Rick Armstrong, Executive Director I've been working on these thoughts for a few days, since the tragedy at Stoneman Douglas High School in Parkland, Florida last week and the ongoing issues of mass violence, harassment and domestic violence that came before last week.
Before my thoughts are my feelings - feelings of sadness, anger, frustration and fear.More
If you've suffered loss...
Victims experience grief and loss in different stages. One of the most difficult phases of grief takes place once we are forced to return to everyday life. The full impact of loss is felt once the immediate tragedy is over, and we are left to pick up the pieces.
Our children are intuitive and able to read our body language when a crisis occurs. Even if your child has not been exposed to the news or conversations about what happened in Parkland, they can feel the tension in the air.
In times of anxiety, it is important that we access the higher parts of our brain that deal with understanding, planning, determining what's out of our control, what's in our control, what we want to do, what we can do, what we will do. Deep breathing, meditation, mindfulness exercises, finding a time and a place to be calm is important to access the higher parts of our brains. More
