pulled in to the pain or fear of loss - may arguably be the most important.

Who better to put this in to words, than the researcher whose words have touched the lives of millions - Brené Brown

29/06/2021

LOCKDOWN UPDATE:

The QLD government has announced a 3 day lockdown from 6pm Tuesday 29 June.

For any clients booked in for appointments during this period, please know that as an essential service, we are still here to support you as normal during this time (just with some extra precautions!).

If possible, we request that you opt for a telehealth session via video or phone (we are happy to help with any technical difficulties!).
If you need to attend in person, masks will be required for the duration of the session. As always, high standards of hygiene will be maintained and we ask that you NOT attend in person if you or ANY members of your household are unwell.

To our wonderful community - there are always mixed feelings and often disappointment accompanies a lockdown, and it is important to make room for these emotions. We can also hold steady in the knowledge that we got through this before, we can do it again!

Stay Safe, Stay Kind, and Stay Home.

21/06/2021

Assertive communication (communicating your needs in a clear way while still respecting others) is something that many struggle with - even in to adulthood. It's never too early (or too late) to learn though!

Check out these clear simple examples from Big Life Journal about how to find that important middle ground through 'Assertive Owl Communication'.

11/06/2021

Wise words by McKayla Robbin from “We Carry the Sky”

22/05/2021

Sunday 30 May - Free yoga class for teenage girls at the Sherwood Neighbourhood Centre

18/05/2021

Language Is Important!!!

We've had some recent conversations with families of trans and gender fluid young people, around ways of providing support - including use of preferred pronouns.

Getting used to using new pronouns for someone you know can absolutely some practice! Remember though, it's not about being perfect, but rather about making the genuine effort.

If you're wondering how best to navigate any pronoun slip-ups, here are some great tips....

31/03/2021

One of the most common issues that we hear about in multi-child families is sibling conflict!

Although in some ways the sibling arena is a natural learning and testing ground for the development of social and emotion regulation skills, there are some things you can do as a parent to support this process.

The Gottmans' Emotion Coaching method is a 5 step approach to help your kids to understand, communicate and problem-solve together. Great skills that will benefit them through their years ahead!

Ready to put down your referee whistle and stop the constant fighting? Teach kids to resolve conflict with these steps to emotion coaching.

09/03/2021

You know that sinking, sickening feeling you get when you know you really messed up? When you got frustrated and overwhelmed and lost your temper and said something hateful or shouted so loud your throat hurt or just acted like a great big jerk and you feel like the worst person EVER?
🦋
We all have those moments, even as parents. They’re ugly, for sure, but they can also open the door to amazing reconnection with our children if we’re willing to be real with them.
🦋
Think about it. Our children are new here. They mess up aaaallll the time. And they get that same sinking, sickening feeling we do when they know they messed up. Only, they don’t have the life experience to understand that they can still be okay when they don’t feel okay, to know that they’re still loved when they’re acting unlovable, to see that being human is just a lifelong process of learning how to be human and that that’s okay.
🦋
So when we have our occasional adult meltdowns and that sinking, sickening feeling threatens to put us in a shame-filled adult time-out, let’s try to turn it into a ‘time in’ instead:
🦋
a time in reconnection through apologies;
a time in honest conversation as you talk to your tiny humans about normal human emotions;
a time in relationship growth as you share about your own struggles and needs in age appropriate ways;
a time in softening and stretching and becoming our most velveteen-real selves that our children can truly relate to and hold onto in their most vulnerable human moments.
🦋
You’ll be surprised at how understanding your children can be and how honesty is not a bridge too far, but a bridge to healing.
🦋
L.R.Knost

📷 💞

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🦋Raising Humans Kind: https://t.co/T8goym3P6Z
—————————————————————

www.LRKnost.com
Fighting a rare, incurable cancer, but I'm still here!💞 L.R.

19/02/2021

Rebecca Sparrow, author and advocate for teenage girls, is offering FREE access to her 20-minute webinar on personal boundaries:
"This 20 minute webinar is designed to encourage kids to think about their own personal boundaries and how to communicate those boundaries with their friends in a strong but kind way."

Knowing how important healthy boundaries are in any kind of relationship, and at any age, we think this is a great opportunity for any young (and not so young) people in your life!

Check it out here ---> https://rebeccasparrow.com/personal-boundaries/ and use the code HALT to access for free. Get in before midnight on Sunday!

Setting Personal Boundaries I’m not into TikTok. I don’t do sleepovers. I hate rollercoasters. I’m not okay with giving out the password to my phone. I’m not into scary movies. These are all examples of personal boundaries which is a fancy way of saying what you are okay or comfortable with....

15/02/2021

Too good not to share!

We loved every bit of this... more words of gold by Spilt Milk Psychology