Blue Rider Expressive Therapy

12/16/2025

Ever get that shrug and "Fine" when you ask your kid "How was school today?" You're not alone—it's basically the universal parent struggle.

But psychologist Amy Morin (author of "13 Things Mentally Strong Parents Don't Do") shares 7 way better questions that actually get kids talking. More importantly, they quietly build habits like gratitude, empathy, resilience, and curiosity—without turning it into a lecture.

Here are a few standouts:
• "What was the best part of your day?" – Trains their brain to spot positives and boosts optimism.

• "What mistake did you learn from today?" – Normalizes failure and turns it into a growth lesson.

• "Who were you proud of today?" – Shifts focus to seeing good in others, growing empathy.

• "Who did you help today?" – Makes kindness feel natural and rewarding.

• "What was the most interesting thing you learned?" – Fuels genuine curiosity beyond grades.

• "What's one thing you could have made better today?" – Encourages self-reflection and problem-solving.

• "What's something new you want to try?" – Sparks courage and creativity.

The magic? These aren't interrogations—they're invitations into your child's world. Over time, kids open up more, think deeper, and feel truly seen.

I've seen parents try these and say the dinner table chats get richer, the eye rolls fewer. Small shift, big connection.

Which one's hitting home for you? Drop it in the replies—I'd love to hear how it goes when you try it!

11/08/2025

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Negative words linger longer than positive.

Your brain has a remarkable memory for negative experiences. Studies reveal that insults or harsh criticisms can be remembered for up to 20 years, while compliments and positive feedback are often forgotten within just 30 days. This imbalance is rooted in our evolutionary biology, where the brain prioritizes threats and harmful information to help ensure survival.

When we experience criticism or insults, the amygdala—the brain’s emotional center—activates strongly, encoding these events deeply into long-term memory. This heightened encoding ensures that the brain remembers potentially harmful social interactions, making it more likely to avoid similar threats in the future. Positive experiences, on the other hand, tend to trigger weaker neural pathways, which are easier to forget over time.

The implications are significant for mental health and relationships. Negative comments can have a lasting impact on self-esteem, stress levels, and emotional well-being. Conversely, the fleeting memory of compliments may mean that positive reinforcement has less enduring influence unless it is repeated consistently. Understanding this pattern can help individuals and organizations emphasize consistent encouragement to counterbalance the weight of negative experiences.

Experts suggest strategies to strengthen the memory of positive feedback. Journaling, repeating compliments, and mindfulness practices can help reinforce positive experiences in long-term memory. Building awareness of this cognitive bias allows people to focus on gratitude, resilience, and self-compassion.

This research underscores the brain’s inherent tendency to remember negativity far longer than positivity. By understanding these mechanisms, we can actively cultivate habits and environments that amplify positive experiences, ensuring that praise and encouragement leave a more lasting mark than insults ever could.

11/05/2025

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A psychologist discovered that adding just one simple word to the phrase “I can’t” can completely change how your brain responds to challenges. When you say “I can’t,” your subconscious mind accepts defeat—it signals to the brain that the task is impossible and shuts down problem-solving areas in the prefrontal cortex. But when you add one word—“yet”—everything changes.

Saying “I can’t do this yet” keeps the brain engaged. It activates what psychologists call a growth mindset, a belief that ability and intelligence can develop with effort and time. This small linguistic shift encourages persistence, rewires neural pathways for learning, and boosts motivation. The word “yet” tells your brain there’s still potential, keeping you focused on progress rather than failure.

Neuroscientific research supports this: people who adopt a growth mindset show higher levels of dopamine when facing challenges, helping them stay motivated even when things get tough. It’s one of the simplest yet most powerful mental reprogramming techniques in psychology.

Next time you hear yourself say “I can’t,” pause and add “yet.” You’re not just changing your sentence—you’re changing your brain.

11/02/2025

10/21/2025

https://x.com/paulgoldeagle/status/1980528109284966551?s=61

10/21/2025

https://x.com/xx17965797n/status/1980373065302442454?s=61

10/21/2025

https://x.com/mindset_machine/status/1979187008539967611?s=61

10/03/2025

https://healthboost.news/5-signs-of-cptsd-old-titd-c?utm_source=Facebook-HB&utm_medium=HB-CPTSDLandingChildhoodMoon&utm_campaign=%5BFK%5D+WW+%7C+A++%7C+CPTSD-OLDChildhood+Moon+%7C+CBO+(09.29)&utm_content=ADV_HB_541_v27_OB_TBDK_2025_34W_EN_IMAGE_1x1_VAR_ADV_HB_516_v82.png+(CPTSDAdvertorialLandingChildhoodMoon)&utm_term=fb%7CFacebook_Mobile_Feed%7C120236950497820735%7C120236950556150735%7C120236950556190735%7C%7B%7Badset.name%7D&fbclid=IwZnRzaANM1LRleHRuA2FlbQEwAGFkaWQBqyrezdeH7wEesS4egBt3encv29cC3XduFI1otkl4bbnuJJCB63KYPJW9lmYRmbWDXDvsE8o_aem_x4DGX6lHReQqPhB_kQagXQ&utm_id=120236950497820735

09/28/2025

https://www.facebook.com/photo.php?fbid=805367281873875&set=a.192907193119890&type=3

While “people-pleasing” itself hasn’t been proven to directly cause autoimmune disease, the behaviors tied to it chronic stress, suppressed emotions, and self-silencing can disrupt the immune system and raise risk. Long-term stress has been shown to alter immune function, making the body more vulnerable to health issues.

Research links PTSD to higher rates of autoimmune conditions, childhood trauma to greater odds of developing autoimmune disease later in life, and emotion suppression to increased inflammatory markers. Reviews in psychoneuroimmunology confirm that these stress-driven patterns can weaken immune defenses over time.

Experts, including Harvard Health, note that managing stress, expressing emotions, and setting healthy boundaries are key ways to protect immune health. While people-pleasing isn’t the direct cause of autoimmune disease, the stress it produces can make the body more susceptible to immune dysregulation and related conditions.

Source/Credit:

Harvard Health, “Stress and Autoimmune Disease Risk” (health.harvard.edu

07/01/2025

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