Life Savers: Identifying What Makes You Calm and Happy

Patty Lindley
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Published on: July 15, 2013

Laura S. Kastner, Ph.D., author of Wise-Minded Parenting

OWL (Offer of Wise-Minded Learning): Life Savers

Wise-Minded Parenting: 7 Essentials for Raising Successful Tweens + TeensIdentifying what makes you calm and content

Since we are wired to feel more negative feelings than positive ones, and be affected by stressors throughout our environment, we need to be skillful at compensating for this biological reality by active use of coping skills. Make a list of your Life Savers and see if your teen is willing to make his or her list as well.

Ideas: Playing with pets, watching movies, a walk in the park, painting, time with friends, photos, sports, Sudoku, writing in a journal, cooking with others, letter writing, time in nature, meditation/mindfulness practice, yoga, music or prayer. How are you role-modeling healthy ways of self-nurturing that don’t involve materialism, media binging or excessive food/substance intake?

This week, write down your success in doing one (or more) of your Life Savers every day. Were you feeling negative or stressed at the time? Did it help?

Read more about “Self-Care” in Wise-Minded Parenting: 7 Essentials for Raising Successful Tweens + Teens, chapter 1: Secure Attachment, and about “Materialism and Narcissism” in chapter 5: Emotional Flourishing.

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