Reduce Emotional Vulnerability

PLEASE MASTER FOR PARENTS P & L: Treat Physical illness Do you have a physical illness that needs to be tended to? Do you have medication or treatments prescribed for you that you aren't taking or doing? What things keep you from treating your physical illness? Take some time to think about this, and see what it would take for you to take care of your physical needs. E: Balance Eating How well do you eat? Do you eat too little? Too much? What kinds of food do you eat? (Eating too little means that your body doesn't get the nourishment it needs. Also, if you eat too little over a period of time, your body goes into starvation mode, and burns the food more slowly, trying to protect itself from starving.) What foods make you feel good? Calm? Energized? What foods make you feel bad? How does eating a lot of sugar make you feel? Caffeine? The key here is to eat foods that are healthy and that make you feel good. A: Avoid Mood-Altering Drugs Alcohol and drugs can lower resistance to certain negative emotions. For example, I found that when I drank alcohol, I felt more depressed and sometimes more frightened. If you use drugs or alcohol, notice how they make you feel. If they are a problem in your life, can you get some help? S: Balance Sleep How much sleep makes you feel good? Some people do fine on 5-6 hours, others need 9-10 hours. Some people need to nap during the day. Learn to plan your schedule so that you get the sleep you need. Do you have trouble sleeping? Sleep is a big one for me. If I do not get enough sleep on a regular basis, I get irritable, short-tempered, my judgment is less good and I get upset much more easily. I have to work on it all the time. E: Get Exercise Regular exercise, besides being good for your heart, lungs, muscles and bones, stimulates chemicals in your brain called endorphins, which are natural antidepressants. We are talking about aerobic exercise, the kind that makes you out of breath. Do you get regular exercise? What kind? If not, is there something you can do for exercise, starting out with just a little? MASTER: Build MASTERY Do things every day that make you feel competent, confident, that you are good at something or are learning something. What kinds of things are you good at doing? Can you learn a new skill? What kinds of things give you a sense of mastery, of being good at something or meeting a challenge? Sometimes these things will be a little bit hard or challenging.

PLEASE MASTER FOR KIDS P & L: Treat Physical illness Does your child have a physical illness that needs to be tended to? Do they have medication or treatments prescribed for them that they aren't taking or doing? What things keep you from treating their physical illness? Take some time to think about this, and see what it would take for you to take care of their physical needs. E: Balance Eating How well do your children eat? Do they eat too little? Too much? What kinds of food do they eat? (Eating too little means that your body doesn't get the nourishment it needs. Also, if you eat too little over a period of time, your body goes into starvation mode, and burns the food more slowly, trying to protect itself from starving.) What foods make your kids feel good? Calm? Energized? What foods make them feel bad? How does eating a lot of sugar make them feel or behave? Caffeine? The key here is to eat foods that are healthy and that make your kids behave and feel good. A: Avoid Mood-Altering Drugs Alcohol and drugs are illegal for children and a worry for parents.  Parental use of mood altering drugs effects their ability to parent. S: Balance Sleep How much sleep makes your child behave and feel good? Some children do fine on 7-8 hours, teens need 9-10+ hours. Some children need to nap during the day. Learn to plan your schedule so that your kids get the sleep you need. Do your kids have trouble sleeping? Sleep is a big one for kids. If I they not get enough sleep on a regular basis, they get irritable, short-tempered, their judgment is less good and they get upset much more easily.   E: Get Exercise Regular exercise, besides being good for your child's heart, lungs, muscles and bones, stimulates chemicals in your brain called endorphins, which are natural antidepressants. We are talking about aerobic exercise, the kind that makes them out of breath. Do your kids get regular exercise? What kind? If not, is there something they can do for exercise, starting out with just a little? MASTER: Build MASTERY Help your kids do things every day that make them feel competent, confident, that they are good at something or are learning something. What kinds of things are they good at doing? Can they learn a new skill? What kinds of things give your kids a sense of mastery, of being good at something or meeting a challenge? Sometimes these things will be a little bit hard or challenging.