Infinity Therapy & Education

08/01/2023

Holiday burnout…
Emotions are high at this time of year, the excitement of Christmas, the complete lack of routine, family visits, long car trips, crowds, excess sugar, hot days… the list is endless.

Do you know how our little humans process all of these emotions? Meltdowns, attitude, restlessness, crying, withdrawing, constant fighting with siblings… They aren’t happy just chilling at home but going out is an absolute nightmare. You’re exhausted and so are they!

I have no magic advice or life saving suggestion, just know that you are not alone! My house is a circus at this time of year.
Some things that I like to try include:
- A visual calendar to show when things are happening or who is looking after them each day.
- 1:1 time/days (sometimes all they are seeking is some special time with mum or dad with no distractions)
- Pre warning about events that are coming up. Show them photos of where you are going, tell them who is going to be there and what is going to happen. Let them ask questions!
- Down time - this will look different for every child. It might be watching tv, jumping on the trampoline, listening to music, sensory activities like sand, rice or water play, colouring in, going for a bike ride, dancing, yoga… Down time doesn’t always mean being still, it’s whatever helps your child feel calm. I highly recommended cosmic kids and go noodle for some easy, engaging activities for all ages and abilities!
- Give them a choice… “do you want to go to the park or stay home today?” This can help them to feel more in control of what is going on.

Here’s the thing though. You can do all of this and more and everything may still feel like it’s falling apart! You are not doing anything wrong! Be easy on your little ones and be easy on yourself. Take each day as it comes and remember that this time will pass. Only 3 weeks and we will go back to preschool, school, therapy, work, extra curricular activities and maybe some sort of normal.

Reach out if you would like some help with any tricky behaviours over this time! Remember all behaviour is a form of communication, we just have to work out what it is our little ones are trying to say 🥰

16/12/2022

This time of year can be so stressful! Particularly as a parent. A friend of mine once told me this metaphor of juggling balls. I use it constantly when I am feeling overwhelmed. Work out what your glass balls are and hold on to them. Everything else can wait 🥰

An advent for your mind. Day 13: what are your glass and rubber balls?

Is the juggle mounting? Does the to do list seem like an impossible mountain to climb? There’s only so much we can juggle, and sometimes we need to drop some balls so we can focus on what’s really important.

The problem is we tend to see doing it all as being successful, while letting balls drop is a failure. Let’s reframe this….. dropping the less important stuff let’s you focus and spend time doing what’s really important….. dropping balls can be a huge achievement. All have us have limited capacity and brain space, so there’s okay so much we can keep up in the air at one time.

We looked at shaking it off in day 3- but how do we know what balls to drop. Sometimes you need to actively think about this so let’s bring it back to what’s really important (you can use the values tree from day 3) to help with this. Which balls really matter to you and/ or it would really matter or make a difference to you or those you love if you dropped. These are your glass balls. You want to hold on to them because they are important.

Now which balls don’t really matter- which would make very little difference if you dropped them (and in fact might make things a bit better as you can focus on those important glass balls?). These are your rubber balls- dropping them doesn’t really matter you can let them bounce away. They can always be found and picked up later if you need to.

None of us can juggle everything and sometimes letting balls drop is not a failure. Actually it can be a huge success and be beneficial to you and your mind, freeing up time and brain space for what really matters.

What plastic balls could you let bounce this Christmas?

This image was inspired by a post by .martha.psychologist last year.

12/12/2022

Hi!!! Welcome to Infinity Therapy & Education.
My name is Zoey Williamson and I am 32 years old. I am a mum of 3 boys (7, 5 & 21 months)
I have a Bachelor of Primary Education, Masters of Special Needs Education and am currently studying psychology and positive behaviour therapy.
I have been passionate about supporting children with special needs for as long as I can remember! Since graduating uni in 2012 I have been a teacher in a special needs classroom and more recently have worked as a early intervention therapist. Throughout both of these roles I have supported children with Autism, ADHD, Intellectual delay, ODD and other behavioural difficulties.
In 2023 I am starting up my own little business and want to support all children with emotional regulation, social skills, visual supports and communication, sensory integration and accessing school and the community to the best of their ability.
I’m looking forward to helping children of the Illawarra reach their potential and help families best support their little humans.
Reach out if you think I may be able to help with anything 😊