A Positively Fresh Start

Positivity and Optimism in 2022

Every New Year brings new aspirations, possibilities, and resolutions. As we leave behind the past and parade into 2022, we are filled with a sense of hope and optimism. If we are to begin the year motivated to become our best selves it is important we are fueled by positive thoughts.

Optimism is the expectation of a favorable outcome. It is our hope that things will only improve despite past or current events. Optimism is just seeing that good thing can come out of bad situations and being grateful for the joys and challenges in life. Embracing optimism allows us to develop a positive attitude so we can enjoy a better quality of life.

Parental Alienation in Custody Cases

By Megan D. Strait

Most often, people think of parental alienation as physically withholding custody from the other parent; however, parental alienation can even occur in intact families where both parents are physically in the presence of their children daily. Parental alienation can come in the form of psychological manipulation of a child by a parent with the goal of causing the child to become estranged from the other parent. This form of parental alienation can be hard to detect, and even more difficult to establish in court.

Fortunately, in Pennsylvania, courts do recognize parental alienation, and seem to be taking a stronger stance against parental alienation. Some courts have even considered parental alienation to be a form of abuse.

When parental alienation takes the form of psychological manipulation, it can cause serious mental injury to a child, which can manifest itself in the form of anxiety and other disorders. Most often the parent who is committing the parental alienation, will appear to be protecting the child from the other parent.

The alienating parent will try and paint the other parent in a bad light. The alienating parent may raise false allegations of abuse against the other parent in order to prompt investigations into the other parent. Depending upon the age of the child, the alienating parent may be successful in coaching the child to admit to false allegations of abuse. When the parents appear in court for custody, it can be hard to distinguish whether there is truly abuse, or whether there is some form of parental alienation that is taking place. In order to make that determination, experts in psychology are typically required, but hiring an expert can be quite costly, and most people are not able to afford the necessary tools to litigate against the alienating parent.

The alienating parent may also use brainwashing techniques in order to turn the child against the other parent. The alienating parent may say things to the child like “mommy doesn’t love you” or “daddy loves you more”. The alienating parent may make disparaging remarks to the child about the other parent or cause the child to fear seeing the other parent. If a child develops a fear of being with the other parent, the alienating parent may attempt to link the fear to the child being abused by the other parent. This can often lead to the court placing the child with the alienating parent out of concern that the child may be being abused by the other parent.

Parental alienation can be dangerous and can have a long-lasting impact on a child who is victim to it. If you believe this could be occurring in your custody case, it is important that you not only consult with an attorney, but also with a mental health professional to ensure your child is not suffering from the affects that parental alienation can cause.

Contact Megan D. Strait at mstrait@pjrlaw.com or 717-591-1755 for further guidance.

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Goal Setting and Implementation

The new year is about setting new and attainable goals that will improve our lives. Starting from health to academics, it can be for anything you want. Many people keep resolutions, but they fail to follow through. It is about implementing the goals and not just setting the goals. Think small incremental changes. Now is your opportunity to write a list of essential changes in the lifestyle you want to create for yourself. Here are some ideas to help you get you going:

1. Become physically fit

Weight loss is the most popular resolution, and when combined with "stay fit and healthy," it represents a goal for more than a third of the people. It's simple enough to begin a diet and workout program; the key is to find one that will provide consistent results and be easy to maintain over time.

2. Eat a healthier diet.

Usually, this is a result of the ongoing resolution. When we are accompanied by inexpensive, unhealthy food, shifting to a better diet can be extremely difficult. You can gradually develop healthy eating practices with perseverance and some simple tips. Learn how to handle emotional eating, understand why diets fail, and always look for healthy recipes that suit your taste buds..

3. Don't be a procrastinator.

The urge to unwind doing something fun rather than working hard is the most significant impediment preventing most people from achieving their goals. It's difficult to break the habit of delaying once you've become accustomed to it, so you'll have to invest a lot of effort to break this bad tendency. There are many tips to help you stop procrastinating, but the best one is to create a daily to-do list so you know everything you need to accomplish.

4. Strengthen your concentration

For millennia, people have been searching for ways to enhance their attention and cognitive abilities. Most civilizations used a mixture of mental exercise and herbal remedies to achieve this goal.

Whether it’s old meditation techniques or apps on our phone, today we have numerous options to improve our concentration and mental abilities allowing you to better regulate our mood, learn more quickly, and solve problems more easily.

5. Make new friends

Drawing energy from others can benefit your mental health and career, so don't be afraid to put yourself in situations where you can meet more people.

It is a great New Year's resolution, but people with social anxiety may find it difficult. Begin by simply saying yes whenever a companion invites you out for an evening. This is a fantastic way to start making new friends.

Bring Change with your Actions

Martin Luther King has made a lasting impression on the world, despite incredible odds. This is both a learning opportunity and motivation for anyone wishing to make a difference in the world. His passion and determination for what he believed serve as a great example for us to start working harder and smarter in 2022.

Create reading habit

Books are a great way to increase the wealth of knowledge on a wide range of topics while also giving your brain a good workout. It's not difficult to read 20 or more novels per year; all you have to do is make it a habit, identify your favorite sort of book, and schedule some time for reading.

Develop self-confidence

Others will notice your confidence, and it will be much easier for you to have your views represented, ask people out on dates, and make progress at work. A healthy dose of self-assurance will help you live a happier life in general.

Healthy self, focusing on your accomplishments and viewing mistakes as opportunities are all part of developing confidence.

Find ways to reduce stress

Stress is said to be one of the leading causes of death, and it can have a negative impact on both your relationships and your well-being. This may be an inevitable side effect of our fast-paced modern lives, but it can be properly controlled with the help of simple stress management techniques. Often we create our own stress so it is a matter of recognizing what is self induced and making proper adjustments.