12 Tips for Winter Break: Week 3 - Building Relationships
Winter Break Tip #7 - Attune and Connect
How many times has someone asked you ”How are you?” and you’ve replied, “Good!” and that’s the whole conversation? Good isn’t a feeling! And, our guess is that you’re feeling a lot more than just “good.”
It’s so easy to gloss past emotions without really taking the time to attune to what’s going on emotionally. This is especially important for your role as a parent. You have to teach your children how to correctly identify their emotions and move forward with them.
Rather than a quick check in with your kids before moving on, take some time to really attune to their emotional state and connect with them, Help them normalize their emotions, and never label a thought or a feeling as good or bad. Even when you or your child are feeling angry or sad or overwhelmed, these emotions give us very important information!
Winter Break Tip #8 - Make Time for Family Fun
Over Winter Break, it’s really easy to get caught up in all the things you have to do. Family visits, family traditions, meeting up with friends, connecting with colleagues, attending all the parties. It can get busy! But just as important as this socializing is spending time with the family in a more free-form way. We want you to make sure that you’re still connecting and attuning to the family system as a whole.
Winter Break Tip #9 - Build New Traditions
You know what we love about the holiday season? All of the family traditions! Spending time with your kids and making memories can be just as fun and exciting for you as it is for them.
Whether it’s matching pjs, a pancake breakfast, or watching the same holiday movies every year, every tradition is special.
And, it's always an option to add to your family tradition repertoire. Ask your kids for suggestions for new traditions and maybe those will become fast favorites. What matters most is the time you’re spending together and the family bonding that the holiday season brings!
Is Winter Break a challenge for you? Do you feel totally overwhelmed every year? It can be tough to keep things running smoothly when there’s so much time to fill - and especially tough for anxious, stressed out kids and teens (and their stressed out parents). We’re sharing with you our 12 Tips for Winter Break - but we’re available all year round for anxious child counseling, therapy for teens, and stress management for college students. Set up your free phone consult on our website at compassionatecounselingstl.com/consult
We work with kids, teens, and college students through the St. Louis region, including Clayton, Ladue, Webster Groves, Kirkwood, and Creve Coeur.
Thumbnail image provided by: Sai De Silva