Helping parents to help their children to “shift gears” more easily for better psychological flexibilty

A common concern I hear from parents is that little Tom or Sarah cannot seem to “shift gears” very well. 

In actual fact, it’s also a very common problem for adults as well.  We want something, do something, or expect something, and that didn’t happen. It’s hard for us to adapt to unexpected change. 

So how can we help our patients to “shift gears”?

In order to “shift gears”, we must learn how to hold our thoughts, feelings, values and beliefs more lightly at times.

If we hold onto our thoughts, feelings, values, and beliefs too tightly, it may lead to psychological inflexibility and a lot of unhealthy stress.

If we can teach parents these skills, they then can teach and model it for their own kids. That’s probably the most effective and practical way.